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Job 31-33
New International Version
Job 31-33
New International Version
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(A)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.(B)
2 For what is our lot(C) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?(D)
3 Is it not ruin(E) for the wicked,
disaster(F) for those who do wrong?(G)
4 Does he not see my ways(H)
and count my every step?(I)
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit(J)—
6 let God weigh me(K) in honest scales(L)
and he will know that I am blameless(M)—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,(N)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands(O) have been defiled,(P)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,(Q)
and may my crops be uprooted.(R)
9 “If my heart has been enticed(S) by a woman,(T)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(U) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,(W)
a sin to be judged.(X)
12 It is a fire(Y) that burns to Destruction[a];(Z)
it would have uprooted my harvest.(AA)
13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(AB)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(AD)
What will I answer when called to account?(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(AF)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(AG)
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(AH)
or let the eyes of the widow(AI) grow weary,(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless(AK)—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow(AL)—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(AM)
or the needy(AN) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(AO)
for warming them with the fleece(AP) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(AQ)
knowing that I had influence in court,(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(AT)
and for fear of his splendor(AU) I could not do such things.(AV)
24 “If I have put my trust in gold(AW)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(AY)
the fortune my hands had gained,(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun(BA) in its radiance
or the moon(BB) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(BC)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(BE)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(BF)
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(BG)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him(BH)—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life(BI)—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(BJ)—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler(BK)—
33 if I have concealed(BL) my sin as people do,[b]
by hiding(BM) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(BN)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent(BO) and would not go outside—
35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(BP)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(BR)
I would put it on like a crown.(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(BT)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.(BU))—
38 “if my land cries out against me(BV)
and all its furrows are wet(BW) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(BX)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,(BY)
40 then let briers(BZ) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed(CA) instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.(CB)
Elihu
32 So these three men stopped answering Job,(CC) because he was righteous in his own eyes.(CD) 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite,(CE) of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself(CF) rather than God.(CG) 3 He was also angry with the three friends,(CH) because they had found no way to refute Job,(CI) and yet had condemned him.[c](CJ) 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he.(CK) 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.
6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:
“I am young in years,
and you are old;(CL)
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.’(CM)
8 But it is the spirit[d](CN) in a person,
the breath of the Almighty,(CO) that gives them understanding.(CP)
9 It is not only the old[e] who are wise,(CQ)
not only the aged(CR) who understand what is right.(CS)
10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me;(CT)
I too will tell you what I know.(CU)
11 I waited while you spoke,
I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
12 I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
none of you has answered his arguments.(CV)
13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;(CW)
let God, not a man, refute(CX) him.’
14 But Job has not marshaled his words against me,(CY)
and I will not answer him with your arguments.
15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say;
words have failed them.(CZ)
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand there with no reply?
17 I too will have my say;
I too will tell what I know.(DA)
18 For I am full of words,
and the spirit(DB) within me compels me;(DC)
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
like new wineskins ready to burst.(DD)
20 I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.(DE)
21 I will show no partiality,(DF)
nor will I flatter anyone;(DG)
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
my Maker(DH) would soon take me away.(DI)
33 “But now, Job, listen(DJ) to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.(DK)
2 I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words come from an upright heart;(DL)
my lips sincerely speak what I know.(DM)
4 The Spirit(DN) of God has made me;(DO)
the breath of the Almighty(DP) gives me life.(DQ)
5 Answer me(DR) then, if you can;
stand up(DS) and argue your case before me.(DT)
6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;(DU)
I too am a piece of clay.(DV)
7 No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.(DW)
8 “But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
9 ‘I am pure,(DX) I have done no wrong;(DY)
I am clean and free from sin.(DZ)
10 Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.(EA)
11 He fastens my feet in shackles;(EB)
he keeps close watch on all my paths.’(EC)
12 “But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.(ED)
13 Why do you complain to him(EE)
that he responds to no one’s words[f]?(EF)
14 For God does speak(EG)—now one way, now another(EH)—
though no one perceives it.(EI)
15 In a dream,(EJ) in a vision(EK) of the night,(EL)
when deep sleep(EM) falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speak(EN) in their ears
and terrify them(EO) with warnings,(EP)
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,(EQ)
18 to preserve them from the pit,(ER)
their lives from perishing by the sword.[g](ES)
19 “Or someone may be chastened(ET) on a bed of pain(EU)
with constant distress in their bones,(EV)
20 so that their body finds food(EW) repulsive
and their soul loathes the choicest meal.(EX)
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones,(EY) once hidden, now stick out.(EZ)
22 They draw near to the pit,(FA)
and their life to the messengers of death.[h](FB)
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger,(FC) one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,(FD)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
‘Spare them from going down to the pit;(FE)
I have found a ransom for them(FF)—
25 let their flesh be renewed(FG) like a child’s;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth’(FH)—
26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,(FI)
they will see God’s face and shout for joy;(FJ)
he will restore them to full well-being.(FK)
27 And they will go to others and say,
‘I have sinned,(FL) I have perverted what is right,(FM)
but I did not get what I deserved.(FN)
28 God has delivered(FO) me from going down to the pit,(FP)
and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’(FQ)
Footnotes
- Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
- Job 31:33 Or as Adam did
- Job 32:3 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition Job, and so had condemned God
- Job 32:8 Or Spirit; also in verse 18
- Job 32:9 Or many; or great
- Job 33:13 Or that he does not answer for any of his actions
- Job 33:18 Or from crossing the river
- Job 33:22 Or to the place of the dead
Matthew 12:1-21
New International Version
Matthew 12:1-21
New International Version
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)(B)
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain(C) and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”(D)
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?(E) 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.(F) 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath(G) and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.(H) 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a](I) you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man(J) is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus,(K) they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”(L)
11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?(M) 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!(N) Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.(O)
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.(P) 16 He warned them not to tell others about him.(Q) 17 This was to fulfill(R) what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;(S)
I will put my Spirit on him,(T)
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”[b](U)
Footnotes
- Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6
- Matthew 12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4
Psalm 75-78
New International Version
Psalm 75-78
New International Version
Psalm 75[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;(A)
people tell of your wonderful deeds.(B)
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;(C)
it is I who judge with equity.(D)
3 When the earth and all its people quake,(E)
it is I who hold its pillars(F) firm.[b]
4 To the arrogant(G) I say, ‘Boast no more,’(H)
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[c](I)
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.(J)’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:(K)
He brings one down, he exalts another.(L)
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed(M) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.(N)
9 As for me, I will declare(O) this forever;
I will sing(P) praise to the God of Jacob,(Q)
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”(R)
Psalm 76[d]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.(S)
2 His tent is in Salem,(T)
his dwelling place in Zion.(U)
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,(V)
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[e](W)
4 You are radiant with light,(X)
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant(Y) lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;(Z)
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke,(AA) God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot(AB) lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared.(AC)
Who can stand(AD) before you when you are angry?(AE)
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared(AF) and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge,(AG)
to save all the afflicted(AH) of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,(AI)
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[f]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;(AJ)
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts(AK) to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Psalm 77[g]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God(AL) for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress,(AM) I sought the Lord;
at night(AN) I stretched out untiring hands,(AO)
and I would not be comforted.(AP)
3 I remembered(AQ) you, God, and I groaned;(AR)
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[h](AS)
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.(AT)
5 I thought about the former days,(AU)
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?(AV)
Will he never show his favor(AW) again?
8 Has his unfailing love(AX) vanished forever?
Has his promise(AY) failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?(AZ)
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(BA)”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(BB)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles(BC) of long ago.
12 I will consider(BD) all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(BE)
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?(BF)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(BG)
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(BH)
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters(BI) saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;(BJ)
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(BK)
the heavens resounded with thunder;(BL)
your arrows(BM) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(BN)
your lightning(BO) lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.(BP)
19 Your path(BQ) led through the sea,(BR)
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
Psalm 78
A maskil[i] of Asaph.
1 My people, hear my teaching;(BV)
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;(BW)
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.(BX)
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;(BY)
we will tell the next generation(BZ)
the praiseworthy deeds(CA) of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders(CB) he has done.
5 He decreed statutes(CC) for Jacob(CD)
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,(CE)
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget(CF) his deeds
but would keep his commands.(CG)
8 They would not be like their ancestors(CH)—
a stubborn(CI) and rebellious(CJ) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(CK)
turned back on the day of battle;(CL)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(CM)
and refused to live by his law.(CN)
11 They forgot what he had done,(CO)
the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(CP) in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt,(CQ) in the region of Zoan.(CR)
13 He divided the sea(CS) and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.(CT)
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.(CU)
15 He split the rocks(CV) in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin(CW) against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(CX)
by demanding the food they craved.(CY)
19 They spoke against God;(CZ)
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,(DA)
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat(DB) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out(DC) against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
or trust(DD) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;(DE)
24 he rained down manna(DF) for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind(DG) from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds(DH) like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—(DI)
he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,(DJ)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest(DK) among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(DL)
in spite of his wonders,(DM) they did not believe.(DN)
33 So he ended their days in futility(DO)
and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(DP) him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(DQ)
that God Most High was their Redeemer.(DR)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(DS)
lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(DT) to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(DU)
he forgave(DV) their iniquities(DW)
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(DX)
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,(DY)
a passing breeze(DZ) that does not return.
40 How often they rebelled(EA) against him in the wilderness(EB)
and grieved him(EC) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;(ED)
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.(EE)
42 They did not remember(EF) his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,(EG)
43 the day he displayed his signs(EH) in Egypt,
his wonders(EI) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;(EJ)
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies(EK) that devoured them,
and frogs(EL) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,(EM)
their produce to the locust.(EN)
47 He destroyed their vines with hail(EO)
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock(EP) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,(EQ)
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.(ER)
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,(ES)
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.(ET)
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;(EU)
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed(EV) their enemies.(EW)
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand(EX) had taken.
55 He drove out nations(EY) before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;(EZ)
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56 But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors(FA) they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.(FB)
58 They angered him(FC) with their high places;(FD)
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(FE)
59 When God heard(FF) them, he was furious;(FG)
he rejected Israel(FH) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(FI)
the tent he had set up among humans.(FJ)
61 He sent the ark of his might(FK) into captivity,(FL)
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(FM)
he was furious with his inheritance.(FN)
63 Fire consumed(FO) their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;(FP)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(FQ)
and their widows could not weep.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,(FR)
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.(FS)
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;(FT)
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,(FU)
Mount Zion,(FV) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary(FW) like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David(FX) his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep(FY) he brought him
to be the shepherd(FZ) of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;(GA)
with skillful hands he led them.
Footnotes
- Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
- Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.
- Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
- Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
- Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
- Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
- Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.
- Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Proverbs 15
New International Version
Proverbs 15
New International Version
5 A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,
but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.(K)
6 The house of the righteous contains great treasure,(L)
but the income of the wicked brings ruin.(M)
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge,(N)
but the hearts of fools are not upright.
10 Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;
the one who hates correction will die.(T)
12 Mockers resent correction,(W)
so they avoid the wise.
14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge,(Z)
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.(AA)
16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth with turmoil.(AB)
17 Better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred.(AC)
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,(AF)
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,(AG)
but a foolish man despises his mother.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:11 Hebrew Abaddon
New International Version (NIV) 
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