📖 Job — Chapter 31 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Job 31:1 I made Ra covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Job 31:2 For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
Job 31:3 Is not Rdestruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
Job 31:4 RDoth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
Job 31:5 If I have Rwalked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
Job 31:6 RTLet me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.
Job 31:7 RIf my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;
Job 31:8 Then Rlet me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
Job 31:9 RIf mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;
Job 31:10 Then let my wife Rgrind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.
Job 31:11 For this is Ran heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
Job 31:12 For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.
Job 31:13 If I did despise Rthe cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
Job 31:14 RWhat then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
Job 31:15 RDid not he that made me in the womb make him? and Tdid not one fashion us in the womb?
Job 31:16 If I have Rwithheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
Job 31:17 Or Rhave eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
Job 31:18 (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided Ther from my mother’s womb;)
Job 31:19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
Job 31:20 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
Job 31:21 If I have Rlifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
Job 31:22 Then Rlet mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the Tbone.
Job 31:23 For Rdestruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.
Job 31:24 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
Job 31:25 If I rejoice because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had Tgotten much;
Job 31:26 If I Rbeheld the Tsun when it shined, or the moon walking Tin brightness;
Job 31:27 And Rmy heart hath been secretly enticed, or Tmy mouth hath kissed my hand:
Job 31:28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: Rfor I should have denied the God that is above.
Job 31:29 If I rejoice at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:
Job 31:30 Neither Rhave I suffered my Tmouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.
Job 31:31 If Rthe men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
Job 31:32 RThe stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the Ttraveller.
Job 31:33 If I Rcovered my transgressions Tas Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:
Job 31:34 RDid I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
Job 31:35 Oh that one would hear me! behold, RTmy desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
Job 31:36 Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as Ra crown to me.
Job 31:37 I would Rdeclare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.
Job 31:38 If my land Rcry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof Tcomplain;
Job 31:39 If I have eaten the RTfruits thereof without money, or have caused Tthe owners thereof to lose their life:
Job 31:40 Let Rthistles grow instead of wheat, and Tcockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 31:1–12 — Integrity in desire and conduct
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Job states commitments concerning his eyes, honesty, and marital faithfulness, invoking consequences if he has acted wrongly. The oaths defend his integrity rather than supply evidence for the friends' accusations. The severe conditional language belongs to his appeal for a hearing, not a command for readers to punish others.
Key Truth: Let integrity include private desires and honest conduct.
Check What You Remember
1. With what did Job make a covenant? (Job 31:1)
Find it in Job 31:1 (KJV).
2. What balance does he ask to be weighed in? (Job 31:6)
Find it in Job 31:6 (KJV).
3. What wrong toward a neighbor's marriage does he deny? (Job 31:9)
Find it in Job 31:9 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 31:13–28 — Justice, care, and true allegiance
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Job recalls respect for servants because they share the same Maker, care for poor people, and refusal to trust gold or worship heavenly lights. His account connects devotion to God with treatment of people and possessions. It directly resists the friends' allegations of cruelty while giving readers concrete questions for examining their own conduct.
Key Truth: Honor the shared humanity of those under your power.
Check What You Remember
1. Who made both Job and his servants in the womb? (Job 31:15)
Find it in Job 31:15 (KJV).
2. Whose food did Job say he shared? (Job 31:17)
Find it in Job 31:17 (KJV).
3. What metal did he deny making his hope? (Job 31:24)
Find it in Job 31:24 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 31:29–40 — Hospitality and a request for judgment
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Job denies rejoicing at an enemy's destruction, remembers opening his doors to travelers, and asks the Almighty to answer his case. He also submits his treatment of the land and its owners to examination. His defense closes with a desire for accountable judgment rather than an invented confession to appease the friends.
Key Truth: Submit your conduct to truthful examination.
Check What You Remember
1. To whom did Job open his doors? (Job 31:32)
Find it in Job 31:32 (KJV).
2. Whom does he desire to answer him? (Job 31:35)
Find it in Job 31:35 (KJV).
3. What would he accept growing instead of wheat if guilty? (Job 31:40)
Find it in Job 31:40 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Proverbs 14:31 — The proverb links treatment of the poor with regard for their Maker.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Which part of Job's examination of conduct could guide your own honest self-examination?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does Job’s appeal to an even balance fit his opening denials?
2. What ground does he give for taking servants’ causes seriously?
3. What forms of false confidence or worship does Job deny?
4. How does his description of an enemy differ from vindictive delight?
5. What connects his final land-related oath with the end of the speech?
Notes
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