Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

1 There was a man in the land of ‘Utz whose name was Iyov. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ² Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³ He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 pairs of oxen and 500 female donkeys, as well as a great number of servants; so that he was the wealthiest man in the east.

⁴ It was the custom of his sons to give banquets, each on his set day in his own house; and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ After a cycle of banquets, Iyov would send for them to come and be consecrated; then he would get up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings for each of them, because Iyov said, “My sons might have sinned and blasphemed God in their thoughts.” This is what Iyov did every time.

⁶ It happened one day that the sons of God came to serve Adonai, and among them came the Adversary ^[a]. ⁷ Adonai asked the Adversary, “Where are you coming from?” The Adversary answered Adonai, “From roaming through the earth, wandering here and there.” ⁸ Adonai asked the Adversary, “Did you notice my servant Iyov, that there’s no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil?” ⁹ The Adversary answered Adonai, “Is it for nothing that Iyov fears God? ¹⁰ You’ve put a protective hedge around him, his house and everything he has. You’ve prospered his work, and his livestock are spread out all over the land. ¹¹ But if you reach out your hand and touch whatever he has, without doubt he’ll curse you to your face!” ¹² Adonai said to the Adversary, “Here! Everything he has is in your hands, except that you are not to lay a finger on his person.” Then the Adversary went out from the presence of Adonai.

¹³ One day when Iyov’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to him and said, “The oxen were plowing, with the donkeys grazing near them, ¹⁵ when a raiding party from Sh’va came and carried them off; they put the servants to the sword too, and I’m the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another one came and said, “Fire from God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants; it completely destroyed them, and I’m the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another one came and said, “The Kasdim, three bands of them, fell on the camels and carried them off; they put the servants to the sword too, and I’m the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another one came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a strong wind blew in from over the desert. It struck the four corners of the house, so that it fell on the young people; they are dead, and I’m the only one who escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Iyov got up, tore his coat, shaved his head, fell down on the ground and worshipped; ²¹ he said,

²² In all this Iyov neither committed a sin nor put blame on God.

³⁴ “But keep watch on yourselves, or your hearts will become dulled by carousing, drunkenness and the worries of everyday living, and that Day will be sprung upon you suddenly like a trap! ³⁵ For it will close in on everyone, no matter where they live, throughout the whole world. ³⁶ Stay alert, always praying that you will have the strength to escape all the things that will happen and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”

³⁷ Yeshua spent his days at the Temple, teaching; while at night he went out and stayed on the hill called the Mount of Olives. ³⁸ All the people would rise with the dawn to come and hear him at the Temple courts.

22 But the festival of Matzah, known as Pesach, was approaching; ² and the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers began trying to find some way to get rid of Yeshua, because they were afraid of the people.

³ At this point the Adversary went into Y’hudah from K’riot, who was one of the Twelve. ⁴ He approached the head cohanim and the Temple guard and discussed with them how he might turn Yeshua over to them. ⁵ They were pleased and offered to pay him money. ⁶ He agreed and began looking for a good opportunity to betray Yeshua without the people’s knowledge.