24 “Why are (A)not times of judgment (B)kept by the Almighty,
    and why do those who know him never see his (C)days?
Some move (D)landmarks;
    they seize flocks and pasture them.
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
    they (E)take the widow's ox for a pledge.
They (F)thrust the poor off the road;
    the poor of the earth (G)all hide themselves.
Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
    the poor[a] (H)go out to their toil, (I)seeking game;
    the wasteland yields food for their children.
They gather their[b] fodder in the field,
    and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
They (J)lie all night naked, without clothing,
    and have no covering in the cold.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains
    and (K)cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
    and they take a pledge against the poor.)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
    hungry, they (L)carry the sheaves;
11 among the olive rows of the wicked[c] they make oil;
    they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the city the dying[d] groan,
    and the soul of (M)the wounded cries for help;
    yet God charges no one with (N)wrong.

13 “There are those who rebel (O)against the light,
    who are not acquainted with its ways,
    and do not stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises before it is light,
    that he (P)may kill the poor and needy,
    and in the night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for (Q)the twilight,
    saying, ‘No (R)eye will see me’;
    and he veils his face.
16 In the dark they (S)dig through houses;
    by day they shut themselves up;
    they do not know the light.
17 For (T)deep darkness is morning to all of them;
    for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

18 “You say, (U)‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
    their portion is cursed in the land;
    no treader turns toward their vineyards.
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
    so does (V)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
    the worm finds them sweet;
they are (W)no longer remembered,
    so wickedness is broken like (X)a tree.’

21 “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
    and do no good to the widow.
22 Yet God[e] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
    they rise up when they despair of life.
23 He gives them security, and they are supported,
    and his (Y)eyes are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted (Z)a little while, and then (AA)are gone;
    they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
    they are (AB)cut off like the heads of grain.
25 If it is (AC)not so, who will prove me a liar
    and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 24:5 Hebrew they
  2. Job 24:6 Hebrew his
  3. Job 24:11 Hebrew their olive rows
  4. Job 24:12 Or the men
  5. Job 24:22 Hebrew he

Shepherd the Flock of God

So I exhort the elders among you, (A)as a fellow elder and (B)a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: (C)shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] (D)not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] (E)not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not (F)domineering over those in your charge, but (G)being examples to the flock. And when (H)the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the (I)unfading (J)crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. (K)Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for (L)“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

(M)Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (N)casting all your anxieties on him, because (O)he cares for you. (P)Be sober-minded; (Q)be watchful. Your (R)adversary the devil (S)prowls around (T)like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (U)Resist him, (V)firm in your faith, knowing that (W)the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And (X)after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, (Y)who has called you to his (Z)eternal glory in Christ, will himself (AA)restore, (AB)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 (AC)To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

12 By (AD)Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, (AE)I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is (AF)the true grace of God. (AG)Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does (AH)Mark, my son. 14 (AI)Greet one another with the kiss of love.

(AJ)Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 5:2 Some manuscripts omit exercising oversight
  2. 1 Peter 5:2 Some manuscripts omit as God would have you

Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

25 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“Dominion and fear are with God;[a]
    he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his (B)armies?
    Upon whom does his (C)light not arise?
How then can man be (D)in the right before God?
    How can he who is (E)born of woman be (F)pure?
Behold, even the moon is not bright,
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
(G)how much less man, who is (H)a maggot,
    and (I)the son of man, who is a worm!”

Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable

26 Then Job answered and said:

“How you have (J)helped him who has no power!
    How you have saved (K)the arm that has no strength!
How you have (L)counseled him who has no wisdom,
    and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
With whose help have you uttered words,
    and whose breath (M)has come out from you?
The (N)dead tremble
    under the waters and their inhabitants.
Sheol is (O)naked before God,[b]
    and (P)Abaddon has no covering.
He (Q)stretches out the north over (R)the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
He (S)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon[c]
    and (T)spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed (U)a circle on the face of the waters
    at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 (V)The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his (W)rebuke.
12 By his power he (X)stilled the sea;
    by his understanding he shattered (Y)Rahab.
13 (Z)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    his hand pierced (AA)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his (AB)ways,
    and how small (AC)a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 25:2 Hebrew him
  2. Job 26:6 Hebrew him
  3. Job 26:9 Or his throne

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.[a] And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 (A)Now the woman was a (B)Gentile, (C)a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be (D)fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and (E)throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's (F)crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may (G)go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man

31 (H)Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to (I)the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the (J)Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him (K)a man who was deaf and (L)had a speech impediment, and they begged him to (M)lay his hand on him. 33 And (N)taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and (O)after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And (P)looking up to heaven, (Q)he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 (R)And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And (S)Jesus[b] charged them to tell no one. But (T)the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were (U)astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

(V)In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, (W)“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, (X)“Seven.” And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and (Y)having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And (Z)having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And (AA)they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, (AB)seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into (AC)the boat with his disciples and went to the district of (AD)Dalmanutha.[c]

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:24 Some manuscripts omit and Sidon
  2. Mark 7:36 Greek he
  3. Mark 8:10 Some manuscripts Magadan, or Magdala

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