Job 38
English Standard Version
The Lord Answers Job
38 Then the Lord (A)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this that (B)darkens counsel by words (C)without knowledge?
3 (D)Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 “Where were you when I (E)laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars (F)sang together
and all (G)the sons of God (H)shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (I)shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
9 when I made clouds its garment
and (J)thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed (K)limits for it
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your (L)proud waves be stayed’?
12 “Have you (M)commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of (N)the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be (O)shaken out of it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
and its features stand out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (P)light is withheld,
and (Q)their uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you (R)entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have (S)the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of (T)deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
20 that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern (U)the paths to its home?
21 You know, for (V)you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered (W)the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen (X)the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I have reserved (Y)for the time of trouble,
(Z)for the day of battle and war?
24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
and (AA)a way for the thunderbolt,
26 to bring rain on (AB)a land where no man is,
on (AC)the desert in which there is no man,
27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with (AD)grass?
28 “Has (AE)the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb did (AF)the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to (AG)the frost of heaven?
30 The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is (AH)frozen.
31 “Can you bind the chains of (AI)the Pleiades
or loose the cords of (AJ)Orion?
32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth[b] in their season,
or can you guide (AK)the Bear with its children?
33 Do you know (AL)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that (AM)a flood of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has (AN)put wisdom in (AO)the inward parts[c]
or given understanding to the mind?[d]
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38 when the dust runs into a mass
and (AP)the clods stick fast together?
Job 39
English Standard Version
39 “Do you know when (A)the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe (B)the calving of the does?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3 when they (C)crouch, bring forth their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go out and (D)do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free?
Who has (E)loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 to whom I have given (F)the arid plain for his home
and (G)the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.
8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
and he searches after every green thing.
9 “Is (H)the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your (I)manger?
10 Can you bind (J)him in the furrow with ropes,
or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
and will you leave to him your labor?
12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[a]
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She (K)deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her (L)labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
17 because God has made her forget wisdom
and (M)given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[b]
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic (N)snorting is terrifying.
21 He paws[c] in the valley and exults in his strength;
he (O)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon him rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
he cannot stand still at (P)the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his (Q)nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on (R)the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
and (S)where the slain are, there is he.”
Job 40
English Standard Version
40 And the Lord (A)said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder (B)contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Job Promises Silence
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
4 “Behold, I am (C)of small account; what shall I answer you?
(D)I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken (E)once, and I will not answer;
(F)twice, but I will proceed no further.”
The Lord Challenges Job
6 Then the Lord (G)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
7 (H)“Dress for action[a] like a man;
(I)I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that (J)you may be in the right?
9 Have you (K)an arm like God,
and can you thunder with (L)a voice like his?
10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
(M)clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is (N)proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and (O)tread down the wicked (P)where they stand.
13 (Q)Hide them all in (R)the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.[b]
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own (S)right hand can save you.
15 “Behold, Behemoth,[c]
which I made as I made you;
he eats (T)grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.
19 “He is (U)the first of (V)the works[d] of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of (W)the reeds and in the marsh.
22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Can one take him by his eyes,[e]
or pierce his nose with a snare?
Job 41
English Standard Version
41 [a] “Can you draw out (A)Leviathan[b] with a fishhook
or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Can you put (B)a rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with (C)a hook?
3 Will he make many pleas to you?
Will he speak to you soft words?
4 Will he make a covenant with you
to take him for (D)your servant forever?
5 Will you play with him as with a bird,
or will you put him on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay your hands on him;
remember the battle—you will not do it again!
9 [c] Behold, the hope of a man is false;
he is laid low even at the sight of him.
10 No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.
Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 (E)Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?
(F)Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 “I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.
13 Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who would come near him with a bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth is terror.
15 His back is made of[d] rows of shields,
shut up closely as with a seal.
16 One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
17 They are (G)joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18 His sneezings flash forth light,
and his eyes are like (H)the eyelids of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 His breath (I)kindles coals,
and a flame comes forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck abides strength,
and terror dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh (J)stick together,
firmly cast on him and immovable.
24 His heart is hard as a stone,
hard as the lower millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty[e] are afraid;
at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26 Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail,
nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27 He counts iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee;
for him, sling stones are turned to stubble.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble;
he laughs at the rattle of javelins.
30 His underparts are like sharp (K)potsherds;
he spreads himself like (L)a threshing sledge on the mire.
31 He makes the deep boil like a pot;
he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 Behind him he leaves a shining wake;
one would think the deep to be white-haired.
33 (M)On earth there is not his like,
a creature without fear.
34 He sees everything that is high;
he is king over all the (N)sons of pride.”
Matthew 11
English Standard Version
Messengers from John the Baptist
11 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2 (A)Now when John heard (B)in prison about the deeds of (C)the Christ, he sent word by (D)his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you (E)the one who is to come, or shall we (F)look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 (G)the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers[a] are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and (H)the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who (I)is not offended by me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out (J)into the wilderness to see? (K)A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man[b] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? (L)A prophet?[c] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
(M)“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 (N)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[d] and the violent take it by force. 13 (O)For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is (P)Elijah who is to come. 15 (Q)He who has ears to hear,[e] let him hear.
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came (R)neither eating (S)nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came (T)eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, (U)a friend of (V)tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”[f]
Woe to Unrepentant Cities
20 (W)Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 (X)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in (Y)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 (Z)But I tell you, it will be more bearable on (AA)the day of judgment for (AB)Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, (AC)Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to (AD)Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 (AE)But I tell you that (AF)it will be more tolerable on (AG)the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest
25 (AH)At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, (AI)Lord of heaven and earth, that (AJ)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and (AK)revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your (AL)gracious will.[g] 27 (AM)All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son (AN)except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone (AO)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 (AP)Come to (AQ)me, all who labor and are (AR)heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and (AS)learn from me, for I am (AT)gentle and lowly in heart, and (AU)you will find rest for your souls. 30 For (AV)my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 11:5 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Matthew 11:8 Or Why then did you go out? To see a man…
- Matthew 11:9 Some manuscripts Why then did you go out? To see a prophet?
- Matthew 11:12 Or has been coming violently
- Matthew 11:15 Some manuscripts omit to hear
- Matthew 11:19 Some manuscripts children (compare Luke 7:35)
- Matthew 11:26 Or for so it pleased you well
Matthew 12:22-50
English Standard Version
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 (A)Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 (B)And all the people were amazed, and said, (C)“Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, (D)“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 (E)Knowing their thoughts, (F)he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, (G)by whom do (H)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is (I)by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then (J)the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or (K)how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed (L)he may plunder his house. 30 (M)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 (N)Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but (O)the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word (P)against the Son of Man (Q)will be forgiven, but (R)whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in (S)this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 (T)“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, (U)for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (V)You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, (W)when you are evil? (X)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 (Y)The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, (Z)on the day of judgment (AA)people will give account for (AB)every careless word they speak, 37 for (AC)by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, (AD)we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, (AE)“An evil and (AF)adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For (AG)just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, (AH)so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 (AI)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and (AJ)condemn it, for (AK)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, (AL)something greater than Jonah is here. 42 (AM)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, (AN)something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 “When (AO)the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through (AP)waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and (AQ)the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this (AR)evil generation.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, (AS)his mother and his (AT)brothers[a] stood outside, asking to speak to him.[b] 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For (AU)whoever (AV)does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 12:46 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 48, 49
- Matthew 12:46 Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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