Job 28-30
New King James Version
Job’s Discourse on Wisdom
28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the [a]earth,
And copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And searches every recess
For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
4 He breaks open a shaft away from people;
In places forgotten by feet
They hang far away from men;
They swing to and fro.
5 As for the earth, from it comes bread,
But underneath it is turned up as by fire;
6 Its stones are the source of sapphires,
And it contains gold dust.
7 That path no bird knows,
Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.
8 The [b]proud lions have not trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains [c]at the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
And his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams from trickling;
What is hidden he brings forth to light.
12 “But(A) where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its (B)value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 (C)The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It (D)cannot be purchased for gold,
Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither (E)gold nor crystal can equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for [d]jewelry of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of [e]coral or quartz,
For the price of wisdom is above (F)rubies.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure (G)gold.
20 “From(H) where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
And concealed from the birds of the [f]air.
22 (I)Destruction[g] and Death say,
‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’
23 God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth,
And (J)sees under the whole heavens,
25 (K)To establish a weight for the wind,
And apportion the waters by measure.
26 When He (L)made a law for the rain,
And a path for the thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw [h]wisdom and declared it;
He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
28 And to man He said,
‘Behold, (M)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
Job’s Summary Defense
29 Job further continued his discourse, and said:
2 “Oh, that I were as in months (N)past,
As in the days when God (O)watched over me;
3 (P)When His lamp shone upon my head,
And when by His light I walked through darkness;
4 Just as I was in the days of my prime,
When (Q)the friendly counsel of God was over my tent;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me,
When my children were around me;
6 When (R)my steps were bathed with [i]cream,
And (S)the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!
7 “When I went out to the gate by the city,
When I took my seat in the open square,
8 The young men saw me and hid,
And the aged arose and stood;
9 The princes refrained from talking,
And (T)put their hand on their mouth;
10 The voice of nobles was hushed,
And their (U)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, then it blessed me,
And when the eye saw, then it approved me;
12 Because (V)I delivered the poor who cried out,
The fatherless and the one who had no helper.
13 The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,
And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 (W)I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was (X)eyes to the blind,
And I was feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor,
And (Y)I searched out the case that I did not know.
17 I broke (Z)the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.
18 “Then I said, (AA)‘I shall die in my nest,
And multiply my days as the sand.
19 (AB)My root is spread out (AC)to the waters,
And the dew lies all night on my branch.
20 My glory is fresh within me,
And my (AD)bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 “Men listened to me and waited,
And kept silence for my counsel.
22 After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech settled on them as dew.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And they opened their mouth wide as for (AE)the spring rain.
24 If I mocked at them, they did not believe it,
And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
25 I chose the way for them, and sat as chief;
So I dwelt as a king in the army,
As one who comforts mourners.
Job’s Wealth Now Poverty
30 “But now they mock at me, men [j]younger than I,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me?
Their vigor has perished.
3 They are gaunt from want and famine,
Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,
4 Who pluck [k]mallow by the bushes,
And broom tree roots for their food.
5 They were driven out from among men,
They shouted at them as at a thief.
6 They had to live in the clefts of the [l]valleys,
In [m]caves of the earth and the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they brayed,
Under the nettles they nestled.
8 They were sons of fools,
Yes, sons of vile men;
They were scourged from the land.
9 “And(AF) now I am their taunting song;
Yes, I am their byword.
10 They abhor me, they keep far from me;
They do not hesitate (AG)to spit in my face.
11 Because (AH)He has loosed [n]my bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off restraint before me.
12 At my right hand the rabble arises;
They push away my feet,
And (AI)they raise against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path,
They promote my calamity;
They have no helper.
14 They come as broad breakers;
Under the ruinous storm they roll along.
15 Terrors are turned upon me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed like a cloud.
16 “And(AJ) now my soul is (AK)poured out because of my plight;
The days of affliction take hold of me.
17 My bones are pierced in me at night,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 By great force my garment is disfigured;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I (AL)cry out to You, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You regard me.
21 But You have become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (AM)oppose me.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it;
You spoil my success.
23 For I know that You will bring me to death,
And to the house (AN)appointed for all living.
24 “Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins,
If they cry out when He destroys it.
25 (AO)Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?
Has not my soul grieved for the poor?
26 (AP)But when I looked for good, evil came to me;
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.
27 [o]My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 (AQ)I go about mourning, but not in the sun;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
29 (AR)I am a brother of jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 (AS)My skin grows black and falls from me;
(AT)My bones burn with fever.
31 My harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the voice of those who weep.
Footnotes
- Job 28:2 Lit. dust
- Job 28:8 Lit. sons of pride, figurative of the great lions
- Job 28:9 At the base
- Job 28:17 vessels
- Job 28:18 Heb. ramoth
- Job 28:21 heaven
- Job 28:22 Heb. Abaddon
- Job 28:27 Lit. it
- Job 29:6 So with ancient vss. and a few Heb. mss. (cf. Job 20:17); MT wrath
- Job 30:1 Lit. of fewer days
- Job 30:4 A plant of the salty marshes
- Job 30:6 wadis
- Job 30:6 Lit. holes
- Job 30:11 So with MT, Syr., Tg.; LXX, Vg. His
- Job 30:27 I seethe inside
Revelation 18
New King James Version
The Fall of Babylon the Great
18 After(A) these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, (B)and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried [a]mightily with a loud voice, saying, (C)“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and (D)has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and (E)a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations (F)have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, (G)and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the [b]abundance of her luxury.”
4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, (H)“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 (I)For her sins [c]have reached to heaven, and (J)God has remembered her iniquities. 6 (K)Render to her just as she rendered [d]to you, and repay her double according to her works; (L)in the cup which she has mixed, (M)mix double for her. 7 (N)In the measure that she glorified herself and lived [e]luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as (O)queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come (P)in one day—death and mourning and famine. And (Q)she will be utterly burned with fire, (R)for strong is the Lord God who [f]judges her.
The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall
9 (S)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her (T)will weep and lament for her, (U)when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, (V)‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! (W)For in one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And (X)the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 (Y)merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and (Z)souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have [g]gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, (AA)that great city (AB)that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 (AC)For in one hour such great riches [h]came to nothing.’ (AD)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 (AE)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, (AF)‘What is like this great city?’
19 (AG)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! (AH)For in one hour she [i]is made desolate.’
20 (AI)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you [j]holy apostles and prophets, for (AJ)God has avenged you on her!”
Finality of Babylon’s Fall
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, (AK)“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and (AL)shall not be found anymore. 22 (AM)The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 (AN)The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, (AO)and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For (AP)your merchants were the great men of the earth, (AQ)for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And (AR)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who (AS)were slain on the earth.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 18:2 NU, M omit mightily
- Revelation 18:3 Lit. strengths
- Revelation 18:5 NU, M have been heaped up
- Revelation 18:6 NU, M omit to you
- Revelation 18:7 sensually
- Revelation 18:8 NU, M has judged
- Revelation 18:14 NU, M been lost to you
- Revelation 18:17 have been laid waste
- Revelation 18:19 have been laid waste
- Revelation 18:20 NU, M saints and apostles
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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