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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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- I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
- For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
- Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
- Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
- If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
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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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- Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.
- If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;
- Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
- If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door;
- Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.
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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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- For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
- For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.
- If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
- What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
- Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
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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 withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
- Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
- (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;)
- If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
- If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
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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 lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
- Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.
- For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.
- If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
- If I rejoice because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;
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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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- If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;
- And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:
- This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.
- If I rejoice at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:
- Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.
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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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- If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
- The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.
- If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:
- Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
- Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
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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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- Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.
- I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.
- If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
- If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
- Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
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