Job: I Would Plead with God

10 “My (A)soul loathes my life;
I will [a]give free course to my complaint,
(B)I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Show me why You contend with me.
Does it seem good to You that You should oppress,
That You should despise the work of Your hands,
And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or (C)do You see as man sees?
Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,
That You should seek for my iniquity
And search out my sin,
Although You know that I am not wicked,
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?

‘Your(D) hands have made me and fashioned me,
An intricate unity;
Yet You would (E)destroy me.
Remember, I pray, (F)that You have made me like clay.
And will You turn me into dust again?
10 (G)Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
12 You have granted me life and favor,
And Your care has preserved my spirit.

13 ‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart;
I know that this was with You:
14 If I sin, then (H)You mark me,
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am wicked, (I)woe to me;
(J)Even if I am righteous, I [b]cannot lift up my head.
I am full of disgrace;
(K)See my misery!
16 If my head is exalted,
(L)You hunt me like a fierce lion,
And again You show Yourself awesome against me.
17 You renew Your witnesses against me,
And increase Your indignation toward me;
Changes and war are ever with me.

18 ‘Why(M) then have You brought me out of the womb?
Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
19 I would have been as though I had not been.
I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
20 (N)Are not my days few?
Cease! (O)Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
21 Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
(P)To the land of darkness (Q)and the shadow of death,
22 A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”

Zophar Urges Job to Repent

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

“Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should [c]a man full of talk be vindicated?
Should your empty talk make men [d]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
For you have said,
(R)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that (S)God [e]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.

“Can(T) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than [f]Sheol—what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

10 “If(U) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can [g]hinder Him?
11 For (V)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
12 For an (W)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.

13 “If you would (X)prepare your heart,
And (Y)stretch out your hands toward Him;
14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And (Z)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 (AA)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16 Because you would (AB)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17 And your life (AC)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18 And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and (AD)take your rest in safety.
19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
20 But (AE)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And (AF)their hope—[h]loss of life!”

Footnotes

  1. Job 10:1 Lit. leave on myself
  2. Job 10:15 Lit. will not
  3. Job 11:2 Lit. a man of lips
  4. Job 11:3 be silent
  5. Job 11:6 Lit. forgets some of your iniquity for you
  6. Job 11:8 The abode of the dead
  7. Job 11:10 restrain
  8. Job 11:20 Lit. the breathing out of life

First Seal: The Conqueror

Now (A)I saw when the Lamb opened one of the [a]seals; and I heard (B)one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, (C)a white horse. (D)He who sat on it had a bow; (E)and a crown was given to him, and he went out (F)conquering and to conquer.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

When He opened the second seal, (G)I heard the second living creature saying, “Come [b]and see.” (H)Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to (I)take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

When He opened the third seal, (J)I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, (K)a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of (L)scales[c] in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A [d]quart of wheat for a [e]denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and (M)do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

When He opened the fourth seal, (N)I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” (O)So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And [f]power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, (P)to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, (Q)and by the beasts of the earth.

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under (R)the altar (S)the souls of those who had been slain (T)for the word of God and for (U)the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, (V)“How long, O Lord, (W)holy and true, (X)until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a (Y)white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them (Z)that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, (AA)and [g]behold, there was a great earthquake; and (AB)the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the [h]moon became like blood. 13 (AC)And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 (AD)Then the sky [i]receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and (AE)every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the (AF)kings of the earth, the great men, [j]the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, (AG)hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 (AH)and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who (AI)sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, (AJ)and who is able to stand?”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 6:1 NU, M seven seals
  2. Revelation 6:3 NU, M omit and see
  3. Revelation 6:5 balances
  4. Revelation 6:6 Gr. choinix, about 1 quart
  5. Revelation 6:6 About 1 day’s wage for a worker
  6. Revelation 6:8 authority
  7. Revelation 6:12 NU, M omit behold
  8. Revelation 6:12 NU, M whole moon
  9. Revelation 6:14 Or split apart
  10. Revelation 6:15 NU, M the commanders, the rich men,

The Sealed of Israel

After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, (A)holding the four winds of the earth, (B)that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, (C)“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God (D)on their foreheads.” (E)And I heard the number of those who were sealed. (F)One hundred and forty-four thousand (G)of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were [a]sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

After these things I looked, and behold, (H)a great multitude which no one could number, (I)of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, (J)clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, (K)“Salvation belongs to our God (L)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 (M)All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and (N)worshiped God, 12 (O)saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in (P)white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, [b]“Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, (Q)“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and (R)washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will (S)dwell among them. 16 (T)They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; (U)the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne (V)will shepherd them and lead them to [c]living fountains of waters. (W)And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 7:5 NU, M omit sealed in vv. 5b–8b.
  2. Revelation 7:14 NU, M My lord
  3. Revelation 7:17 NU, M fountains of the waters of life

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