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Job 30; Job 31

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Job 30

1 But men younger than I am make fun of me now! Their fathers have always been so worthless that I wouldn't let them help my dogs guard sheep.
2 They were a bunch of worn-out men, too weak to do any work for me.
3 They were so poor and hungry that they would gnaw dry roots - at night, in wild, desolate places.
4 They pulled up the plants of the desert and ate them, even the tasteless roots of the broom tree!
5 Everyone drove them away with shouts, as if they were shouting at thieves.
6 They had to live in caves, in holes dug in the sides of cliffs.
7 Out in the wilds they howled like animals and huddled together under the bushes.
8 A worthless bunch of nameless nobodies! They were driven out of the land.
9 Now they come and laugh at me; I am nothing but a joke to them.
10 They treat me with disgust; they think they are too good for me, and even come and spit in my face.
11 Because God has made me weak and helpless, they turn against me with all their fury.
12 This mob attacks me head-on; they send me running; they prepare their final assault.
13 They cut off my escape and try to destroy me; and there is no one to stop them.
14 They pour through the holes in my defenses and come crashing down on top of me;
15 I am overcome with terror; my dignity is gone like a puff of wind, and my prosperity like a cloud.
16 Now I am about to die; there is no relief for my suffering.
17 At night my bones all ache; the pain that gnaws me never stops.
18 God seizes me by my collar and twists my clothes out of shape.
19 He throws me down in the mud; I am no better than dirt.
20 I call to you, O God, but you never answer; and when I pray, you pay no attention.
21 You are treating me cruelly; you persecute me with all your power.
22 You let the wind blow me away; you toss me about in a raging storm.
23 I know you are taking me off to my death, to the fate in store for everyone.
24 Why do you attack a ruined man, one who can do nothing but beg for pity?
25 Didn't I weep with people in trouble and feel sorry for those in need?
26 I hoped for happiness and light, but trouble and darkness came instead.
27 I am torn apart by worry and pain; I have had day after day of suffering.
28 I go about in gloom, without any sunshine; I stand up in public and plead for help.
29 My voice is as sad and lonely as the cries of a jackal or an ostrich.
30 My skin has turned dark; I am burning with fever.
31 Where once I heard joyful music, now I hear only mourning and weeping.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Job 31

1 I have made a solemn promise never to look with lust at a woman.
2 What does Almighty God do to us? How does he repay human deeds?
3 He sends disaster and ruin to those who do wrong.
4 God knows everything I do; he sees every step I take.
5 I swear I have never acted wickedly and never tried to deceive others.
6 Let God weigh me on honest scales, and he will see how innocent I am.
7 If I have turned from the right path or let myself be attracted to evil, if my hands are stained with sin,
8 then let my crops be destroyed, or let others eat the food I grow.
9 If I have been attracted to my neighbor's wife, and waited, hidden, outside her door,
10 then let my wife cook another man's food and sleep in another man's bed.
11 Such wickedness should be punished by death.
12 It would be like a destructive, hellish fire, consuming everything I have.
13 When any of my servants complained against me, I would listen and treat them fairly.
14 If I did not, how could I then face God? What could I say when God came to judge me?
15 The same God who created me created my servants also.
16 I have never refused to help the poor; never have I let widows live in despair
17 or let orphans go hungry while I ate.
18 All my life I have taken care of them.
19 When I found someone in need, too poor to buy clothes,
20 I would give him clothing made of wool that had come from my own flock of sheep. Then he would praise me with all his heart.
21 If I have ever cheated an orphan, knowing I could win in court,
22 then may my arms be broken; may they be torn from my shoulders.
23 Because I fear God's punishment, I could never do such a thing.
24 I have never trusted in riches
25 or taken pride in my wealth.
26 I have never worshiped the sun in its brightness or the moon in all its beauty.
27 I have not been led astray to honor them by kissing my hand in reverence to them.
28 Such a sin should be punished by death; it denies Almighty God.
29 I have never been glad when my enemies suffered, or pleased when they met with disaster;
30 I never sinned by praying for their death.
31 All those who work for me know that I have always welcomed strangers.
32 I invited travelers into my home and never let them sleep in the streets.
33 Others try to hide their sins, but I have never concealed mine.
34 I have never feared what people would say; I have never kept quiet or stayed indoors because I feared their scorn.
35 Will no one listen to what I am saying? I swear that every word is true. Let Almighty God answer me. If the charges my opponent brings against me were written down so that I could see them,
36 I would wear them proudly on my shoulder and place them on my head like a crown.
37 I would tell God everything I have done, and hold my head high in his presence.
38 If I have stolen the land I farm and taken it from its rightful owners -
39 if I have eaten the food that grew there but let the farmers that grew it starve -
40 then instead of wheat and barley, may weeds and thistles grow. The words of Job are ended.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.