Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
9 Fear the Lord, you chosen people of his,[a]
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come children. Listen to me.
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord.[b]
12 Do you want to really live?[c]
Would you love to live a long, happy life?[d]
13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words[e]
or use deceptive speech.[f]
14 Turn away from evil and do what is right.[g]
Strive for peace and promote it.[h]
Job’s Reply to Zophar[a]
12 Then Job answered:
2 “Without a doubt you are the people,[b]
and wisdom will die with you.[c]
3 I also have understanding[d] as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.[e]
Who does not know such things as these?[f]
4 I am[g] a laughingstock[h] to my friends,[i]
I, who called on God and whom he answered[j]—
a righteous and blameless[k] man
is a laughingstock!
5 For calamity,[l] there is derision
(according to the ideas of the fortunate[m])—
a fate[n] for those whose feet slip.
6 But[o] the tents of robbers are peaceful,
and those who provoke God are confident[p]—
who carry their god in their hands.[q]
Knowledge of God’s Wisdom[r]
7 “But now, ask the animals and they[s] will teach you,
or the birds of the sky and they will tell you.
8 Or speak[t] to the earth[u] and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea declare to you.
9 Which of all these[v] does not know
that the hand of the Lord[w] has done[x] this?
10 In his hand[y] is the life[z] of every creature
and the breath of all the human race.[aa]
11 Does not the ear test words,
as[ab] the tongue[ac] tastes food?[ad]
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?[ae]
Does not long life bring understanding?
13 “With God[af] are wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.[ag]
14 If[ah] he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt;
if he imprisons a person, there is no escape.[ai]
15 If he holds back the waters, then they dry up;[aj]
if he releases them,[ak] they destroy[al] the land.
16 With him are strength and prudence;[am]
both the one who goes astray[an]
and the one who misleads are his.
17 He[ao] leads[ap] counselors away stripped[aq]
and makes judges[ar] into fools.[as]
18 He loosens[at] the bonds[au] of kings
and binds a loincloth[av] around their waist.
19 He leads priests away stripped[aw]
and overthrows[ax] the potentates.[ay]
20 He deprives the trusted advisers[az] of speech[ba]
and takes away the discernment[bb] of elders.
21 He pours contempt on noblemen
and disarms[bc] the powerful.[bd]
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness,
and brings deep shadows[be] into the light.
23 He makes nations great,[bf] and destroys them;
he extends the boundaries of nations
and disperses[bg] them.[bh]
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth[bi]
of their understanding;[bj]
he makes them wander
in a trackless desert waste.[bk]
25 They grope about in darkness[bl] without light;
he makes them stagger[bm] like drunkards.
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters,[a] to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them! 18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds[b] of the naive. 19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
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