Job 31:34

because I was terrified ¹  of the great multitude, ²  and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I remained silent and would not go outdoors – ³ 

because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside—

Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, And kept silent and did not go out of doors?

Have I feared the crowd and its contempt, so that I refused to acknowledge my sin and would not go outside?

Because I was afraid what people would say, fearing the gossip of the neighbors so much That I turned myself into a recluse? You know good and well that I didn't.

For fear of the great body of people, or for fear that families might make sport of me, so that I kept quiet, and did not go out of my door;

because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—

Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door––

because I was terrified ¹  of the great multitude, ²  and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I remained silent and would not go outdoors – ³ 

¹ tn Here too the verb will be the customary imperfect – it explains what he continually did in past time.

² tn Heb “the great multitude.” But some commentators take רַבָּה (rabbah) adverbially: “greatly” (see RSV).

³ sn There is no clear apodosis for all these clauses. Some commentators transfer the verses around to make them fit the constructions. But the better view is that there is no apodosis – that Job broke off here, feeling it was useless to go further. Now he will address God and not men. But in vv. 38-40b he does return to a self-imprecation. However, there is not sufficient reason to start rearranging all the verses.