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"I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?
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For what [is] the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
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[Is] it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
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Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?
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"If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
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Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.
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If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands,
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[Then] let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.
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"If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or [if] I have lurked at my neighbor's door,
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[Then] let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her.
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For that [would be] wickedness; Yes, it [would be] iniquity [deserving of] judgment.
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For that [would be] a fire [that] consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase.
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"If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,
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What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
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Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
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"If I have kept the poor from [their] desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
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Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it
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(But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided [the widow);]
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If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor [man] without covering;
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If his heart has not blessed me, And [if] he was [not] warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
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If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate;
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[Then] let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket.
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For destruction [from] God [is] a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.
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"If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, '[You are] my confidence';
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If I have rejoiced because my wealth [was] great, And because my hand had gained much;
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If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving [in] brightness,
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So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand;
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This also [would be] an iniquity [deserving of] judgment, For I would have denied God [who is] above.
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"If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him
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(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul);
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If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?'
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([But] no sojourner had to lodge in the street, [For] I have opened my doors to the traveler);
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If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
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Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence [And] did not go out of the door --
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Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. [Oh, that] the Almighty would answer me, [That] my Prosecutor had written a book!
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Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, [And] bind it on me [like] a crown;
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I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.
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"If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;
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If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;
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[Then] let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
