| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? | 1"I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. |
| 2For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high? | 2For what is our lot from God above, our heritage from the Almighty on high? |
| 3Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? | 3Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? |
| 4Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps? | 4Does he not see my ways and count my every step? |
| 5If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; | 5"If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit-- |
| 6Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. | 6let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless-- |
| 7If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands; | 7if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled, |
| 8Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out. | 8then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted. |
| 9If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; | 9"If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, |
| 10Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her. | 10then may my wife grind another man's grain, and may other men sleep with her. |
| 11For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges. | 11For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged. |
| 12For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase. | 12It is a fire that burns to Destruction; it would have uprooted my harvest. |
| 13If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me; | 13"If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me, |
| 14What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? | 14what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? |
| 15Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? | 15Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? |
| 16If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; | 16"If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, |
| 17Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; | 17if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless-- |
| 18(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;) | 18but from my youth I reared them as a father would, and from my birth I guided the widow-- |
| 19If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering; | 19if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments, |
| 20If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; | 20and their hearts did not bless me for warming them with the fleece from my sheep, |
| 21If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate: | 21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, |
| 22Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone. | 22then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. |
| 23For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure. | 23For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. |
| 24If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; | 24"If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,' |
| 25If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much; | 25if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, |
| 26If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; | 26if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, |
| 27And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: | 27so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, |
| 28This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above. | 28then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. |
| 29If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: | 29"If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him-- |
| 30Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul. | 30I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life-- |
| 31If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied. | 31if those of my household have never said, 'Who has not been filled with Job's meat?'-- |
| 32The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller. | 32but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler-- |
| 33If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom: | 33if I have concealed my sin as people do, by hiding my guilt in my heart |
| 34Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door? | 34because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside-- |
| 35Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book. | 35("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. |
| 36Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me. | 36Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown. |
| 37I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him. | 37I would give him an account of my every step; I would present it to him as to a ruler.)-- |
| 38If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain; | 38"if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears, |
| 39If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: | 39if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, |
| 40Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended. | 40then let briers come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended. |
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