Job 4:1-17
New King James Version
Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
3 Surely you have instructed many,
And you (A)have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you (B)have strengthened the [a]feeble knees;
5 But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.
6 Is not (C)your reverence (D)your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember now, (E)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?
8 Even as I have seen,
(F)Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
10 The roaring of the lion,
The voice of the fierce lion,
And (G)the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 (H)The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
13 (I)In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
14 Fear came upon me, and (J)trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.
16 It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
Footnotes
- Job 4:4 Lit. bending
Proverbs 12:9-22
New King James Version
9 (A)Better is the one who is [a]slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
10 (B)A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
11 (C)He who [b]tills his land will be satisfied with (D)bread,
But he who follows [c]frivolity (E)is devoid of [d]understanding.
12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 (F)The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
(G)But the righteous will come through trouble.
14 (H)A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
(I)And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.
15 (J)The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.
16 (K)A fool’s wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.
17 (L)He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 (M)There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
19 The truthful lip shall be established forever,
(N)But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 (O)No grave [e]trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
22 (P)Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:9 lightly esteemed
- Proverbs 12:11 works or cultivates
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. vain things
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 12:21 harm
Matthew 21:18-32
New King James Version
The Fig Tree Withered(A)
18 (B)Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 (C)And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree(D)
20 (E)And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, (F)if you have faith and (G)do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, (H)but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And (I)whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jesus’ Authority Questioned(J)
23 (K)Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and (L)said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”
24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 The (M)baptism of (N)John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we (O)fear the multitude, (P)for all count John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”
And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my (Q)vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, (R)“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For (S)John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; (T)but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward [a]relent and believe him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 21:32 regret it
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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