Job’s Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the ^(A)land of Uz whose name was ^(B)Job; and that man was ^(C)blameless, upright, ^(D)fearing God and ^(E)turning away from evil. ^2 (F)Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ^3 (G)His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was ^(H)the greatest of all the ^[a]men 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 word and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send word to them and consecrate them, getting up early in the morning and offering ^(I)burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “^(J)Perhaps my sons have sinned and ^(K)cursed God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.

^6 (L)Now there was a day when the ^[b](M)sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[c]Satan also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “^(N)From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” ⁸ The Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[d]considered ^(O)My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, ^(P)a blameless and upright man, ^[e]fearing God and turning away from evil.” ⁹ Then ^(Q)Satan answered the ^[f]Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ^10 (R)Have You not made a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? ^(S)You have blessed the work of his hands, and his ^(T)possessions have increased in the land. ^11 (U)But reach out with Your hand now and ^(V)touch all that he has; he will certainly curse You to Your face.” ¹² Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[g]power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

¹³ Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and ^[h]the ^(W)Sabeans ^[i]attacked and took them. They also ^[j]killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and ^[k]I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another came 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 still speaking, another came and said, “The ^(Y)Chaldeans formed three units and made a raid on the camels and took them, and ^[l]killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job got up, ^(Z)tore his robe, and shaved his head; then he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ He said,

^22 (AC)Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he ^[m]blame God.

God Deals Justly with Individuals

18 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “^(A)What do you people mean by using this proverb about the land of Israel, saying,

³ As I live,” declares the Lord ^[b]God, “you certainly are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. ⁴ Behold, ^(C)all ^[c]souls are Mine; the ^[d]soul of the father as well as the ^[e]soul of the son is Mine. The ^[f]soul who ^(D)sins will die.

God Deals Justly with Individuals

18 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “^(A)What do you people mean by using this proverb about the land of Israel, saying,

³ As I live,” declares the Lord ^[b]God, “you certainly are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. ⁴ Behold, ^(C)all ^[c]souls are Mine; the ^[d]soul of the father as well as the ^[e]soul of the son is Mine. The ^[f]soul who ^(D)sins will die.

As Newborn Babes

2 Therefore, ^(A)rid yourselves of all ^[a]malice and all deceit and ^[b]hypocrisy and ^[c]envy and all ^[d](B)slander, ^2 (C)and like newborn babies, long for the ^[e](D)pure ^[f]milk of the word, so that by it you may ^(E)grow ^[g]in respect to salvation, ³ if you have ^(F)tasted ^[h](G)the kindness of the Lord.

As Living Stones

⁴ And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been ^(H)rejected by people, but is ^[i]choice and precious in the sight of God, ^5 (I)you also, as living stones, ^[j]are being built up as a ^(J)spiritual house for a holy ^(K)priesthood, to ^(L)offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For this is contained in ^[k]Scripture:

^7 (O)This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers,

⁸ and,

^(S)for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, ^(T)and to this they were also appointed.

⁹ But you are ^(U)a chosen people, a royal ^(V)priesthood, a ^(W)holy nation, ^(X)a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you ^(Y)out of darkness into His marvelous light; ^10 (Z)for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

^11 (AA)Beloved, ^(AB)I urge you as ^(AC)foreigners and strangers to abstain from ^(AD)fleshly lusts, which wage ^(AE)war against the soul. ^12 (AF)Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they ^(AG)slander you as evildoers, they may ^[o]because of your good deeds, as they observe them, ^(AH)glorify God ^(AI)on the day of ^[p]visitation.

Honor Authority

^13 (AJ)Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent ^[q]by him ^(AK)for the punishment of evildoers and the ^(AL)praise of those who do right. ¹⁵ For ^[r](AM)such is the will of God, that by doing right you ^(AN)silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Act as ^(AO)free people, and ^[s]do not use your freedom as a ^[t]covering for evil, but use it as ^(AP)bond-servants of God. ^17 (AQ)Honor all people, ^(AR)love the brotherhood, ^(AS)fear God, ^(AT)honor the ^[u]king.

The Test of Greatness

^46 (A)Now an argument ^[a]started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. ⁴⁷ But Jesus, ^(B)knowing ^[b]what they were thinking in their hearts, took a child and had him stand by His side, ⁴⁸ and He said to them, “^(C)Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; ^(D)for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”

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

⁵¹ When the days were approaching for ^(H)His ^[d]ascension, He ^[e]was determined ^(I)to go to Jerusalem; ⁵² and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the ^(J)Samaritans to ^[f]make arrangements for Him. ⁵³ And they did not receive Him, ^(K)because ^[g]He was traveling toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When His disciples ^(L)James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to ^(M)command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” ⁵⁵ But He turned and rebuked them.^{[h] 56} And they went on to another village.

Exacting Discipleship

^57 (N)As they were going on the road, ^(O)someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but ^(P)the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” ⁵⁹ And He said to another, “^(Q)Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and ^(R)proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but ^(S)first permit me to say goodbye to those at my home.” ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “^(T)No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”