Job 11-12
New King James Version
Zophar Urges Job to Repent
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should [a]a man full of talk be vindicated?
3 Should your empty talk make men [b]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
4 For you have said,
(A)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
5 But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that (B)God [c]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.
7 “Can(C) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than [d]Sheol—what can you know?
9 Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 “If(D) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can [e]hinder Him?
11 For (E)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
12 For an (F)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.
13 “If you would (G)prepare your heart,
And (H)stretch out your hands toward Him;
14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And (I)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 (J)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16 Because you would (K)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17 And your life (L)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18 And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and (M)take your rest in safety.
19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
20 But (N)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And (O)their hope—[f]loss of life!”
Job Answers His Critics
12 Then Job answered and said:
2 “No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
3 But I have [g]understanding as well as you;
I am not (P)inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
4 “I(Q) am one mocked by his friends,
Who (R)called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
5 A [h]lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for (S)those whose feet slip.
6 (T)The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.
7 “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 (U)In whose hand is the [i]life of every living thing,
And the (V)breath of [j]all mankind?
11 Does not the ear test words
And the [k]mouth taste its food?
12 Wisdom is with aged men,
And with [l]length of days, understanding.
13 “With Him are (W)wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.
14 If (X)He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
15 If He (Y)withholds the waters, they dry up;
If He (Z)sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads [m]princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty.
20 (AA)He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 (AB)He pours contempt on princes,
And [n]disarms the mighty.
22 He (AC)uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
23 (AD)He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He [o]enlarges nations, and guides them.
24 He takes away the [p]understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And (AE)makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
25 (AF)They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them (AG)stagger like a drunken man.
Footnotes
- Job 11:2 Lit. a man of lips
- Job 11:3 be silent
- Job 11:6 Lit. forgets some of your iniquity for you
- Job 11:8 The abode of the dead
- Job 11:10 restrain
- Job 11:20 Lit. the breathing out of life
- Job 12:3 Lit. a heart
- Job 12:5 Or disaster
- Job 12:10 Or soul
- Job 12:10 Lit. all flesh of men
- Job 12:11 palate
- Job 12:12 Long life
- Job 12:19 Lit. priests, but not in a technical sense
- Job 12:21 loosens the belt of
- Job 12:23 Lit. spreads out
- Job 12:24 Lit. heart
Psalm 94:1-11
New King James Version
God the Refuge of the Righteous
94 O Lord God, (A)to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O (B)Judge of the earth;
[a]Render punishment to the proud.
3 Lord, (C)how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?
4 They (D)utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
5 They break in pieces Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.
7 (E)Yet they say, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob [b]understand.”
8 Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?
9 (F)He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
10 He who [c]instructs the [d]nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord (G)knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.
Footnotes
- Psalm 94:2 Repay with
- Psalm 94:7 pay attention
- Psalm 94:10 disciplines
- Psalm 94:10 Gentiles
Proverbs 22:24-25
New King James Version
24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a (A)furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
And set a snare for your soul.
Romans 10
New King James Version
Israel Needs the Gospel
10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [a]Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness (A)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of (B)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (C)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For (D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, (E)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, (F)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, (G)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (H)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that (I)if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, (J)“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For (K)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for (L)the same Lord over all (M)is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For (N)“whoever calls (O)on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Israel Rejects the Gospel
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear (P)without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
(Q)“How beautiful are the feet of those who [b]preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (R)“Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
(S)“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:
(T)“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a (U)foolish nation.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
(V)“I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But to Israel he says:
(W)“All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”
Footnotes
- Romans 10:1 NU them
- Romans 10:15 NU omits preach the gospel of peace, Who
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
