Job’s Present State Is Humiliating

30 “But now those younger than I (A)mock me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
“Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
“From want and famine they are gaunt
Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
Who pluck [a]mallow by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
“They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
So that they dwell in dreadful [b]valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
“Among the bushes they [c]cry out;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
[d]Fools, even [e]those without a name,
They were scourged from the land.

“And now I have become their [f](B)taunt,
I have even become a (C)byword to them.
10 “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not [g]refrain from (D)spitting at my face.
11 “Because [h]He has loosed [i]His [j]bowstring and (E)afflicted me,
They have cast off (F)the bridle before me.
12 “On the right hand their [k]brood arises;
They (G)thrust aside my feet (H)and build up against me their ways of destruction.
13 “They (I)break up my path,
They profit [l]from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14 “As through a wide breach they come,
[m]Amid the tempest they roll on.
15 (J)Terrors are turned against me;
They pursue my [n]honor as the wind,
And my [o]prosperity has passed away (K)like a cloud.

16 “And now (L)my soul is poured out [p]within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.
17 “At night it pierces (M)my bones [q]within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 “By a great force my garment is (N)distorted;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 “He has cast me into the (O)mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I (P)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21 “You have [r]become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You (Q)persecute me.
22 “You (R)lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23 “For I know that You (S)will bring me to death
And to the (T)house of meeting for all living.

24 “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
Or in his disaster therefore (U)cry out for help?
25 “Have I not (V)wept for the [s]one whose life is hard?
Was not my soul grieved for (W)the needy?
26 “When I (X)expected good, then evil came;
When I waited for light, (Y)then darkness came.
27 [t]I am seething (Z)within and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 “I go about [u](AA)mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and (AB)cry out for help.
29 “I have become a brother to (AC)jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
30 “My (AD)skin turns black [v]on me,
And my (AE)bones burn with [w]fever.
31 “Therefore my (AF)harp [x]is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

Footnotes

  1. Job 30:4 I.e. plant of the salt marshes
  2. Job 30:6 Or wadis
  3. Job 30:7 Or bray
  4. Job 30:8 Lit Sons of fools
  5. Job 30:8 Lit sons
  6. Job 30:9 Lit song
  7. Job 30:10 Lit withhold spit from my face
  8. Job 30:11 Or they
  9. Job 30:11 Some mss read my
  10. Job 30:11 Or cord
  11. Job 30:12 Possibly sprout or offspring
  12. Job 30:13 Lit for
  13. Job 30:14 Lit Under
  14. Job 30:15 Or nobility
  15. Job 30:15 Or welfare
  16. Job 30:16 Lit upon
  17. Job 30:17 Lit from upon
  18. Job 30:21 Lit turned to be
  19. Job 30:25 Lit hard of day
  20. Job 30:27 Lit My inward parts are boiling
  21. Job 30:28 Or blackened, but not by the heat of the sun
  22. Job 30:30 Lit from upon
  23. Job 30:30 Lit heat
  24. Job 30:31 Lit becomes

The Rewards of Wisdom

My son, (A)do not forget my [a]teaching,
But let your heart (B)keep my commandments;
For (C)length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
Do not let (D)kindness and truth leave you;
(E)Bind them around your neck,
(F)Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will (G)find favor and (H)good [b]repute
In the sight of God and man.
(I)Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And (J)do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways (K)acknowledge Him,
And He will (L)make your paths straight.
(M)Do not be wise in your own eyes;
(N)Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
It will be (O)healing to your [c]body
And (P)refreshment to your bones.
(Q)Honor the Lord from your wealth
And from the (R)first of all your produce;
10 So your (S)barns will be filled with plenty
And your (T)vats will overflow with new wine.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:1 Or law
  2. Proverbs 3:4 Lit understanding
  3. Proverbs 3:8 Lit navel

Giving to the Poor and Prayer

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men (A)to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

“So when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they (B)may be honored by men. (C)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your [c]giving will be in secret; and (D)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to (E)stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [d](F)so that they may be seen by men. (G)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, (H)go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and (I)your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their (J)many words. So do not be like them; for (K)your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

(L)Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 (M)Your kingdom come.
(N)Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 (O)Give us this day [e]our daily bread.
12 ‘And (P)forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but (Q)deliver us from [f](R)evil. [g][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

14 (S)For if you forgive [h]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (T)if you do not forgive [i]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)

16 (U)Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [j]neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. (V)Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, (W)anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your (X)Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

19 (Y)Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves (Z)treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for (AA)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 (AB)The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is [k]clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if (AC)your eye is [l]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 (AD)No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [m](AE)wealth.

The Cure for Anxiety

25 (AF)For this reason I say to you, [n]do not be (AG)worried about your [o]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 (AH)Look at the birds of the [p]air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being (AI)worried can (AJ)add a single [q]hour to his [r]life? 28 And why are you (AK)worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even (AL)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the (AM)grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? (AN)You of little faith! 31 Do not (AO)worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for (AP)your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But [s]seek first [t]His kingdom and His righteousness, and (AQ)all these things will be [u]added to you.

34 “So do not (AR)worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [v]care for itself. [w]Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:2 Or give alms
  2. Matthew 6:3 Or give alms
  3. Matthew 6:4 Or alms
  4. Matthew 6:5 Lit to be apparent to men
  5. Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
  6. Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one
  7. Matthew 6:13 This clause not found in early mss
  8. Matthew 6:14 Gr anthropoi
  9. Matthew 6:15 Gr anthropoi
  10. Matthew 6:16 Lit distort their faces, i.e. discolor their faces with makeup
  11. Matthew 6:22 Or healthy; or sincere
  12. Matthew 6:23 Or evil
  13. Matthew 6:24 Gr mamonas, for Aram mamon (mammon); i.e. wealth, etc., personified as an object of worship
  14. Matthew 6:25 Or stop being worried
  15. Matthew 6:25 Lit soul
  16. Matthew 6:26 Lit heaven
  17. Matthew 6:27 Lit cubit (approx 18 in.)
  18. Matthew 6:27 Or height
  19. Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
  20. Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
  21. Matthew 6:33 Or provided
  22. Matthew 6:34 Lit worry about itself
  23. Matthew 6:34 Lit Sufficient for the day is its evils