Job 7-8
English Standard Version
Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope
7 “Has not man (A)a hard service on earth,
and are not his (B)days like the days of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave who longs for (C)the shadow,
and like (D)a hired hand who looks for his (E)wages,
3 so I am allotted months of (F)emptiness,
(G)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 (H)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
But the night is long,
and I toss and turn till the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with (I)worms and (J)dirt;
my skin hardens, then (K)breaks out afresh.
6 My days are (L)swifter than (M)a weaver's shuttle
and come to their end without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is a (N)breath;
my eye will never again see good.
8 (O)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, (P)I shall be gone.
9 As (Q)the cloud fades and vanishes,
so he who (R)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10 he (S)returns no more to his house,
nor does his (T)place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore I will not (U)restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will (V)complain in (W)the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (X)a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 (Y)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than my (Z)bones.
16 I (AA)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
(AB)Leave me alone, for my days are (AC)a breath.
17 (AD)What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
18 (AE)visit him every morning
and (AF)test him every moment?
19 How long will you not (AG)look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me (AH)your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in (AI)the earth;
you will (AJ)seek me, (AK)but I shall not be.”
Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent
8 Then (AL)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a (AM)great wind?
3 (AN)Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
4 If your (AO)children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God
and (AP)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will (AQ)rouse himself for you
and (AR)restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
(AS)your latter days will be very great.
8 “For (AT)inquire, please, of bygone ages,
and consider what (AU)the fathers have searched out.
9 For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,
for our days on earth are (AV)a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you
and utter words out of their understanding?
11 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
12 While yet in flower and not cut down,
they (AW)wither before any other plant.
13 Such are the paths of all who (AX)forget God;
(AY)the hope of (AZ)the godless shall perish.
14 His confidence is severed,
and his trust is (BA)a spider's web.[a]
15 He leans against his (BB)house, but it does not stand;
he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.
16 He is a lush plant before the sun,
and his (BC)shoots spread over his garden.
17 His roots entwine the stone heap;
he looks upon a house of stones.
18 If he is destroyed from his (BD)place,
then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never (BE)seen you.’
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way,
and out of (BF)the soil others will spring.
20 “Behold, God will not reject a blameless man,
nor take the hand of evildoers.
21 He will yet (BG)fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (BH)clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Footnotes
- Job 8:14 Hebrew house
Acts 21:37-22:21
English Standard Version
Paul Speaks to the People
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not (A)the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out (B)into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, (C)“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, (D)motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in (E)the Hebrew language,[a] saying:
22 (F)“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in (G)the Hebrew language,[b] they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 (H)“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated (I)at the feet of (J)Gamaliel[c] (K)according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, (L)being zealous for God (M)as all of you are this day. 4 (N)I persecuted (O)this Way (P)to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as (Q)the high priest and (R)the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to (S)the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 (T)“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am (U)Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 (V)Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand[d] the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, (W)‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And (X)one Ananias, a devout man (Y)according to the law, (Z)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 (AA)came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And (AB)at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, (AC)‘The God of our fathers (AD)appointed you to know his will, (AE)to see (AF)the Righteous One and (AG)to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for (AH)you will be a witness for him to everyone of what (AI)you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? (AJ)Rise and be baptized and (AK)wash away your sins, (AL)calling on his name.’
17 (AM)“When I had returned to Jerusalem and (AN)was praying in the temple, I fell into (AO)a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, (AP)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another (AQ)I imprisoned and (AR)beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen (AS)your witness was being shed, (AT)I myself was standing by and (AU)approving and (AV)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you (AW)far away to the Gentiles.’”
Footnotes
- Acts 21:40 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)
- Acts 22:2 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)
- Acts 22:3 Or city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated
- Acts 22:9 Or hear with understanding
Psalm 89:7-13
English Standard Version
7 a God greatly (A)to be feared in the council of (B)the holy ones,
and awesome above all (C)who are around him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
(D)who is mighty as you are, O (E)Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you (F)still them.
10 You (G)crushed (H)Rahab like a carcass;
you (I)scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 (J)The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
(K)the world and all that is in it, you have (L)founded them.
12 (M)The north and the south, you have created them;
(N)Tabor and (O)Hermon (P)joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
Proverbs 19:1-2
English Standard Version
19 (A)Better is a poor person who (B)walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
2 Desire[a] without knowledge is not good,
and whoever (C)makes haste with his feet misses his way.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:2 Or A soul
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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