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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Job 31 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/job/31.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/job/31-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Job 31</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../job/30.htm" title="Job 30">◄</a> Job 31 <a href="../job/32.htm" title="Job 32">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h5 class="sp">Job Continues</h5><h3 class="s1">I Promised Myself</h3>1I promised myselfnever to stare with desireat a young woman.2God All-Powerful punishesmen who do that.3In fact, God sends disasteron all who sin,4and he keeps a close watchon everything I do.5I am not dishonest or deceitful,6and I beg God to provemy innocence.7If I have disobeyed himor even wanted to,8then others can eat my harvestand uproot my crops.9If I have desired someone's wifeand chased after her,10then let some strangersteal my wife from me.11If I took someone's wife,it would be a horrible crime,12sending me to destructionand my crops to the flames.<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.12!f.1" class="notelink f-link">+</a> 13When my servantscomplained against me,I was fair to them.14Otherwise, what answerwould I give to Godwhen he judges me?15After all, God is the onewho gave life to each of usbefore we were born.<h3 class="s1">I Have Never Cheated Anyone</h3>16<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.16!x.1" class="notelink x-link"></a> I have never cheated widowsor others in need,17and I have always sharedmy food with orphans.18Since the time I was young,I have cared for orphansand helped widows.<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.18!f.1" class="notelink f-link">+</a> 19I provided clothes for the poor,20and I was praisedfor supplying woolen garmentsto keep them warm.21If I have ever raised my armto threaten an orphanwhen the power was mine,22I hope that arm will fallfrom its socket.23I could not have been abusive;I was terrified at the thoughtthat God might punish me.24<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.24!x.1" class="notelink x-link"></a> I have never trustedthe power of wealth,25or taken pride in owningmany possessions.* 26I have never openly or secretly27worshiped the sun or moon.28Such horrible sinswould have deservedpunishment from God.29I have never laughedwhen my enemieswere struck by disaster.30Neither have I sinnedby asking Godto send down on themthe curse of death.31No one ever went hungry<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.31!f.1" class="notelink f-link">+</a> at my house,32and travelerswere always welcome.33Many have attempted to hidetheir sins from others—but I refused.34And the fear of public disgracenever forced me to keep silentabout what I had done.<h3 class="s1">Why Doesn't God Listen?</h3>35Why doesn't God All-Powerfullisten and answer?If God has something against me,let him speak upor put it in writing!36Then I would wear his chargeson my clothes and forehead.37And with my head held high,I would tell him everythingI have ever done.38I have never mistreatedthe land I farmedand made it mourn.<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.38!f.1" class="notelink f-link">+</a> 39Nor have I cheatedmy workersand caused them pain.<a href="#fn" id="link_Job.31.39!f.1" class="notelink f-link">+</a> 40If I had, I would prayfor weeds instead of wheatto grow in my fields.After saying these things,Job was silent.</div> </div> <a name="fn"></a> Footnotes: <note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">31.12 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">flames: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.</char></note> <note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">31.18 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">widows: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.</char></note> <note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">31.31 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">ever went hungry: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “was ever sexually abused” (see Genesis 19.1-11; Judges 17.22-30). In ancient Israel, the lives of one's guests were sacred and had to be protected at any cost.</char></note> <note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">31.38 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">mourn: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">In biblical times there were strict regulations for proper use of the land, and land that was abused was said to “mourn” and become no longer productive.</char></note> <note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">31.39 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">pain: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 39.</char></note></div></div> <div align="center">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Bible text from the Contemporary English Version 2nd Edition (CEV®) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (<a href="http://www.americanbible.org">www.americanbible.org</a>). Learn more at <a href="http://www.cev.bible">www.cev.bible</a>. Discover .BIBLE resources for your ministry at <a href="http://www.get.bible/cev">www.get.bible/cev</a> <a href="/">Bible Hub</a> </div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../job/30.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 30"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 30" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../job/32.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 32"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 32" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/job/31-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchapnoad.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>