Job 31:21

19 if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,

20 if his heart has not blessed me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,

if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,

22 then may my arm fall from my shoulder and be torn from its socket.

23 For calamity from God terrifies me, and His splendor I cannot overpower.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,
KJV
If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
WEB
if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate;
ASV
If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate:
DARBY
If I have lifted up my hand against an orphan, because I saw my help in the gate:
BLB
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help at the gate,
ÅB
Har jeg løftet min hånd mot den farløse, fordi jeg var sikker på å få medhold i retten?
OTB
Hvis jeg har løftet min hånd mot den foreldreløse,
Fordi jeg så jeg hadde støtte ved porten,
B1930
Har jeg løftet min hånd mot den farløse, fordi jeg var viss på å få medhold i retten?

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Job 22:9

    You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.

    Read in context
  • Job 29:12

    because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.

    Read in context
  • Ezekiel 22:7

    Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed.

    Read in context
  • Micah 7:3

    Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

    Read in context
  • Jeremiah 5:28

    They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

    Read in context
  • Job 6:27

    You would even cast lots for an orphan and barter away your friend.

    Read in context
  • Proverbs 23:10–11

    Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

    Read in context
  • Job 24:9

    The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt.

    Read in context