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Job Says He Longs for God
23 Then Job responded,
2 “Even today my (A)complaint is rebellion;
[a]His hand is (B)heavy despite my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew how to find Him,
That I might come to His home!
4 I would (C)present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn the words which He would [b]answer,
And perceive what He would tell me.
6 Would He contend with me by (D)the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7 There the upright would (E)argue with Him;
And I [c]would be (F)free of my Judge forever.
8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I (G)cannot perceive Him;
9 When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him;
He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.
10 But He knows the [d]way I take;
When He has (H)put me to the test, I will come out as gold.
11 My foot has (I)held on to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 I have not [e]failed the command of His lips;
I have treasured the (J)words of His mouth [f]more than my [g]necessary food.
13 But He is unique, and who can [h]make Him turn?
Whatever His soul desires, He does it.
14 For He carries out what is destined for me,
And many such destinies are with Him.
15 Therefore, I would be terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am frightened of Him.
16 It is God who has made my (K)heart faint,
And the Almighty who has terrified me,
17 But I (L)am not destroyed by darkness,
Nor by (M)deep gloom which covers me.
Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs
24 “(N)Why are [i]times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see (O)His [j]days?
2 People (P)remove landmarks;
They seize and [k]devour flocks.
3 They drive away the donkeys of (Q)orphans;
They seize the (R)widow’s ox as a pledge.
4 They push (S)the needy aside from the road;
The (T)poor of the land have to hide themselves together.
5 Behold, like (U)wild donkeys in the wilderness
They (V)go out scavenging for food in their activity,
As [l]bread for their children in the desert.
6 They harvest their feed in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 (W)They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 They are wet from the mountain rains,
And they hug the rock for lack of a shelter.
9 Others snatch an (X)orphan from the breast,
And they seize it as a pledge against the poor.
10 The poor move about naked without clothing,
And they carry sheaves, while going hungry.
11 Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but go thirsty.
12 From the city people groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry for help;
Yet God (Y)does not pay attention to the offensiveness.
13 “[m]Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor stay in its paths.
14 The murderer (Z)arises at dawn;
He (AA)kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is like a thief.
15 The eye of the (AB)adulterer watches for [n]twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he [o]disguises his face.
16 In the darkness they (AC)dig into houses,
They (AD)shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17 For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the (AE)terrors of thick darkness.
18 “They are [p](AF)insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their plot of land on the earth is (AG)cursed.
They do not turn [q]toward the (AH)vineyards.
19 Dryness and heat (AI)snatch away the snow waters,
As [r](AJ)Sheol snatches those who have sinned.
20 A [s](AK)mother will forget him;
The (AL)maggot feeds sweetly until he is (AM)no longer remembered.
And injustice will be broken (AN)like a tree.
21 He wrongs the [t]infertile woman,
And does no good for (AO)the widow.
22 But He drags off the mighty by (AP)His power;
He rises, but (AQ)no one has assurance of life.
23 He provides them (AR)with security, and they are supported;
And His (AS)eyes are on their ways.
24 They are exalted a (AT)little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are (AU)brought low, and like everything they are gathered up;
Like the heads of grain they wither.
25 Now if it is not so, (AV)who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”
Bildad Says Mankind Is Inferior
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “(AW)Dominion and awe [u]belong to Him
Who makes peace in (AX)His heights.
3 Is there any number to (AY)His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4 How then can mankind be (AZ)righteous with God?
Or how can anyone who is born of woman be (BA)pure?
5 If even (BB)the moon has no brightness
And the (BC)stars are not pure in His sight,
6 How much less (BD)man, that (BE)maggot,
And a son of man, that worm!”
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job responded,
2 “What a help you are to [v](BF)the weak!
You have saved the arm (BG)without strength!
3 What advice you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [w]provided!
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [x]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [y](BH)departed spirits are made to tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 [z](BI)Sheol is naked before Him,
And [aa](BJ)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (BK)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (BL)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 He [ab](BM)obscures the face of the [ac]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has inscribed a (BN)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (BO)boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 With His power He (BP)quieted the sea,
And by His (BQ)understanding He shattered [ad](BR)Rahab.
13 By His breath the (BS)heavens are [ae]cleared;
His hand has pierced (BT)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint (BU)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty (BV)thunder, who can understand?”
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job again took up his (BW)discourse and said,
2 “As God lives, (BX)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, (BY)who has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as [af]life is in me,
And the [ag](BZ)breath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will (CA)my tongue mutter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, (CB)I will not [ah]give up my integrity.
6 I have (CC)kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.
The State of the Godless
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked,
And [ai]my opponent as the criminal.
8 For what is (CD)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires (CE)his [aj]life?
9 Will God (CF)hear his cry
When (CG)distress comes upon him?
10 Or will he take (CH)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will instruct you in the [ak]power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?
13 “This is (CI)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which (CJ)tyrants receive from the Almighty:
14 Though his sons are many, [al]they are destined (CK)for the sword;
And his (CL)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And [am]their (CM)widows will not be able to weep.
16 Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, (CN)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He has built his (CO)house like the [an]spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
19 He lies down rich, but never [ao]again;
He opens his eyes, and (CP)it no longer exists.
20 (CQ)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away (CR)in the night.
21 The east (CS)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him (CT)away from his place.
22 For it will hurl at him (CU)without mercy;
He will certainly try to (CV)flee from its [ap]power.
23 People will [aq]clap their hands at him,
And will (CW)whistle at him from their places.
Paul’s Integrity
12 For our [a]proud confidence is this: the testimony of (A)our conscience, that in holiness and (B)godly sincerity, (C)not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand (D)until the end; 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, on (E)the day of our Lord Jesus.
15 In this confidence I intended at first to (F)come to you, so that you might [b]twice receive a [c](G)blessing; 16 [d]that is, to (H)pass [e]your way into (I)Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be (J)helped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I decide, do I decide (K)according to the flesh, so that with me there will be [f]yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as (L)God is faithful, (M)our word to you is not yes and no. 19 For (N)the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and (O)Silvanus and (P)Timothy—was not yes and no, but has been yes (Q)in Him. 20 For (R)as many as the promises of God are, (S)in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is (T)our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who (U)establishes us with you in Christ and (V)anointed us is God, 22 who also (W)sealed us and (X)gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a [g]pledge.
23 But (Y)I call God as witness to my soul, that it was (Z)to spare you that I did not come again to (AA)Corinth. 24 Not that we (AB)domineer over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are (AC)standing firm.
Reaffirm Your Love
2 But I decided this [h]for my own sake, that I (AD)would not come to you in sorrow again. 2 For if I (AE)cause you sorrow, who then will be the one making me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? 3 This is the very thing I (AF)wrote you, so that (AG)when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having (AH)confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I (AI)wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.
5 But (AJ)if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not for me, but in some degree—[i]not to say too much—for all of you. 6 Sufficient for such a person is (AK)this punishment which was imposed by the majority, 7 so that on the other hand, you should rather (AL)forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a person might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For to this end (AM)I also wrote, so that I might [j](AN)put you to the test, whether you are (AO)obedient in all things. 10 But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes (AP)in the presence of Christ, 11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by (AQ)Satan, for (AR)we are not ignorant of his schemes.
The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
41 Blessed is one who (A)considers the [a]helpless;
The Lord will save him (B)on a day of [b]trouble.
2 The Lord will (C)protect him and keep him alive,
And he will be called [c](D)blessed upon the earth;
And (E)do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You [d]restore him to health.
4 As for me, I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
(F)Heal my soul, for (G)I have sinned against You.”
5 My enemies (H)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
6 And [e]when he comes to see me, he (I)speaks [f]empty words;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
7 All who hate me whisper together against me;
They (J)plot my harm against me, saying,
8 “A wicked thing is poured out [g]upon him,
So that when he lies down, he will (K)not get up again.”
9 Even my [h](L)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
10 But You, Lord, be gracious to me and (M)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that (N)You are pleased with me,
Because (O)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12 As for me, (P)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You place me (Q)in Your presence forever.
13 (R)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
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