Luke 13:1-9

New International Version

Repent or Perish

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate^(A) had mixed with their sacrifices. ²Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?^(B) ³I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. ⁴Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam^(C) fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no! But unless you repent,^(D) you too will all perish.”

⁶Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.^(E) ⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!^(F) Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

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Job 32:1-14

New International Version

Elihu

32 So these three men stopped answering Job,^(A) because he was righteous in his own eyes.^(B) ²But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite,^(C) of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself^(D) rather than God.^(E) ³He was also angry with the three friends,^(F) because they had found no way to refute Job,^(G) and yet had condemned him.^[a]^(H) ⁴Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he.^(I) ⁵But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

⁶So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years,
    and you are old;^(J)
that is why I was fearful,
    not daring to tell you what I know.
⁷I thought, ‘Age should speak;
    advanced years should teach wisdom.’^(K)
⁸But it is the spirit^[b]^(L) in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty,^(M) that gives them understanding.^(N)
⁹It is not only the old^[c] who are wise,^(O)
    not only the aged^(P) who understand what is right.^(Q)

¹⁰“Therefore I say: Listen to me;^(R)
    I too will tell you what I know.^(S)
¹¹I 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.^(T)
¹³Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;^(U)
    let God, not a man, refute^(V) him.’
¹⁴But Job has not marshaled his words against me,^(W)
    and I will not answer him with your arguments.

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Footnotes

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 33:1-30

New International Version

33 “But now, Job, listen^(A) to my words;
    pay attention to everything I say.^(B)
²I am about to open my mouth;
    my words are on the tip of my tongue.
³My words come from an upright heart;^(C)
    my lips sincerely speak what I know.^(D)
⁴The Spirit^(E) of God has made me;^(F)
    the breath of the Almighty^(G) gives me life.^(H)
⁵Answer me^(I) then, if you can;
    stand up^(J) and argue your case before me.^(K)
⁶I am the same as you in God’s sight;^(L)
    I too am a piece of clay.^(M)
⁷No fear of me should alarm you,
    nor should my hand be heavy on you.^(N)

⁸“But you have said in my hearing—
    I heard the very words—
⁹‘I am pure,^(O) I have done no wrong;^(P)
    I am clean and free from sin.^(Q)
¹⁰Yet God has found fault with me;
    he considers me his enemy.^(R)
¹¹He fastens my feet in shackles;^(S)
    he keeps close watch on all my paths.’^(T)

¹²“But I tell you, in this you are not right,
    for God is greater than any mortal.^(U)
¹³Why do you complain to him^(V)
    that he responds to no one’s words^[a]?^(W)
¹⁴For God does speak^(X)—now one way, now another^(Y)—
    though no one perceives it.^(Z)
¹⁵In a dream,^(AA) in a vision^(AB) of the night,^(AC)
    when deep sleep^(AD) falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶he may speak^(AE) in their ears
    and terrify them^(AF) with warnings,^(AG)
¹⁷to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride,^(AH)
¹⁸to preserve them from the pit,^(AI)
    their lives from perishing by the sword.^[b]^(AJ)

¹⁹“Or someone may be chastened^(AK) on a bed of pain^(AL)
    with constant distress in their bones,^(AM)
²⁰so that their body finds food^(AN) repulsive
    and their soul loathes the choicest meal.^(AO)
²¹Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
    and their bones,^(AP) once hidden, now stick out.^(AQ)
²²They draw near to the pit,^(AR)
    and their life to the messengers of death.^[c]^(AS)
²³Yet if there is an angel at their side,
    a messenger,^(AT) one out of a thousand,
    sent to tell them how to be upright,^(AU)
²⁴and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
    ‘Spare them from going down to the pit;^(AV)
    I have found a ransom for them^(AW)—
²⁵let their flesh be renewed^(AX) like a child’s;
    let them be restored as in the days of their youth’^(AY)—
²⁶then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,^(AZ)
    they will see God’s face and shout for joy;^(BA)
    he will restore them to full well-being.^(BB)
²⁷And they will go to others and say,
    ‘I have sinned,^(BC) I have perverted what is right,^(BD)
    but I did not get what I deserved.^(BE)
²⁸God has delivered^(BF) me from going down to the pit,^(BG)
    and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’^(BH)

²⁹“God does all these things to a person^(BI)—
twice, even three times^(BJ)—
³⁰to turn them back^(BK) from the pit,^(BL)
that the light of life^(BM) may shine on them.^(BN)