Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Job was a good man

1 There was a man who lived in a place called Uz. His name was Job. He was a good and honest man. He was afraid to make God angry. He refused to do evil things.

Satan attacks Job's health

2 Another time, the angels came again to meet with the Lord. Satan also came with them to meet the Lord. ² The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan replied, ‘I have been travelling all over the earth. I have been watching the things that happen there.’

³ Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘You have seen Job, who is my servant. What do you think about him? There is no one on earth who is like him. He is a good and honest man. He is afraid to make me angry. He refuses to do evil things. Because of what you said, I allowed you to attack him. But he did not deserve that. He has continued to do what is right.’

⁴ Satan answered the Lord, ‘A man will always take care of his own body. He would do anything to save his own life. ⁵ So now cause Job to have great pain in his own body. Then he will certainly curse you very strongly.’

⁶ So the Lord said to Satan, ‘I agree to give you power over Job himself. But you must not cause his death.’

⁷ So Satan went away. He caused Job to have boils all over his body. They hurt him everywhere, from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.

⁸ Job was very upset and he sat down among some ashes. He used a piece of a broken pot to remove the bad bits of skin.

⁹ His wife said to him, ‘You cannot continue to trust God! Instead, you should curse God and then die.’ ¹⁰ Job replied, ‘Do not talk like a fool! We take the good things that God gives us. So we should not be surprised if he sends us trouble as well.’

In all his trouble, Job never said any wrong things against God.

This is a song that David wrote.

I do what is right

In Jesus, God has shown us who he is

1 Many years ago, God spoke to our ancestors by his prophets.^[a] He spoke many times and in many different ways. ² But in these last days, he has spoken to us in his Son.^[b] In the beginning, God worked through his Son to make the whole universe. He decided that everything should belong to his Son. ³ The Son shows us completely what God is like. He shines with God's great glory. His nature is the same as God's nature. The Son's powerful word causes everything to continue. He himself made it possible for us to be clean from our sins. After he had done that, he returned to heaven. He went and he sat at the right side of God, who rules with all authority.^[c]

God's Son is greater than the angels

⁴ That shows us that God's Son is much greater than the angels. God has given him a name that shows he is more important than they are.

Jesus became human like us, to save us

⁵ We are speaking about the new world that will come. God did not choose angels to rule over that world. ⁶ No! Instead, someone wrote this somewhere in the Bible:

It says that God has caused people to rule over everything. That means that there is nothing that people do not have authority over. But at this time, we do not yet see that people rule over everything. ⁹ But we do see Jesus!^[b] God made him less important than the angels for a short time. And now God has made him the great and powerful king. God did this because Jesus died as a sacrifice on behalf of all people. His death showed that God is very kind.

¹⁰ It was right that God should bring Jesus back to heaven as king. All things belong to God, and he causes all things to continue. God wanted many people to become his children. He wanted them to live with him in heaven. Jesus made this possible because he died with much pain as a sacrifice. ¹¹ Jesus is the one who makes people clean in front of God. Jesus himself and all the people that he makes clean have the same Father. So Jesus is not ashamed to call all those people his brothers and sisters. ¹² He says this to God:

² Some Pharisees came to Jesus. They wanted to find out how he would answer their question. They asked him, ‘Can a man send his wife away, so that she is no longer his wife? Is it right for him to do that?’

³ Jesus replied with a question: ‘What did Moses say was right for you?’^[a]

⁴ The Pharisees said, ‘Moses said that a man could write a letter to say that he and his wife are no longer married. Then the man can send the woman away.’^[b]

⁵ Jesus said to them, ‘You did not want to obey God. That is why Moses made this rule for you. ⁶ But at the start, when God made the world, he made people male and female. ⁷ That is the reason that a man leaves his father and his mother. Then God joins him and his wife together. ⁸ The man and the woman become like one body. They are not two separate people any longer. They have come together as one person. ⁹ God has put them together to be husband and wife. So nobody should cause them to be separate.’^[c]

¹⁰ When Jesus went into the house, the disciples asked him about these things again. ¹¹ So Jesus said to them, ‘A man must not send his wife away and then marry another woman. If he does that, he has not been faithful to his wife. It is the same as if he had sex with another man's wife. ¹² In the same way, a woman must not leave her husband and then marry another man. She also has done a wrong thing. It is the same as if she had sex with another woman's husband.’

Jesus prays for some children

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on each child's head. The disciples told the people that they should not do that. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to them, ‘Do not stop the children. Let them come to me. People must become like these children so that God can rule their lives. That is what the kingdom of God is like. ¹⁵ I tell you this: A person must become like a little child for God to rule in his life. If he does not become like a child, he will not come into the kingdom of God.’ ¹⁶ Then Jesus took hold of the children. He put his hands on each of them and he asked God to bless them.