2 Corinthians 12

New American Standard Bible

Paul’s Vision

12 ^(A)Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and ^(B)revelations ^[a]of the Lord. ²I know a man ^(C)in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, ^(D)God knows—such a man was ^(E)caught up to the ^(F)third heaven. ³And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, ^(G)God knows— ⁴was ^(H)caught up into ^(I)Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. ⁵^(J)In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my ^(K)weaknesses. ⁶For if I do wish to boast I will not be ^(L)foolish, ^(M)for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

A Thorn in the Flesh

⁷Because of the extraordinary greatness of the ^(N)revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a ^(O)thorn in the flesh, a ^(P)messenger of Satan to ^[b]torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord ^(Q)three times that it might leave me. ⁹And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for ^(R)power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather ^(S)boast ^[c]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰Therefore ^(T)I delight in weaknesses, in ^[d]insults, in ^(U)distresses, in ^(V)persecutions, in ^(W)difficulties, ^(X)in behalf of Christ; for ^(Y)when I am weak, then I am strong.

¹¹I have become ^(Z)foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, since I was ^(AA)in no respect inferior to the ^[e]most eminent apostles, even though ^(AB)I am a nobody. ¹²The ^(AC)distinguishing marks ^[f]of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by ^[g]signs, wonders, and ^[h]miracles. ¹³For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that ^(AD)I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me ^(AE)this wrong!

¹⁴Here ^(AF)for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I ^(AG)will not be a burden to you; for I ^(AH)do not seek what is yours, but ^(AI)you; for ^(AJ)children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but ^(AK)parents for their children. ¹⁵I will ^(AL)most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If ^(AM)I love you more, am I to be loved less? ¹⁶But be that as it may, I ^(AN)did not burden you myself; nevertheless, devious person that I am, I ^(AO)took you in by deceit. ¹⁷^(AP)Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? ¹⁸I ^(AQ)urged ^(AR)Titus to go, and I sent ^(AS)the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not ^[i]conduct ourselves ^[j]in the same ^(AT)spirit and walk ^(AU)in the same steps?

¹⁹All this time ^[k]you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, ^(AV)it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and ^(AW)all for building you up, ^(AX)beloved. ²⁰For I am afraid that perhaps ^(AY)when I come I may find you to be not what I wish, and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be ^(AZ)strife, jealousy, ^(BA)angry tempers, ^(BB)selfishness, ^(BC)slanders, ^(BD)gossip, ^(BE)arrogance, ^(BF)disturbances; ²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have ^(BG)sinned in the past and not repented of the ^(BH)impurity, sexual immorality, and indecent behavior which they have practiced.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 12:1 Or from
2 Corinthians 12:7 Lit beat
2 Corinthians 12:9 Lit in
2 Corinthians 12:10 Or mistreatment
2 Corinthians 12:11 Or super-apostles
2 Corinthians 12:12 Lit of the apostle
2 Corinthians 12:12 Or confirming miracles
2 Corinthians 12:12 Or works of power
2 Corinthians 12:18 Lit walk
2 Corinthians 12:18 Or by the same Spirit
2 Corinthians 12:19 Or have you been thinking...?

Psalm 140

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

140 ^(A)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from ^(B)violent men
²Who ^(C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They ^(D)continually stir up wars.
³They ^(E)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
^(F)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah

⁴^(G)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
^(H)Protect me from violent men
Who ^[a]intend to ^[b]^(I)trip up my feet.
⁵The proud have ^(J)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a ^(K)net at the ^[c]wayside;
They have set ^(L)snares for me. Selah

⁶I ^(M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
^(N)Listen, Lord, to the ^(O)sound of my pleadings.
⁷^[d]God the Lord, ^(P)the strength of my salvation,
You have ^(Q)covered my head on the day of ^[e]battle.
⁸Do not grant, Lord, the ^(R)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about ^(S)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah

⁹“As for the head of those who surround me,
May the ^(T)harm of their lips cover them.
¹⁰May ^(U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be ^(V)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they ^(W)cannot rise.
¹¹May a ^[f]slanderer not endure on the earth;
^(X)May evil hunt a violent person ^[g]violently.”

¹²I know that the Lord will ^(Y)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And ^(Z)justice for the poor.
¹³Certainly the ^(AA)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The ^(AB)upright will dwell in Your presence.

Footnotes

Psalm 140:4 Or devise
Psalm 140:4 Lit push
Psalm 140:5 Lit track
Psalm 140:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Psalm 140:7 Lit weapons
Psalm 140:11 Lit man of tongue
Psalm 140:11 Lit blow upon blow

Job 7-8

New American Standard Bible

Job’s Life Seems Futile

7 “^[a]Is a person not ^(A)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of ^(B)a hired worker?
²As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
³So I am allotted worthless months,
And ^(C)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
⁴When I ^(D)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
⁵My ^(E)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and ^[b]oozes.
⁶My days are ^(F)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end ^(G)without hope.

⁷“Remember that my life ^(H)is a mere breath;
My eye will ^(I)not see goodness again.
⁸The ^(J)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but ^(K)I will not exist.
⁹When a ^(L)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way ^(M)one who goes down to ^[c]^(N)Sheol does not come up.
¹⁰He will not return to his house again,
Nor will ^(O)his place know about him anymore.

¹¹“Therefore ^(P)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹²Am I the sea, or ^(Q)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
¹³If I say, ‘^(R)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will ^[d]ease my complaint,’
¹⁴Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
¹⁵So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my ^[e]pains.
¹⁶I ^[f]^(S)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, ^(T)for my days are only a breath.
¹⁷^(U)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You ^[g]are concerned about him,
¹⁸That ^(V)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
¹⁹^[h]^(W)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
²⁰^(X)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
^(Y)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
²¹Why then ^(Z)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my ^[i]guilt?
For now I will ^(AA)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, ^(AB)but I will no longer exist.”

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

²“How long will you say these things,
And the ^(AC)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
³Does ^(AD)God pervert justice?
Or does ^[j]the Almighty pervert what is right?
⁴^(AE)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He turned them over to the ^[k]power of their wrongdoing.
⁵If you will ^(AF)search for God
And implore the compassion of ^[l]the Almighty,
⁶If you are pure and upright,
Surely now ^(AG)He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous ^[m]^(AH)estate.
⁷Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your ^(AI)end will increase greatly.

⁸“Please ^(AJ)inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
⁹For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because ^(AK)our days on earth are as a shadow.
¹⁰Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?

¹¹“Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
¹²While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other ^[n]plant.
¹³So are the paths of ^(AL)all who forget God;
And the ^(AM)hope of the godless will perish,
¹⁴His confidence is fragile,
And his trust is a ^(AN)spider’s ^[o]web.
¹⁵He depends on his ^(AO)house, but it does not stand;
He holds on to it, but it does not endure.
¹⁶He ^(AP)flourishes before the sun,
And his ^(AQ)shoots spread out over his garden.
¹⁷His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He ^[p]grasps a house of stones.
¹⁸If he is ^[q]removed from ^(AR)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘^(AS)I never saw you.’
¹⁹Behold, ^(AT)this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
²⁰Behold, ^(AU)God will not reject a person of integrity,
Nor ^(AV)will He ^[r]help evildoers.
²¹He will yet fill ^(AW)your mouth with laughter,
And your lips with joyful shouting.
²²Those who hate you will be ^(AX)clothed with shame,
And the ^(AY)tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”