Job 19:1-27
New King James Version
Job Trusts in His Redeemer
19 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?
3 These ten times you have [a]reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you [b]have wronged me.
4 And if indeed I have erred,
My error remains with me.
5 If indeed you (A)exalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me,
6 Know then that (B)God has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net.
7 “If I cry out concerning [c]wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice.
8 (C)He has [d]fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths.
9 (D)He has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My (E)hope He has uprooted like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And (F)He counts me as one of His enemies.
12 His troops come together
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.
13 “He(G) has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.
16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am [e]repulsive to the children of my own body.
18 Even (H)young children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me.
19 (I)All my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me.
20 (J)My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!
22 Why do you (K)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
24 That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is [f]destroyed, this I know,
That (L)in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my [g]heart yearns within me!
Proverbs 14:31-15:17
New King James Version
31 (A)He who oppresses the poor reproaches (B)his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But (C)the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (D)what is in the heart of fools is made known.
35 (F)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15 A (G)soft answer turns away wrath,
But (H)a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
(I)But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 (J)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A [b]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise [d]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
8 (M)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who (N)follows righteousness.
11 (Q)Hell[e] and [f]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more (R)the hearts of the sons of men.
12 (S)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
13 (T)A merry heart makes a cheerful [g]countenance,
But (U)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
(V)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
16 (W)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 (X)Better is a dinner of [h]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
- Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
- Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
- Proverbs 15:7 spread
- Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
- Proverbs 15:13 face
- Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
Colossians 1:21-2:7
New King James Version
21 And you, (A)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind (B)by wicked works, yet now He has (C)reconciled 22 (D)in the body of His flesh through death, (E)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue (F)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are (G)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, (H)which was preached to every creature under heaven, (I)of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Sacrificial Service for Christ
24 (J)I now rejoice in my sufferings (K)for you, and fill up in my flesh (L)what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for (M)the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to (N)the [a]stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 (O)the [b]mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, (P)but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 (Q)To them God willed to make known what are (R)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: [c]which is (S)Christ in you, (T)the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, (U)warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, (V)that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me (W)mightily.
Not Philosophy but Christ
2 For I want you to know what a great (X)conflict[d] I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, [e]both of the Father and of Christ, 3 (Y)in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 Now this I say (Z)lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For (AA)though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing [f]to see (AB)your good order and the (AC)steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 (AD)As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 (AE)rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding [g]in it with thanksgiving.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:25 dispensation or administration
- Colossians 1:26 secret or hidden truth
- Colossians 1:27 M who
- Colossians 2:1 struggle
- Colossians 2:2 NU omits both of the Father and
- Colossians 2:5 Lit. and seeing
- Colossians 2:7 NU omits in it
Luke 12:1-21
New King James Version
Beware of Hypocrisy(A)
12 In (B)the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, (C)“Beware of the [a]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 (D)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus Teaches the Fear of God(E)
4 (F)“And I say to you, (G)My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, (H)fear Him!
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two [b]copper coins? And (I)not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Confess Christ Before Men(J)
8 (K)“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me (L)before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who (M)denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 “And (N)anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
11 (O)“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will (P)teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But He said to him, (Q)“Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, (R)“Take heed and beware of [c]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, (S)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; (T)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night (U)your soul will be required of you; (V)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, (W)and is not rich toward God.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 12:1 yeast
- Luke 12:6 Gr. assarion, a coin worth about 1⁄16 of a denarius
- Luke 12:15 NU all covetousness
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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