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Job
12 Then Job replied:
2 “Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
and wisdom will die with you!(A)
3 But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?(B)
4 “I have become a laughingstock(C) to my friends,(D)
though I called on God and he answered(E)—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(F)
5 Those who are at ease have contempt(G) for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(H)
6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(I)
and those who provoke God are secure(J)—
those God has in his hand.[a]
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(K)
or the birds in the sky,(L) and they will tell you;(M)
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know(N)
that the hand of the Lord has done this?(O)
10 In his hand is the life(P) of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.(Q)
11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?(R)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(S)
Does not long life bring understanding?(T)
13 “To God belong wisdom(U) and power;(V)
counsel and understanding are his.(W)
14 What he tears down(X) cannot be rebuilt;(Y)
those he imprisons cannot be released.(Z)
15 If he holds back the waters,(AA) there is drought;(AB)
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(AC)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(AD)
both deceived and deceiver are his.(AE)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(AF)
and makes fools of judges.(AG)
18 He takes off the shackles(AH) put on by kings
and ties a loincloth[b] around their waist.(AI)
19 He leads priests away stripped(AJ)
and overthrows officials long established.(AK)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.(AL)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(AM)
and disarms the mighty.(AN)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(AO)
and brings utter darkness(AP) into the light.(AQ)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(AR)
he enlarges nations,(AS) and disperses them.(AT)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(AU)
he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(AV)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(AW)
he makes them stagger like drunkards.(AX)
13 “My eyes have seen all this,(AY)
my ears have heard and understood it.
2 What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.(AZ)
3 But I desire to speak to the Almighty(BA)
and to argue my case with God.(BB)
4 You, however, smear me with lies;(BC)
you are worthless physicians,(BD) all of you!(BE)
5 If only you would be altogether silent!(BF)
For you, that would be wisdom.(BG)
6 Hear now my argument;
listen to the pleas of my lips.(BH)
7 Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?
Will you speak deceitfully for him?(BI)
8 Will you show him partiality?(BJ)
Will you argue the case for God?
9 Would it turn out well if he examined you?(BK)
Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?(BL)
10 He would surely call you to account
if you secretly showed partiality.(BM)
11 Would not his splendor(BN) terrify you?
Would not the dread of him fall on you?(BO)
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.(BP)
13 “Keep silent(BQ) and let me speak;(BR)
then let come to me what may.(BS)
14 Why do I put myself in jeopardy
and take my life in my hands?(BT)
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope(BU) in him;(BV)
I will surely[c] defend my ways to his face.(BW)
16 Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,(BX)
for no godless(BY) person would dare come before him!(BZ)
17 Listen carefully to what I say;(CA)
let my words ring in your ears.
18 Now that I have prepared my case,(CB)
I know I will be vindicated.(CC)
19 Can anyone bring charges against me?(CD)
If so, I will be silent(CE) and die.(CF)
20 “Only grant me these two things, God,
and then I will not hide from you:
21 Withdraw your hand(CG) far from me,
and stop frightening me with your terrors.(CH)
22 Then summon me and I will answer,(CI)
or let me speak, and you reply to me.(CJ)
23 How many wrongs and sins have I committed?(CK)
Show me my offense and my sin.(CL)
24 Why do you hide your face(CM)
and consider me your enemy?(CN)
25 Will you torment(CO) a windblown leaf?(CP)
Will you chase(CQ) after dry chaff?(CR)
26 For you write down bitter things against me
and make me reap the sins of my youth.(CS)
27 You fasten my feet in shackles;(CT)
you keep close watch on all my paths(CU)
by putting marks on the soles of my feet.
14 “Mortals, born of woman,(CX)
are of few days(CY) and full of trouble.(CZ)
2 They spring up like flowers(DA) and wither away;(DB)
like fleeting shadows,(DC) they do not endure.(DD)
3 Do you fix your eye on them?(DE)
Will you bring them[d] before you for judgment?(DF)
4 Who can bring what is pure(DG) from the impure?(DH)
No one!(DI)
5 A person’s days are determined;(DJ)
you have decreed the number of his months(DK)
and have set limits he cannot exceed.(DL)
6 So look away from him and let him alone,(DM)
till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.(DN)
7 “At least there is hope for a tree:(DO)
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots(DP) will not fail.(DQ)
8 Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump(DR) die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water(DS) it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.(DT)
10 But a man dies and is laid low;(DU)
he breathes his last and is no more.(DV)
11 As the water of a lake dries up
or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,(DW)
12 so he lies down and does not rise;(DX)
till the heavens are no more,(DY) people will not awake
or be roused from their sleep.(DZ)
13 “If only you would hide me in the grave(EA)
and conceal me till your anger has passed!(EB)
If only you would set me a time
and then remember(EC) me!(ED)
14 If someone dies, will they live again?
All the days of my hard service(EE)
I will wait for my renewal[e](EF) to come.
15 You will call and I will answer you;(EG)
you will long for the creature your hands have made.(EH)
16 Surely then you will count my steps(EI)
but not keep track of my sin.(EJ)
17 My offenses will be sealed(EK) up in a bag;(EL)
you will cover over my sin.(EM)
18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles(EN)
and as a rock is moved from its place,(EO)
19 as water wears away stones
and torrents(EP) wash away the soil,(EQ)
so you destroy a person’s hope.(ER)
20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;(ES)
you change their countenance and send them away.(ET)
21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;
if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.(EU)
22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies(EV)
and mourn only for themselves.(EW)”
Eliphaz
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(EX) replied:
2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions
or fill their belly with the hot east wind?(EY)
3 Would they argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?(EZ)
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.(FA)
5 Your sin(FB) prompts your mouth;(FC)
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.(FD)
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.(FE)
7 “Are you the first man ever born?(FF)
Were you brought forth before the hills?(FG)
8 Do you listen in on God’s council?(FH)
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(FI)
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?(FJ)
10 The gray-haired and the aged(FK) are on our side,
men even older than your father.(FL)
11 Are God’s consolations(FM) not enough for you,
words(FN) spoken gently to you?(FO)
12 Why has your heart(FP) carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage(FQ) against God
and pour out such words(FR) from your mouth?(FS)
14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
or those born of woman,(FT) that they could be righteous?(FU)
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,(FV)
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,(FW)
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,(FX)
who drink up evil(FY) like water!(FZ)
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,(GA)
18 what the wise have declared,
hiding nothing received from their ancestors(GB)
19 (to whom alone the land(GC) was given
when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,(GD)
the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.(GE)
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;(GF)
when all seems well, marauders attack him.(GG)
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;(GH)
he is marked for the sword.(GI)
23 He wanders about(GJ) for food like a vulture;(GK)
he knows the day of darkness(GL) is at hand.(GM)
24 Distress and anguish(GN) fill him with terror;(GO)
troubles overwhelm him, like a king(GP) poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist(GQ) at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,(GR)
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.(GS)
27 “Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,(GT)
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,(GU)
houses crumbling to rubble.(GV)
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,(GW)
nor will his possessions spread over the land.(GX)
30 He will not escape the darkness;(GY)
a flame(GZ) will wither his shoots,(HA)
and the breath of God’s mouth(HB) will carry him away.(HC)
31 Let him not deceive(HD) himself by trusting what is worthless,(HE)
for he will get nothing in return.(HF)
32 Before his time(HG) he will wither,(HH)
and his branches will not flourish.(HI)
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,(HJ)
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.(HK)
34 For the company of the godless(HL) will be barren,
and fire will consume(HM) the tents of those who love bribes.(HN)
35 They conceive trouble(HO) and give birth to evil;(HP)
their womb fashions deceit.”
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?(A) 31 I face death every day(B)—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts(C) in Ephesus(D) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
33 Do not be misled:(F) “Bad company corrupts good character.”[b](G) 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God(H)—I say this to your shame.(I)
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask,(J) “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”(K) 36 How foolish!(L) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.(M) 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.(N) 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor,(O) the moon another and the stars another;(P) and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be(Q) with the resurrection of the dead.(R) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;(S) 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;(T) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.(U)
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[c];(V) the last Adam,(W) a life-giving spirit.(X) 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.(Y) 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth;(Z) the second man is of heaven.(AA) 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.(AB) 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,(AC) so shall we[d] bear the image of the heavenly man.(AD)
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood(AE) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,(AF) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.(AG) 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery:(AH) We will not all sleep,(AI) but we will all be changed(AJ)— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,(AK) the dead(AL) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable(AM) must clothe itself with the imperishable,(AN) and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[e](AO)
56 The sting of death is sin,(AQ) and the power of sin is the law.(AR) 57 But thanks be to God!(AS) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.(AT)
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,(AU) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.(AV)
Psalm 39[a]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 I said, “I will watch my ways(A)
and keep my tongue from sin;(B)
I will put a muzzle on my mouth(C)
while in the presence of the wicked.”
2 So I remained utterly silent,(D)
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish(E) increased;
3 my heart grew hot(F) within me.
While I meditated,(G) the fire(H) burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;(I)
let me know how fleeting(J) my life is.(K)
5 You have made my days(L) a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,(M)
even those who seem secure.[b]
6 “Surely everyone goes around(N) like a mere phantom;(O)
in vain they rush about,(P) heaping up wealth(Q)
without knowing whose it will finally be.(R)
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.(S)
8 Save me(T) from all my transgressions;(U)
do not make me the scorn(V) of fools.
9 I was silent;(W) I would not open my mouth,(X)
for you are the one who has done this.(Y)
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow(Z) of your hand.(AA)
11 When you rebuke(AB) and discipline(AC) anyone for their sin,
you consume(AD) their wealth like a moth(AE)—
surely everyone is but a breath.(AF)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.