Job's Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the land of ^(A)Uz whose name was ^(B)Job, and that man was ^(C)blameless and upright, one who ^(D)feared God and ^(E)turned away from evil. ² There were born to him ^(F)seven sons and three daughters. ³ He 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 ^(G)the people of the east. ⁴ His 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. ⁵ And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and ^(H)consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and ^(I)offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and ^(J)cursed^[a] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

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

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁴ and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and ^(W)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.” ¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(X)“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.” ¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(Y)“The Chaldeans formed ^(Z)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.” ¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^(AA)“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came across ^(AB)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.”

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

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

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “What do you^[a] mean ^(A)by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ^(B)‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? ^3 (C)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(D)this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴ Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: ^(E)the soul who sins shall die.

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “What do you^[a] mean ^(A)by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ^(B)‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? ^3 (C)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(D)this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴ Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: ^(E)the soul who sins shall die.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2 ^(A)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ^2 (B)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(C)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have ^(D)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone ^(E)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ^5 (F)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(G)a spiritual house, to be ^(H)a holy priesthood, ^(I)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(J)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

⁷ So the honor is for you who ^(M)believe, but for those who ^(N)do not believe,

⁸ and

They stumble because they disobey the word, ^(Q)as they were destined to do.

⁹ But you are ^(R)a chosen race, ^(S)a royal ^(T)priesthood, ^(U)a holy nation, ^(V)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(W)out of darkness into ^(X)his marvelous light. ^10 (Y)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you ^(Z)as sojourners and exiles ^(AA)to abstain from the passions of the flesh, ^(AB)which wage war against your soul. ^12 (AC)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(AD)they may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^(AE)the day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

^13 (AF)Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,^[b] whether it be to the emperor^[c] as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him ^(AG)to punish those who do evil and ^(AH)to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, ^(AI)that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ^16 (AJ)Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but ^(AK)living as servants^[d] of God. ^17 (AL)Honor everyone. ^(AM)Love the brotherhood. ^(AN)Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Who Is the Greatest?

^46 (A)An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷ But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side ⁴⁸ and said to them, ^(B)“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and ^(C)whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For ^(D)he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us

^49 (E)John answered, “Master, we saw someone ^(F)casting out demons in your name, and ^(G)we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, ^(H)for the one who is not against you is for you.”

A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus

⁵¹ When the days drew near for ^(I)him to be taken up, ^(J)he set his face ^(K)to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² And ^(L)he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of ^(M)the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. ⁵³ But ^(N)the people did not receive him, because ^(O)his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell ^(P)fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”^{[a] 55} But he turned and rebuked them.^{[b] 56} And they went on to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going ^(Q)along the road, ^(R)someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ And Jesus^[c] said to him, “Leave ^(S)the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and ^(T)proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, ^(U)but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, ^(V)“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”