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Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the (A)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does (B)God pervert justice?
Or does [a]the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 (C)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He turned them over to the [b]power of their wrongdoing.
5 If you will (D)search for God
And implore the compassion of [c]the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Surely now (E)He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous [d](F)estate.
7 Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (G)end will increase greatly.
8 “Please (H)inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
9 For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (I)our days on earth are as a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?
11 “Can papyrus grow tall without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other [e]plant.
13 So are the paths of (J)all who forget God;
And the (K)hope of the godless will perish,
14 His confidence is fragile,
And his trust is a (L)spider’s [f]web.
15 He depends on his (M)house, but it does not stand;
He holds on to it, but it does not endure.
16 He (N)flourishes before the sun,
And his (O)shoots spread out over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He [g]grasps a house of stones.
18 If he is [h]removed from (P)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(Q)I never saw you.’
19 Behold, (R)this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 Behold, (S)God will not reject a person of integrity,
Nor (T)will He [i]help evildoers.
21 He will yet fill (U)your mouth with laughter,
And your lips with joyful shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (V)clothed with shame,
And the (W)tent of the wicked will no longer exist.”
Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Mankind
9 Then Job responded,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (X)person be in the right with God?
3 If one wished to (Y)dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 (Z)Wise in heart and (AA)mighty in strength,
Who has [j](AB)defied Him [k]without harm?
5 (AC)It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how,
When He overturns them in His anger.
6 It is He who (AD)shakes the earth from its place,
And its (AE)pillars tremble;
7 Who commands the (AF)sun [l]not to shine,
And puts a seal on the stars;
8 Who alone (AG)stretches out the heavens,
And [m](AH)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (AI)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the [n](AJ)constellations of the south.
10 It is He who (AK)does great things, [o]the unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 If He were to pass by me, (AL)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 If He were to snatch away, who could (AM)restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘(AN)What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him the helpers of [p](AO)Rahab cower.
14 How then can (AP)I [q]answer Him,
And choose my words [r]before Him?
15 For (AQ)though I were right, I could not [s]answer;
I would have to (AR)implore the mercy of my Judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
17 For He (AS)bruises me with a storm
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will (AT)not allow me to get my breath,
But He saturates me with (AU)bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of power, (AV)behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon [t]Him?
20 (AW)Though I am righteous, my mouth will (AX)condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
21 I am (AY)guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I (AZ)reject my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (BA)destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
23 If the whip kills suddenly,
He (BB)mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth (BC)is handed over to the wicked;
He (BD)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now (BE)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, (BF)they see no good.
26 They slip by like (BG)reed boats,
Like an (BH)eagle that swoops on [u]its prey.
27 Though I say, ‘I will forget (BI)my complaint,
I will [v]put my face in order and be cheerful,’
28 I am (BJ)afraid of all my pains,
I know that (BK)You will not acquit me.
29 I am (BL)guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
30 If I (BM)washed myself with snow,
And cleansed (BN)my hands with lye,
31 Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.
32 For (BO)He is not a man, as I am, that (BP)I may answer Him—
That we may go to [w]court together!
33 There is no (BQ)arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him (BR)remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I (BS)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Job Despairs of God’s Dealings
10 “[x](BT)I am disgusted with my own life;
I will express (BU)my complaint freely;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, ‘(BV)Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
3 Is it [y]right for You indeed to (BW)oppress,
To reject (BX)the work of Your hands,
And [z]to look favorably on (BY)the plan of the wicked?
4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You (BZ)see as mankind sees?
5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal,
Or (CA)Your years like a man’s year,
6 That (CB)You should search for my guilt
And carefully seek my sin?
7 According to Your knowledge (CC)I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is (CD)no one to save me from Your hand.
8 ‘(CE)Your hands fashioned and made me [aa]altogether,
(CF)Yet would You destroy me?
9 Remember that You have made me as (CG)clay;
Yet would You (CH)turn me into dust again?
10 Did You not pour me out like milk,
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And intertwine me with bones and tendons?
12 You have (CI)granted me life and [ab]goodness;
And Your care has guarded my spirit.
13 Yet You have concealed (CJ)these things in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
14 If I have sinned, You will (CK)take note of me,
And (CL)will not acquit me of my guilt.
15 If (CM)I am wicked, woe to me!
But if (CN)I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am full of shame, and [ac]conscious of my misery.
16 And should my head be high, (CO)You would hunt me like a lion;
And You would show Your (CP)power against me again.
17 You renew (CQ)Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
[ad](CR)Hardship after hardship is with me.
18 ‘(CS)Why then did You bring me out of the womb?
If only I had died and no eye had seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had not been,
Brought from womb to tomb.’
20 Would He not leave (CT)my few days alone?
[ae](CU)Withdraw from me so that I may have a little cheerfulness
21 Before I go—(CV)and I shall not return—
(CW)To the land of darkness and (CX)deep shadow,
22 The land of utter gloom like darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And it shines like darkness.”
Zophar Rebukes Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a (CY)talkative man be acquitted?
3 Shall your boasts silence people?
And will you (CZ)scoff, and no one rebuke?
4 For (DA)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And (DB)I am innocent in your eyes.’
5 But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [af](DC)has two sides.
Know then that God [ag]forgets part of (DD)your guilt.
7 “(DE)Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 They are as (DF)high as [ah]the heavens; what can you do?
Deeper than [ai](DG)Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measurement is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 If He passes by or apprehends people,
Or calls an assembly, (DH)who can restrain Him?
11 For (DI)He knows false people,
And He (DJ)sees injustice [aj]without investigating.
12 [ak](DK)An idiot will become intelligent
When a (DL)wild donkey is born a human.
13 “(DM)If you would (DN)direct your heart rightly
And (DO)spread out your hands to Him,
14 If wrongdoing is in your hand, (DP)put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
15 Then, indeed, you could (DQ)lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and (DR)not fear.
16 For you would (DS)forget your trouble;
Like (DT)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17 Your [al]life would [am]be (DU)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
19 You would (DV)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would [an](DW)flatter you.
20 But the (DX)eyes of the wicked will fail,
And [ao]there will (DY)be no escape for them;
And their (DZ)hope is [ap](EA)to breathe their last.”
The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection
15 Now (A)I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the (B)gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, (C)in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, (D)if you hold firmly to [a]the word which I preached to you, (E)unless you believed in vain.
3 For (F)I handed down to you [b]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died (G)for our sins (H)according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was (I)raised on the third day (J)according to the Scriptures, 5 and that (K)He appeared to [c](L)Cephas, then (M)to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some (N)have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to [d](O)James, then to (P)all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as [e]to one untimely born, (Q)He appeared to me also. 9 For I am (R)the least of the apostles, [f]and not fit to be called an apostle, because I (S)persecuted the church of God. 10 But by (T)the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I (U)labored even more than all of them, yet (V)not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there (W)is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and (X)if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. 15 Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified [g]against God that He (Y)raised [h]Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; (Z)you are still in your sins. 18 Then also those who (AA)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are (AB)of all people most to be pitied.
The Order of Resurrection
20 But the fact is, Christ (AC)has been raised from the dead, the (AD)first fruits of those who (AE)are asleep. 21 For since (AF)by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For (AG)as in Adam all die, so also in [i]Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ (AH)the first fruits, after that (AI)those who are Christ’s at (AJ)His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over (AK)the kingdom to our (AL)God and Father, when He has abolished (AM)all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign (AN)until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be (AO)abolished is death. 27 For (AP)He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “(AQ)All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that [j]this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When (AR)all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that (AS)God may be all in all.
Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.
A Psalm of David, for a memorial.
38 Lord, (A)do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
And do not punish me in Your burning anger.
2 For Your (B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is (D)no healthy part in my flesh (E)because of Your indignation;
There is no health (F)in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my (G)guilty deeds have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My [a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (H)my foolishness.
6 I am bent over and (I)greatly bowed down;
I (J)go in mourning all day long.
7 For my [b]sides are filled with (K)burning,
And there is (L)no healthy part in my flesh.
8 I feel (M)faint and [c]badly crushed;
I [d](N)groan because of the [e]agitation of my heart.
9 Lord, all (O)my desire is [f]before You;
And my (P)sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, (Q)my strength fails me;
And the (R)light of my eyes, even [g]that [h]has gone from me.
11 My [i](S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (T)stand far away.
12 Those who (U)seek my life (V)lay snares for me;
And those who (W)seek to injure me have [j]threatened destruction,
And they (X)plot deception all day long.
13 But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear;
And I am like a (Y)person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For (Z)I wait for You, Lord;
You (AA)will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (AB)would exalt themselves over me.”
17 For I am (AC)ready to fall,
And (AD)my [k]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I (AE)admit my guilt;
I am full of (AF)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (AG)enemies are vigorous and [l]strong,
And those who wrongfully (AH)hate me are many.
20 And those who (AI)repay evil for good,
They (AJ)become my enemies, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, (AK)do not be far from me!
22 (AL)Hurry to help me,
Lord, (AM)my salvation!
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.