Bildad: How Can Man Be Righteous?

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

“Dominion and fear belong to Him;
He makes peace in His high places.
[a]Is there any number to His armies?
Upon whom does (B)His light not rise?
(C)How then can man be righteous before God?
Or how can he be (D)pure who is born of a woman?
If even the moon does not shine,
And the stars are not pure in His (E)sight,
How much less man, who is (F)a maggot,
And a son of man, who is a worm?”

Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty

26 But Job answered and said:

“How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
And how have you declared sound advice to many?
To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?

“The dead tremble,
Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
(G)Sheol is naked before Him,
And Destruction has no covering.
(H)He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
(I)He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds [b]are not broken under it.
He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 (J)He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are [c]astonished at His rebuke.
12 (K)He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up [d]the storm.
13 (L)By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced (M)the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Job Maintains His Integrity

27 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

As God lives, (N)who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die (O)I will not put away my integrity from me.
My righteousness I (P)hold fast, and will not let it go;
(Q)My heart shall not [e]reproach me as long as I live.

“May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
(R)For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?
(S)Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?
10 (T)Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?

11 “I will teach you [f]about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

13 “This(U) is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:
14 (V)If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And (W)their[g] widows shall not weep,
16 Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay—
17 He may pile it up, but (X)the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a [h]moth,
(Y)Like a [i]booth which a watchman makes.
19 The rich man will lie down,
[j]But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is (Z)no more.
20 (AA)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
22 It hurls against him and does not (AB)spare;
He flees desperately from its [k]power.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.

Footnotes

  1. Job 25:3 Can His armies be counted?
  2. Job 26:8 do not break
  3. Job 26:11 amazed
  4. Job 26:12 Heb. rahab
  5. Job 27:6 reprove
  6. Job 27:11 Or by
  7. Job 27:15 Lit. his
  8. Job 27:18 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr. spider (cf. 8:14); Tg. decay
  9. Job 27:18 Temporary shelter
  10. Job 27:19 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr. But shall not add (i.e., do it again); Vg. But take away nothing
  11. Job 27:22 Lit. hand

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let (A)not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many [a]mansions; if it were not so, [b]I would have told you. (B)I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, (C)I will come again and receive you to Myself; that (D)where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

(E)Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am (F)the way, (G)the truth, and (H)the life. (I)No one comes to the Father (J)except through Me.

The Father Revealed

(K)“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? (L)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that (M)I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you (N)I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, (O)or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Answered Prayer

12 (P)“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 (Q)And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be (R)glorified in the Son. 14 If you [c]ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises Another Helper

15 (S)“If you love Me, [d]keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and (T)He will give you another [e]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 (U)the Spirit of truth, (V)whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you (W)and will be in you. 18 (X)I will not leave you orphans; (Y)I will come to you.

Indwelling of the Father and the Son

19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but (Z)you will see Me. (AA)Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that (AB)I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 (AC)He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and [f]manifest Myself to him.”

22 (AD)Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, (AE)and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and (AF)the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

The Gift of His Peace

25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But (AG)the [g]Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will (AH)send in My name, (AI)He will teach you all things, and bring to your (AJ)remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 (AK)Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me (AL)say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because [h]I said, (AM)‘I am going to the Father,’ for (AN)My Father is greater than I.

29 “And (AO)now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, (AP)for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has (AQ)nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and (AR)as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

Footnotes

  1. John 14:2 Lit. dwellings
  2. John 14:2 NU would I have told you that I go or I would have told you; for I go
  3. John 14:14 NU ask Me
  4. John 14:15 NU you will keep
  5. John 14:16 Comforter, Gr. Parakletos
  6. John 14:21 reveal
  7. John 14:26 Comforter, Gr. Parakletos
  8. John 14:28 NU omits I said

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