Job's Final Appeal

Job 31

1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes;
Why then should I 1 look upon a a young woman? 2 For what is the b allotment of God from above,
And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked,
And disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 c Does He not see my ways,
And count all my steps?

5 "If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 6 2 Let me be weighed on honest scales,
That God may know my d integrity. 7 If my step has turned from the way,
Or e my heart walked after my eyes,
Or if any spot adheres to my hands, 8 Then f let me sow, and another eat;
Yes, let my harvest be 3 rooted out.

9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, 10 Then let my wife grind for g another,
And let others bow down over her. 11 For that would be wickedness;
Yes, h it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. 12 For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,
And would root out all my increase.

13 "If I have i despised the cause of my male or female servant
When they complained against me, 14 What then shall I do when j God rises up?
When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? 15 k Did not He who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

16 "If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or caused the eyes of the widow to l fail, 17 Or eaten my morsel by myself,
So that the fatherless could not eat of it 18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father,
And from my mother's womb I guided 4 the widow); 19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor man without covering; 20 If his 5 heart has not m blessed me,
And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21 If I have raised my hand n against the fatherless,
When I saw I had help in the gate; 22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,
Let my arm be torn from the socket. 23 For o destruction from God is a terror to me,
And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

24 "If p I have made gold my hope,
Or said to fine gold, 'You are my confidence'; 25 q If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had gained much; 26 r If I have observed the 6 sun when it shines,
Or the moon moving in brightness, 27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed,
And my mouth has kissed my hand; 28 This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,
For I would have denied God who is above.

29 "If s I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
Or lifted myself up when evil found him 30 t (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for a curse on his 7 soul); 31 If the men of my tent have not said,
'Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?' 32 u (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,
For I have opened my doors to the 8 traveler); 33 If I have covered my transgressions v as 9 Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34 Because I feared the great w multitude,
And dreaded the contempt of families,
So that I kept silence
And did not go out of the door - 35 x Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my mark.
Oh, y that the Almighty would answer me,
That my 10 Prosecutor had written a book! 36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
And bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.

38 "If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If z I have eaten its 11 fruit without money,
Or a caused its owners to lose their lives;

40 Then let b thistles grow instead of wheat,
And weeds instead of barley."
The words of Job are ended.

  1. Cross References
    Matthew 5:28
    But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
  2. Cross References
    Job 20:29
    This is the portion from God for a wicked man, The heritage appointed to him by God.
  3. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 16:9
    "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throug...
    Job 24:23
    He gives them security, and they rely on it; Ye...
    Job 28:24
    For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees...
    Job 34:21
    For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He see...
    Job 36:7
    He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteou...
    Proverbs 5:21
    For the ways of man are before the eyes of the ...
    Proverbs 15:3
    The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keepin...
    Jeremiah 32:19
    You are great in counsel and mighty in work, fo...
  4. Cross References
    Job 23:10
    But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
    Job 27:5
    Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
    Job 27:6
    My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.
  5. Cross References
    Numbers 15:39
    And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined.
    Ecclesiastes 11:9
    Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.
    Ezekiel 6:9
    Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.
    Matthew 5:29
    If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
  6. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:16
    I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
    Deuteronomy 28:30
    You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes.
    Deuteronomy 28:38
    You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it.
    Job 20:18
    He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment.
    Micah 6:15
    You shall sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
  7. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 28:30
    You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes.
    2 Samuel 12:11
    Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
    Jeremiah 8:10
    Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 38:24
    And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry." So Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!
    Leviticus 20:10
    The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.
    Deuteronomy 22:22
    If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die - the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.
    Job 31:28
    This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.
  9. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:14
    You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates.
    Deuteronomy 24:15
    Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the LORD, and it be sin to you.
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 44:21
    Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
  11. Cross References
    Job 34:19
    Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands.
    Proverbs 14:31
    He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
    Proverbs 22:2
    The rich and the poor have this in common, The LORD is the maker of them all.
    Malachi 2:10
    Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
  12. Cross References
    Job 29:12
    Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper.
  13. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:13
    You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the LORD your God.
  14. Cross References
    Job 22:9
    You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
  15. Cross References
    Isaiah 13:6
    Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
  16. Cross References
    Matthew 6:19
    Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
    Matthew 6:20
    But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
    Mark 10:23 - 25
    Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
  17. Cross References
    Job 1:3
    Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
    Job 1:10
    Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
    Psalms 62:10
    Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:19
    And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
    Deuteronomy 17:3
    Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded.
    Ezekiel 8:16
    So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
  19. Cross References
    Proverbs 17:5
    He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
    Proverbs 24:17
    Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
  20. Cross References
    Matthew 5:44
    But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
  21. Cross References
    Genesis 19:2
    And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square.
    Genesis 19:3
    But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
  22. Cross References
    Genesis 3:10
    So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.
    Proverbs 28:13
    He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
  23. Cross References
    Exodus 23:2
    You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
  24. Cross References
    Job 19:7
    If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
    Job 30:20
    I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me.
    Job 30:24
    Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it.
    Job 30:28
    I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
  25. Cross References
    Job 13:22
    Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me.
    Job 13:24
    Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy?
    Job 33:10
    Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy.
  26. Cross References
    Job 24:6
    They gather their fodder in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
    Job 24:10 - 12
    They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
    James 5:4
    Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
  27. Cross References
    1 Kings 21:19
    "You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Have you murdered and also taken possession?" ' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours." '"
  28. Cross References
    Genesis 3:18
    Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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