May 21 - Job 22-26
Job
1Then Eliphaz the Themanite responded by saying2Can man be compared with God, even if he were perfect in knowledge3What advantage is it to God, if you were just? Or what do you provide for him, if your way should be immaculate4Will he reprove you and take you to judgment for being afraid5and not because of your many evil deeds and your infinite unfairness6For you have taken away the collateral of your brothers without cause, and stripped them naked of their clothing7You have not given water to the weary; you have taken bread away from the hungry8By the strength of your arm, you took possession of the land, and you retain it by being the strongest9You have sent widows away empty, and you have crushed the shoulders of orphans10Because of this, you are surrounded by traps, and unexpected fears will disturb you11And did you think that you would not see darkness and that you were not to be overwhelmed by the on-rush of overflowing waters12Have you not considered that God is higher than the heavens and is lifted above the height of the stars13And you say: "Well, what does God know?" and, "He judges, as if through a fog,14and, "The clouds are his hiding-place," and, "He does not examine us closely," and, "He makes his rounds at the limits of the heavens.15Do you not want to tend the path of the ages, which wicked men have spurned16These were taken away before their time, and a flood overthrew their foundation17They said to God, "Withdraw from us," and they treated the Almighty as if he could do nothing18though he had filled their houses with good things. May their way of thinking be far from me19The just will see and will rejoice, and the innocent will mock them20Has not their haughtiness been cut down, and has not fire devoured the remnants of them21So, repose yourself with him and be at peace, and, in this way, you will have the best fruits22Accept the law from his mouth, and place his words in your heart23If you will return to the Almighty, you will be rebuilt, and you will put sinfulness far from your tabernacle24He will give you stone in place of dirt, and torrents of gold in place of stone25And the Almighty will be against your enemies, and silver will be gathered together for you26Then will you flock together in delight over the Almighty, and you will lift up your face to God27You will plead with him, and he will listen to you, and you will pay your vows28You will decide on something, and it will come to you, and the light will shine in your ways29For he who had been humbled, will be in glory; and he who will lower his eyes, will be the one saved30The innocent will be saved, and he will be saved with purity in his hands
1Then Job answered by saying2Now again my conversation is in bitterness, and the force of my scourging weighs more heavily on me because of my mourning3Who will grant me that I might know and find him, and that I may approach even to his throne4I would place judgment before his eye, and my mouth would fill with criticism5so that I may know the words that he will answer me and understand what he will say to me6I do not want him to contend with me with much strength, nor to overwhelm me with the bulk of his greatness7Let him show fairness in response to me, and let my judgment reach to victory8If I go to the east, he does not appear; if I go to the west, I will not understand him9If I turn to the left, what can I do? I will not take hold of him. If I turn myself to the right, I will not see him10Truly, he knows my way and has tested me like gold that passes through fire11My feet have been following his footsteps; I have kept to his way and have not strayed from it12I have not withdrawn from the commands of his lips, and the words of his mouth I have hidden in my sinews13For he is alone, and no one is able to disturb his intention; and whatever his spirit wills, that he accomplishes14And when he fulfills his will in me, many other similar ones will also be present with him15And, for this reason, I have been troubled at his presence, and, when I consider him, I am approached by fear16God has weakened my heart, and the Almighty has confused me17Yet I have not perished because of the threatening darkness, nor has gloom covered my face
1The times are not hidden from the Almighty; even those who know him, do not know his days2Some have crossed the boundaries, plundered the flocks, and given them pasture3They have driven away the donkey of orphans, and have taken the cow from the widow as collateral4They have undermined the way of the poor, and have pressed together the meek of the earth5Others, like wild asses in the desert, go forth to their work; by watching for prey, they obtain bread for their children6They reap a field that is not their own, and they harvest a vineyard that they have taken by force7They send men away naked, having taken the clothing of those who have no covering in the cold8these are wet with the mountain rain, and, having no covering, they embrace the rocks9They have used violence to deprive orphans, and they have robbed the poor common people10From the naked and those who do not have enough clothing, and from the hungry, they have taken away sheaves of grain11They take their midday rest among the stockpiles of those who, though they have trodden the winepresses, suffer thirst12In the cities, they caused the men to groan and the spirit of the wounded to cry out, and so God does not allow this to go unpunished13They have been rebellious against the light; they have not known his ways, nor have they returned by his paths14The killer of men rises at first light; he executes the destitute and the poor, but, in truth, he is like a thief in the night15The eye of the adulterer waits for darkness, saying, "No eye will see me," and he covers his face16He passes through houses in the nighttime, just as they had agreed among themselves in the daytime; and they are ignorant of the light17If sunrise should suddenly appear, it is treated by them like the shadow of death; and they walk in darkness, as if in light18He is nimble on the surface of water. His place on land is to be accursed. May he not walk by way of the vineyards19May he cross from the snowy waters to excessive heat, and his sin, all the way to hell20Let mercy forget him. His charm is worms. Let him not be remembered, but instead be broken like an unfruitful tree21For he has fed on the barren, who does not bear fruit, and he has not done good to the widow22He has pulled down the strong by his strength, and, when he stands up, he will not have trust in his life23God has given him a place for repentance, and he abuses it with arrogance, but his eyes are upon his ways24They are lifted up for a little while, but they will not continue, and they will be brought low, just like all things, and they will be taken away, and, like the tops of the ears of grain, they will be crushed25But, if this is not so, who is able to prove to me that I have lied and to place my words before God
1Then Baldad the Suhite answered by saying2Power and terror are with him that makes a pact with those in high places3Is there any limit to the number of his soldiers or to the number of those over whom his light rises4Is it right for man to compare himself to God, or to appear pure though he is born of woman5Behold, even the moon is not radiant, and the stars are not pure, in his sight6Is man much more than rottenness and the son of man much more than worms
1Then Job responded by saying2Whose assistant are you? Is he weak-minded? And do you sustain the arm of him that is not strong3To whom have you given advice? Perhaps it is to him that has no wisdom or prudence that you have revealed your many ideas4Who is it that you wanted to teach? Was it not him that created the breath of life5Behold, giant things groan under the waters, and they dwell with them6The underworld is naked before him, and there is no covering for perdition7He stretched out the North over emptiness, and he suspended the land over nothing8He secures the waters in his clouds, so that they do not burst forth downward all at once9He holds back the face of his throne, and he stretches his cloud over it10He has set limits around the waters, until light and darkness shall reach their limit11The pillars of heaven tremble and are frightened at his nod12By his strength, the seas suddenly gather together, and his foresight has struck the arrogant13His spirit has adorned the heavens, and his birthing hand has brought forth the winding serpent14Behold, these things have been said about his ways in part, and, since we barely have heard a small drop of his word, who will be able to gaze upon the thunder of his greatness