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- "I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?
- "And what is the portion of God from above Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
- "Is it not calamity to the unjust And disaster to those who work iniquity?
- "Does He not see my ways And number all my steps?
- "If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot has hastened after deceit,
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- "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.
- For what is man's lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty on high?
- Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?
- Does he not see my ways and count my every step?
- "If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit-
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- Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity.
- "If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart followed my eyes, Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
- Let me sow and another eat, And let my crops be uprooted.
- "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or I have lurked at my neighbor's doorway,
- May my wife grind for another, And let others kneel down over her.
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- let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless-
- if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled,
- then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.
- "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,
- then may my wife grind another man's grain, and may other men sleep with her.
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- "For that would be a lustful crime; Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.
- "For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon, And would uproot all my increase.
- "If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves When they filed a complaint against me,
- What then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
- "Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?
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- For that would have been shameful, a sin to be judged.
- It is a fire that burns to Destruction ; it would have uprooted my harvest.
- "If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants when they had a grievance against me,
- what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?
- Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
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- "If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
- Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the orphan has not shared it
- (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And from infancy I guided her),
- If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering,
- If his loins have not thanked me, And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
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- "If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
- if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless-
- but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow-
- if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment,
- and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
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- If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, Because I saw I had support in the gate,
- Let my shoulder fall from the socket, And my arm be broken off at the elbow.
- "For calamity from God is a terror to me, And because of His majesty I can do nothing.
- "If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust,
- If I have gloated because my wealth was great, And because my hand had secured so much;
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- if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court,
- then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.
- For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
- "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'
- if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained,
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- If I have looked at the sun when it shone Or the moon going in splendor,
- And my heart became secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
- That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above.
- "Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, Or exulted when evil befell him?
- "No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for his life in a curse.
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- if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
- so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
- then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
- "If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him-
- I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against his life-
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- "Have the men of my tent not said, 'Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat'?
- "The alien has not lodged outside, For I have opened my doors to the traveler.
- "Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
- Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
- "Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature; Let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written,
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- if the men of my household have never said, 'Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?'-
- but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler-
- if I have concealed my sin as men do, by hiding my guilt in my heart
- because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside
- ("Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense--let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
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- Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, I would bind it to myself like a crown.
- "I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.
- "If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;
- If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
- Let briars grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
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- Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown.
- I would give him an account of my every step; like a prince I would approach him.)-
- "if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears,
- if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
- then let briers come up instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
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