Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Job Replies: I Am a Laughingstock
12 Then Job answered:
2 “No doubt you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you.
3 But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these?
4 I am a laughingstock to my friends;
I, who called upon God and he answered me,
a just and blameless man, I am a laughingstock.(A)
5 Those at ease have contempt for misfortune,[a]
but it is ready for those whose feet are unstable.(B)
6 The tents of robbers are at peace,
and those who provoke God are secure,
who bring their god in their hands.[b](C)
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 ask the plants of the earth,[c] and they will teach you,
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?(D)
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of every human being.(E)
11 Does not the ear test words
as the palate tastes food?(F)
12 Is wisdom with the aged
and understanding in length of days?(G)
13 “With God[d] are wisdom and strength;
he has counsel and understanding.(H)
14 If he tears down, no one can rebuild;
if he shuts someone in, no one can open up.(I)
15 If he withholds the waters, they dry up;
if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.(J)
16 With him are strength and wisdom;
the deceived and the deceiver are his.(K)
17 He leads counselors away stripped
and makes fools of judges.(L)
18 He looses the sash of kings
and binds a waistcloth on their loins.(M)
19 He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives of speech those who are trusted
and takes away the discernment of the elders.(N)
21 He pours contempt on princes
and looses the belt of the strong.(O)
22 He uncovers deep things from the darkness
and brings deep darkness to light.(P)
23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;
he enlarges nations, then leads them away.(Q)
24 He strips understanding from the leaders[e] of the earth
and makes them wander in a pathless waste.(R)
25 They grope in the dark without light;
he makes them stagger like a drunkard.(S)
Final Instructions
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who create dissensions and hindrances, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them.(A) 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites,[a] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.(B) 19 For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.(C) 20 The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.[b](D)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.