Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Life Is Short
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A song of David.
39 I said, “I will be careful how I act.
I will not sin by what I say.
I will be careful what I say
around wicked people.”
2 So I kept very quiet.
I didn’t even say anything good.
But I became even more upset.
3 I became very angry inside.
And the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
So I spoke:
4 “Lord, tell me when the end will come.
How long will I live?
Let me know how long I have.
5 You have given me only a short life.
My lifetime is like nothing to you.
Everyone’s life is only a breath. Selah
6 A person is like a shadow moving about.
All his work is for nothing.
He collects things, but he doesn’t know who will get them.
7 “So, Lord, what hope do I have?
You are my hope.
8 Save me from all my sins.
Don’t let wicked fools make fun of me.
9 I am quiet. I do not open my mouth.
You are the one who has done this.
10 Quit punishing me.
Your beating is about to kill me.
11 You correct and punish people for their sins.
Like a moth, you destroy what they love.
Everyone’s life is only a breath. Selah
12 “Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cry.
Do not ignore my tears.
I am like a visitor with you.
Like my ancestors, I’m only here a short time.
13 Leave me alone so I can be happy.
Soon I will leave and be no more.”
Job Answers Bildad
26 Then Job answered:
2 “You are no help to a person who has no strength!
You have given no help to one whose arm is weak!
3 You have given advice to me as if I had no wisdom!
This is not great wisdom you have shown!
4 Who has helped you say these words?
And where did you get these words you speak?
5 “The spirits of the dead beneath the waters shake.
And so do those that live in the waters.
6 Death is naked before God.
Destruction is uncovered before him.
7 God stretches the northern sky out over empty space.
And he hangs the earth on nothing.
8 God wraps up the waters in his thick clouds.
But the clouds do not break under the weight of the water.
9 God covers the face of the full moon.
He spreads his clouds over it.
10 God draws the horizon like a circle on the water
at the place where light and darkness meet.
11 Heaven’s foundations shake
when he thunders at them.
12 God’s power controls the sea.
By his wisdom he destroyed Rahab, the sea monster.
13 God breathes, and the sky becomes clear.
God’s hand stabs the gliding snake.
14 And these are only a small part of God’s works.
We only hear a small whisper of him.
So who can understand God’s thundering power?”
The Great Crowd
9 Then I looked, and there was a great number of people. There were so many people that no one could count them. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth. They were all standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and had palm branches in their hands. 10 They were shouting in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 The elders[a] and the four living things were there. All the angels were standing around them and the throne. The angels bowed down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. 12 They were saying, “Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and strength belong to our God forever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes? Where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “You know who they are, sir.”
And the elder said, “These are the people who have come out of the great suffering. They have washed their robes[b] with the blood of the Lamb. Now they are clean and white. 15 And they are before the throne of God. They worship God day and night in his temple. And the One who sits on the throne will protect them. 16 Those people will never be hungry again. They will never be thirsty again. The sun will not hurt them. No heat will burn them. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of water that give life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.