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Job 31

Job stakes his defense on integrity before the God who sees his conduct, while demanding that his case be heard.

Job brings his defense to a close with a series of sworn declarations about his conduct. He names offenses ranging from lust and deceit to neglect of the poor, and calls down judgment on himself if he is guilty. His treatment of servants, use of wealth, and response to enemies all come under scrutiny. He asks the Almighty to answer him and demands a written indictment. The chapter ends with his words concluded.

sermon or Bible study notesinjustice and angertemptation
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1“I made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?
2For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?
4Doesn’t he see my ways, and count all my steps?
5“If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit
6(let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);
7if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
8then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
9“If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door,
10then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.
11For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
12for it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.
13“If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me,
14what then will I do when God rises up? When he visits, what will I answer him?
15Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?
16“If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it
19if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
20if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;
21if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate;
22then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.
23For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.
24“If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’
25If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;
26if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,
27and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth;
28this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have denied the God who is above.
29“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him
30(I have certainly not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);
31if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’
32(the foreigner has not camped in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);
33if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—
35oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Let the accuser write my indictment!
36Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and I would bind it to me as a crown.
37I would declare to him the number of my steps. I would go near to him like a prince.
38If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;
39if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,
40let briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Job 31:1Job begins his defense with a covenant governing his gaze, placing inward desire within the scope of integrity.
Job 31:15A shared Creator grounds Job’s duty to hear his servants’ complaints, despite the difference in their social standing.
Job 31:16Job’s sworn defense includes care for the poor and widows, making their treatment central to his claim of integrity.
Where this chapter reaches

Matthew shares Job’s concern with lust in the heart, and Genesis shares his grounding of human life in God’s creative work. Deuteronomy and Isaiah share his concern for justice toward the poor, widows, and the fatherless, including the obligations of those with resources.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which part of Job’s account of integrity most challenges how you think about faithfulness to God?

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What do you notice about Job’s fear of God alongside his demand for an answer?

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Questions people ask about Job 31

What does Job 31:1 mean by a covenant with his eyes?

Job describes a binding commitment concerning how he looks at a young woman. The verse names lust as the issue, and the following verses place his conduct under God’s watch. His defense begins with the direction of his desires before moving into deceit, adultery, and the treatment of others.

Why does Job call down curses on himself in Job 31?

Job uses an oath form: if he has committed a named wrong, he accepts a corresponding judgment. These severe consequences underline the seriousness of his defense. The curse involving his wife is harsh, but it belongs to his sworn declaration; it gives readers no command or permission to harm anyone.

Is Job claiming to be sinless in Job 31?

Job declares his innocence of the offenses he lists and offers himself for God’s examination. He also denies concealing transgressions out of fear of public contempt. The speech is a sworn defense of his integrity against wrongdoing, rather than a statement that he has never sinned in any way.

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Job · 42 chapters
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What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about temptation →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).