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Job Says He Longs for God
23 Then Job [a]replied,
2 “Even today my (A)complaint is rebellion;
[b]His hand is (B)heavy despite my groaning.
3 “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
4 “I would (C)present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 “I would learn the words which He would [c]answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.
6 “Would He contend with me by (D)the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7 “There the upright would (E)reason with Him;
And I [d]would be (F)delivered forever from my Judge.
8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I (G)cannot perceive Him;
9 When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
10 “But He knows the [e]way I take;
When He has (H)tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 “My foot has (I)held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the (J)words of His mouth [f]more than my [g]necessary food.
13 “But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
14 “For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.
15 “Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
16 “It is God who has made my (K)heart faint,
And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
17 But I (L)am not silenced by the darkness,
Nor (M)deep gloom which covers me.
Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs
24 “(N)Why are [h]times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see (O)His days?
2 “[i]Some (P)remove the landmarks;
They seize and [j]devour flocks.
3 “They drive away the donkeys of the (Q)orphans;
They take the (R)widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 “They push (S)the needy aside from the road;
The (T)poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
5 “Behold, as (U)wild donkeys in the wilderness
They (V)go forth seeking food in their activity,
As [k]bread for their children in the desert.
6 “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 “(W)They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
8 “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
9 “[l]Others snatch the (X)orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
10 “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
11 “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
12 “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God (Y)does not pay attention to folly.
13 “[m]Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
14 “The murderer (Z)arises at dawn;
He (AA)kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
15 “The eye of the (AB)adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he [n]disguises his face.
16 “In the dark they (AC)dig into houses,
They (AD)shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
17 “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the (AE)terrors of thick darkness.
18 “They are [o](AF)insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is (AG)cursed on the earth.
They do not turn [p]toward the (AH)vineyards.
19 “Drought and heat [q](AI)consume the snow waters,
So does [r](AJ)Sheol those who have sinned.
20 “A [s](AK)mother will forget him;
The (AL)worm feeds sweetly till he is (AM)no longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken (AN)like a tree.
21 “He wrongs the [t]barren woman
And does no good for (AO)the widow.
22 “But He drags off the valiant by (AP)His power;
He rises, but (AQ)no one has assurance of life.
23 “He provides them (AR)with security, and they are supported;
And His (AS)eyes are on their ways.
24 “They are exalted a (AT)little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are (AU)brought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25 “Now if it is not so, (AV)who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”
Bildad Says Man Is Inferior
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite [u]answered,
2 “(AW)Dominion and awe [v]belong to Him
Who establishes peace in (AX)His heights.
3 “Is there any number to (AY)His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4 “How then can a man be (AZ)just with God?
Or how can he be (BA)clean who is born of woman?
5 “If even (BB)the moon has no brightness
And the (BC)stars are not pure in His sight,
6 How much less (BD)man, that (BE)maggot,
And the son of man, that worm!”
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job [w]responded,
2 “What a help you are to [x](BF)the weak!
How you have saved the arm (BG)without strength!
3 “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [y]provided!
4 “To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [z]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [aa](BH)departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 “Naked is [ab](BI)Sheol before Him,
And [ac](BJ)Abaddon has no covering.
7 “He (BK)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 “He (BL)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 “He [ad](BM)obscures the face of the [ae]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 “He has inscribed a (BN)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (BO)boundary of light and darkness.
11 “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 “He (BP)quieted the sea with His power,
And by His (BQ)understanding He shattered (BR)Rahab.
13 “By His breath the (BS)heavens are [af]cleared;
His hand has pierced (BT)the fleeing serpent.
14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint (BU)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty (BV)thunder, who can understand?”
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Then Job [ag]continued his (BW)discourse and said,
2 “As God lives, (BX)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, (BY)who has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as [ah]life is in me,
And the [ai](BZ)breath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will (CA)my tongue mutter deceit.
5 “Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die (CB)I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 “I (CC)hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.
The State of the Godless
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked
And [aj]my opponent as the unjust.
8 “For what is (CD)the hope of the godless [ak]when he is cut off,
When God requires (CE)his [al]life?
9 “Will God (CF)hear his cry
When (CG)distress comes upon him?
10 “Will he take (CH)delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 “I will instruct you in the [am]power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 “Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you [an]act foolishly?
13 “This is (CI)the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which (CJ)tyrants receive from the Almighty.
14 “Though his sons are many, [ao]they are destined (CK)for the sword;
And his (CL)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And [ap]their (CM)widows will not be able to weep.
16 “Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, (CN)but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 “He has built his (CO)house like the [aq]spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
19 “He lies down rich, but never [ar]again;
He opens his eyes, and (CP)it is no longer.
20 “(CQ)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away (CR)in the night.
21 “The east (CS)wind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him (CT)away from his place.
22 “For it will hurl at him (CU)without sparing;
He will surely try to (CV)flee from its [as]power.
23 “Men will clap their hands at him
And will (CW)hiss him from his place.
Paul’s Integrity
12 For our [a]proud confidence is this: the testimony of (A)our conscience, that in holiness and (B)godly sincerity, (C)not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand (D)until the end; 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in (E)the day of our Lord Jesus.
15 In this confidence I intended at first to (F)come to you, so that you might [b]twice receive a [c](G)blessing; 16 [d]that is, to (H)pass [e]your way into (I)Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be (J)helped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose (K)according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as (L)God is faithful, (M)our word to you is not yes and no. 19 For (N)the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and (O)Silvanus and (P)Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes (Q)in Him. 20 For (R)as many as are the promises of God, (S)in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is (T)our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who (U)establishes us with you in Christ and (V)anointed us is God, 22 who also (W)sealed us and (X)gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a [f]pledge.
23 But (Y)I call God as witness [g]to my soul, that (Z)to spare you I did not come again to (AA)Corinth. 24 Not that we (AB)lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are (AC)standing firm.
Reaffirm Your Love
2 But I determined this [h]for my own sake, that I (AD)would not come to you in sorrow again. 2 For if I (AE)cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful? 3 This is the very thing I (AF)wrote you, so that (AG)when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having (AH)confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I (AI)wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.
5 But (AJ)if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree—[i]in order not to say too much—to all of you. 6 Sufficient for such a one is (AK)this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, 7 so that on the contrary you should rather (AL)forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For to this end also (AM)I wrote, so that I might [j](AN)put you to the test, whether you are (AO)obedient in all things. 10 But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes (AP)in the presence of Christ, 11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by (AQ)Satan, for (AR)we are not ignorant of his schemes.
The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
41 How blessed is he who (A)considers the [a]helpless;
The Lord will deliver him (B)in a day of [b]trouble.
2 The Lord will (C)protect him and keep him alive,
And he shall [c]be called (D)blessed upon the earth;
And (E)do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You [d]restore him to health.
4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;
(F)Heal my soul, for (G)I have sinned against You.”
5 My enemies (H)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
6 And [e]when he comes to see me, he (I)speaks [f]falsehood;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
7 All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me they (J)devise my hurt, saying,
8 “A wicked thing is poured out [g]upon him,
That when he lies down, he will (K)not rise up again.”
9 Even my (L)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
10 But You, O Lord, be gracious to me and (M)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that (N)You are pleased with me,
Because (O)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12 As for me, (P)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You set me (Q)in Your presence forever.
13 (R)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
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