Job 37
New King James Version
God’s Works and Wisdom
37 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2 Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
3 He sends it forth under the whole heaven,
His [a]lightning to the ends of the earth.
4 After it (A)a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.
5 God thunders marvelously with His voice;
(B)He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
6 For (C)He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
Likewise to the [b]gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.
7 He seals the hand of every man,
(D)That (E)all men may know His work.
8 The beasts (F)go into dens,
And remain in their lairs.
9 From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
10 (G)By the breath of God ice is given,
And the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;
He scatters His [c]bright clouds.
12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,
That they may (H)do whatever He commands them
On the face of [d]the whole earth.
13 (I)He causes it to come,
Whether for [e]correction,
Or (J)for His land,
Or (K)for mercy.
14 “Listen to this, O Job;
Stand still and (L)consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Do you know when God [f]dispatches them,
And causes the light of His cloud to shine?
16 (M)Do you know how the clouds are balanced,
Those wondrous works of (N)Him who is perfect in knowledge?
17 Why are your garments hot,
When He quiets the earth by the south wind?
18 With Him, have you (O)spread out the (P)skies,
Strong as a cast metal mirror?
19 “Teach us what we should say to Him,
For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.
20 Should He be told that I wish to speak?
If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up.
21 Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies,
When the wind has passed and cleared them.
22 He comes from the north as golden splendor;
With God is awesome majesty.
23 As for the Almighty, (Q)we cannot find Him;
(R)He is excellent in power,
In judgment and abundant justice;
He does not oppress.
24 Therefore men (S)fear Him;
He shows no partiality to any who are (T)wise of heart.”
Job 38
New King James Version
The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job(A)
38 Then the Lord answered Job (B)out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 “Who(C) is this who darkens counsel
By (D)words without knowledge?
3 (E)Now [a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4 “Where(F) were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [b]line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together,
And all (G)the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or(H) who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When (I)I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11 When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves (J)must stop!’
12 “Have you (K)commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (M)light is withheld,
And (N)the [c]upraised arm is broken.
16 “Have you (O)entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17 Have (P)the gates of death been [d]revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21 Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
22 “Have you entered (Q)the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23 (R)Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is light [e]diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25 “Who (S)has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27 (T)To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28 (U)Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
And the (V)frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is (W)frozen.[f]
31 “Can you bind the cluster of the (X)Pleiades,[g]
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out [h]Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide [i]the Great Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know (Y)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36 (Z)Who has put wisdom in [j]the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
Job 29
New King James Version
Job’s Summary Defense
29 Job further continued his discourse, and said:
2 “Oh, that I were as in months (A)past,
As in the days when God (B)watched over me;
3 (C)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 (D)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 (E)my steps were bathed with [a]cream,
And (F)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 (G)put their hand on their mouth;
10 The voice of nobles was hushed,
And their (H)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 (I)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 (J)I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was (K)eyes to the blind,
And I was feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor,
And (L)I searched out the case that I did not know.
17 I broke (M)the fangs of the wicked,
And plucked the victim from his teeth.
18 “Then I said, (N)‘I shall die in my nest,
And multiply my days as the sand.
19 (O)My root is spread out (P)to the waters,
And the dew lies all night on my branch.
20 My glory is fresh within me,
And my (Q)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 (R)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.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
New King James Version
Assurance of the Resurrection
5 For we know that if (A)our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house (B)not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this (C)we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, (D)having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, (E)but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also (F)has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For (G)we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, (H)well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
The Judgment Seat of Christ
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 (I)For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, (J)that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Corinthians 5:1 Physical body
- 2 Corinthians 5:2 dwelling
- 2 Corinthians 5:5 down payment, earnest
Psalm 44:9-26
New King James Version
9 But (A)You have cast us off and put us to shame,
And You do not go out with our armies.
10 You make us (B)turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken [a]spoil for themselves.
11 (C)You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have (D)scattered us among the nations.
12 (E)You sell Your people for next to nothing,
And are not enriched by selling them.
13 (F)You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
14 (G)You make us a byword among the nations,
(H)A shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 My dishonor is continually before me,
And the shame of my face has covered me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
(I)Because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 (J)All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
(K)Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19 But You have severely broken us in (L)the place of jackals,
And covered us (M)with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or (N)stretched[b] out our hands to a foreign god,
21 (O)Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 (P)Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 (Q)Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
24 (R)Why do You hide Your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For (S)our soul is bowed down to the [c]dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
26 Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
Footnotes
- Psalm 44:10 plunder
- Psalm 44:20 Worshiped
- Psalm 44:25 Ground, in humiliation
Proverbs 22:13
New King James Version
13 (A)The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be slain in the streets!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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