Esther 10 - Job 4

English Standard Version

The Greatness of Mordecai

10 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on ^(A)the coastlands of the sea. ²And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, ^(B)to which the king advanced him, are they not written in ^(C)the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? ³For Mordecai the Jew was ^(D)second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he ^(E)sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

Job's Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the land of ^(F)Uz whose name was ^(G)Job, and that man was ^(H)blameless and upright, one who ^(I)feared God and ^(J)turned away from evil. ²There were born to him ^(K)seven sons and three daughters. ³He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all ^(L)the people of the east. ⁴His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and ^(M)consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and ^(N)offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and ^(O)cursed^[a] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

⁶Now there was a day when ^(P)the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^(Q)Satan^[b] also came among them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From ^(R)going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^(S)considered my ^(T)servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ^(U)a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰Have you not put ^(V)a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have ^(W)blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹But ^(X)stretch out your hand and ^(Y)touch all that he has, and he will ^(Z)curse you ^(AA)to your face.” ¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

¹³Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁴and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵and ^(AB)the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants^[c] with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(AC)“The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(AD)“The Chaldeans formed ^(AE)three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(AF)“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁹and behold, a great wind came across ^(AG)the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰Then Job arose and ^(AH)tore his ^(AI)robe and ^(AJ)shaved his head ^(AK)and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said, ^(AL)“Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I ^(AM)return. The Lord ^(AN)gave, and the Lord has taken away; ^(AO)blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²^(AP)In all this Job did not sin or charge God with ^(AQ)wrong.

Satan Attacks Job's Health

2 Again ^(AR)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ²And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ³And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still ^(AS)holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him ^(AT)without reason.” ⁴Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵But ^(AU)stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will ^(AV)curse you to your face.” ⁶And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome ^(AW)sores from ^(AX)the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸And he took ^(AY)a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in ^(AZ)the ashes.

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still ^(BA)hold fast your integrity? ^(BB)Curse God and die.” ¹⁰But he said to her, “You speak as one of the ^(BC)foolish women would speak. ^(BD)Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”^[d] ^(BE)In all this Job did not ^(BF)sin with his lips.

Job's Three Friends

¹¹Now when Job's three ^(BG)friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz ^(BH)the Temanite, Bildad ^(BI)the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to ^(BJ)show him sympathy and comfort him. ¹²And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they ^(BK)tore their robes and sprinkled ^(BL)dust on their heads toward heaven. ¹³And they sat with him on the ground ^(BM)seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

Job Laments His Birth

3 After this Job ^(BN)opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²And Job said:

³^(BO)“Let the day perish on which I was born,
    and the night that said,
    ‘A man is conceived.’
⁴Let that day be darkness!
    May God above not seek it,
    nor light shine upon it.
⁵Let gloom and ^(BP)deep darkness claim it.
    Let clouds dwell upon it;
    let the blackness of the day terrify it.
⁶That night—let thick darkness seize it!
    Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
    let it not come into the number of the months.
⁷Behold, let that night be barren;
    let no joyful cry enter it.
⁸Let those curse it who curse the day,
    who are ready to rouse up ^(BQ)Leviathan.
⁹Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
    let it hope for light, but have none,
    nor see ^(BR)the eyelids of the morning,
¹⁰because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb,
    nor hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹“Why ^(BS)did I not die at birth,
    come out from the womb and expire?
¹²Why did ^(BT)the knees receive me?
    Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
¹³For then I would have lain down and been quiet;
    I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
¹⁴with kings and counselors of the earth
    who ^(BU)rebuilt ruins for themselves,
¹⁵or with princes who had gold,
    who filled their houses with silver.
¹⁶Or why was I not as a hidden ^(BV)stillborn child,
    as infants who never see the light?
¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling,
    and there the weary are at ^(BW)rest.
¹⁸There the prisoners are at ease together;
    they hear not the voice of ^(BX)the taskmaster.
¹⁹The small and the great are there,
    and the slave is free from his master.

²⁰“Why is light given to him who is in misery,
    and life to ^(BY)the bitter in soul,
²¹who ^(BZ)long for death, but it comes not,
    and dig for it more than for ^(CA)hidden treasures,
²²who rejoice exceedingly
    and are glad when they find the grave?
²³Why is light given to a man whose ^(CB)way is hidden,
    whom God has ^(CC)hedged in?
²⁴For my sighing comes ^(CD)instead of^[e] my bread,
    and my ^(CE)groanings are poured out like water.
²⁵^(CF)For the thing that I fear comes upon me,
    and what I dread befalls me.
²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
    I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Eliphaz Speaks: The Innocent Prosper

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
    Yet who can keep from speaking?
³Behold, you have instructed many,
    and you have ^(CG)strengthened the weak hands.
⁴Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
    and you have ^(CH)made firm the feeble knees.
⁵But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
    it touches you, and you are dismayed.
⁶^(CI)Is not your fear of God^[f] your ^(CJ)confidence,
    and the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember: ^(CK)who that was innocent ever perished?
    Or where were the upright cut off?
⁸As I have seen, those who ^(CL)plow iniquity
    and sow trouble reap the same.
⁹By ^(CM)the breath of God they perish,
    and by ^(CN)the blast of his anger they are consumed.
¹⁰The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
    ^(CO)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
¹¹The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
    and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²“Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
    my ear received ^(CP)the whisper of it.
¹³Amid ^(CQ)thoughts from ^(CR)visions of the night,
    when ^(CS)deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴dread came upon me, and trembling,
    which made all my bones shake.
¹⁵A spirit glided past my face;
    the hair of my flesh stood up.
¹⁶It stood still,
    but I could not discern its appearance.
^(CT)A form was before my eyes;
    there was silence, then I heard ^(CU)a voice:
¹⁷^(CV)‘Can mortal man be in the right before^[g] God?
    Can a man be pure before his Maker?
¹⁸Even in his servants ^(CW)he puts no trust,
    and his angels he charges with error;
¹⁹how much more those who dwell in houses of ^(CX)clay,
    whose foundation is in ^(CY)the dust,
    who are crushed like^[h] ^(CZ)the moth.
²⁰Between ^(DA)morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;
    they perish forever ^(DB)without anyone regarding it.
²¹Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,
    ^(DC)do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

Footnotes

Job 1:5 The Hebrew word bless is used euphemistically for curse in 1:5, 11; 2:5, 9
Job 1:6 Hebrew the Accuser or the Adversary; so throughout chapters 1–2
Job 1:15 Hebrew the young men; also verses 16, 17
Job 2:10 Or disaster; also verse 11
Job 3:24 Or like; Hebrew before
Job 4:6 Hebrew lacks of God
Job 4:17 Or more than; twice in this verse
Job 4:19 Or before

Luke 18

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(A)always to pray and not ^(B)lose heart. ²He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(C)neither feared God nor respected man. ³And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^(D)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷And ^(E)will not God give justice to ^(F)his elect, ^(G)who cry to him day and night? ^(H)^(I)Will he delay long over them? ⁸I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(K)will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹He also told this parable to some ^(L)who trusted ^(M)in themselves that they were righteous, ^(N)and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men ^(O)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, ^(P)standing by himself, prayed^[a] ^(Q)thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²^(R)I fast twice a week; ^(S)I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³But the tax collector, ^(T)standing far off, ^(U)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(V)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^(W)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^(X)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

¹⁵^(Y)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^(Z)rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^(AA)“Let the children come to me, and ^(AB)do not hinder them, ^(AC)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷^(AD)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(AE)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

¹⁸^(AF)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(AG)inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ^(AH)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹And he said, ^(AI)“All these I have kept from my youth.” ²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. ^(AJ)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ^(AK)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²³^(AL)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ^(AM)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ^(AN)the kingdom of God! ²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^(AO)the kingdom of God.” ²⁶Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷But he said, ^(AP)“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸And Peter said, “See, ^(AQ)we have left our homes and followed you.” ²⁹And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^(AR)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers^[b] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰who will not receive ^(AS)many times more ^(AT)in this time, and in ^(AU)the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

³¹^(AV)And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, ^(AW)we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^(AX)everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³²For he will be ^(AY)delivered over to the Gentiles and will be ^(AZ)mocked and shamefully treated and ^(BA)spit upon. ³³And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on ^(BB)the third day he will rise.” ³⁴^(BC)But they understood none of these things. ^(BD)This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

³⁵^(BE)As he drew near to Jericho, ^(BF)a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. ³⁷They told him, ^(BG)“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸And he cried out, “Jesus, ^(BH)Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹And those who were in front ^(BI)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ⁴¹^(BJ)“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” ⁴²And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; ^(BK)your faith has ^(BL)made you well.” ⁴³And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, ^(BM)glorifying God. And ^(BN)all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.