JOB 16:1- 19:29
1 CORINTHIANS 16:1- 24
PSALM 40:1- 10
PROVERBS 22:1
Then Job spoke again:2 "I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! 3 Won't you ever stop your flow of foolish words? What have I said that makes you speak so endlessly? 4 I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off my criticisms against you and shake my head at you. 5 But that's not what I would do. I would speak in a way that helps you. I would try to take away your grief. 6 But as it is, my grief remains no matter how I defend myself. And it does not help if I refuse to speak. 7" O God, you have ground me down and devastated my family. 8 You have reduced me to skin and bones-- as proof, they say, of my sins. 9 God hates me and tears angrily at my flesh. He gnashes his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes. 10 People jeer and laugh at me. They slap my cheek in contempt. A mob gathers against me. 11 God has handed me over to sinners. He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked. 12 "I was living quietly until he broke me apart. He took me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. Then he set me up as his target. 13 His archers surrounded me, and his arrows pierced me without mercy. The ground is wet with my blood. 14 Again and again he smashed me, charging at me like a warrior. 15 Here I sit in sackcloth. I have surrendered, and I sit in the dust. 16 My eyes are red with weeping; darkness covers my eyes. 17 Yet I am innocent, and my prayer is pure. 18" O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf. 19 Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. 20 My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God. 21 Oh, that someone would mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. 22 For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return. 17:1 "MY spirit is crushed, and I am near death. The grave is ready to receive me. 2 I am surrounded by mockers. I watch how bitterly they taunt me. 3" You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me. 4 You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph. 5 They denounce their companions for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger. 6 "God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face. 7 My eyes are dim with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self. 8 The upright are astonished when they see me. The innocent are aroused against the ungodly. 9 The righteous will move onward and forward, and those with pure hearts will become stronger and stronger. 10" As for all of you, come back and try again! But I will not find a wise man among you. 11 My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart's desires are broken. 12 They say that night is day and day is night; how they pervert the truth! 13 I might go to the grave and make my bed in darkness. 14 And I might call the grave my father, and the worm my mother and my sister. 15 But where then is my hope? Can anyone find it? 16 No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust! "18:1 THEN Bildad the Shuhite replied:2" How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer! 3 Do you think we are cattle? Do you think we have no intelligence? 4 You may tear your hair out in anger, but will that cause the earth to be abandoned? Will it make rocks fall from a cliff? 5 "The truth remains that the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow. 6 The light in their tent will grow dark. The lamp hanging above them will be quenched. 7 The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall. 8" The wicked walk into a net. They fall into a pit that's been dug in the path. 9 A trap grabs them by the heel. A noose tightens around them. 10 A snare lies hidden in the ground. A rope lies coiled on their path. 11 "Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step. 12 Their vigor is depleted by hunger, and calamity waits for them to stumble. 13 Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs. 14 They are torn from the security of their tent, and they are brought down to the king of terrors. 15 The home of the wicked will disappear beneath a fiery barrage of burning sulfur. 16 Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither. 17 All memory of their existence will perish from the earth. No one will remember them. 18 They will be thrust from light into darkness, driven from the world. 19 They will have neither children nor grandchildren, nor any survivor in their home country. 20 People in the west are appalled at their fate; people in the east are horrified. 21 They will say, `This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God. '" 19:1 THEN Job spoke again:2 "How long will you torture me? How long will you try to break me with your words? 3 Ten times now you have meant to insult me. You should be ashamed of dealing with me so harshly. 4 And even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. 5 You are trying to overcome me, using my humiliation as evidence of my sin, 6 but it is God who has wronged me. I cannot defend myself, for I am like a city under siege. 7" I cry out for help, but no one hears me. I protest, but there is no justice. 8 God has blocked my way and plunged my path into darkness. 9 He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. 10 He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has destroyed my hope. 11 His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy. 12 His troops advance. They build up roads to attack me. They camp all around my tent. 13 "My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. 14 My neighbors and my close friends are all gone. 15 The members of my household have forgotten me. The servant girls consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16 I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even plead with him! 17 My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am loathsome to my own family. 18 Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me. 19 My close friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned against me. 20 I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth. 21" Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me. 22 Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you satisfied with my anguish? 23 "Oh, that my words could be written. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock. 25" But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27 I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! 28 "How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, `It's his own fault'? 29 I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude. Then you will know that there is judgment."
Now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem:You [Corinthians] should follow the same procedures I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 3 When I come I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it seems appropriate for me also to go along, then we can travel together. 5 I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 6 It could be that I will stay awhile with you, perhaps all winter, and then you can send me on my way to the next destination. 7 This time I don't want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 8 In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost, 9 for there is a wide- open door for a great work here, and many people are responding. But there are many who oppose me. 10 When Timothy comes, treat him with respect. He is doing the Lord's work, just as I am. 11 Don't let anyone despise him. Send him on his way with your blessings when he returns to me. I am looking forward to seeing him soon, along with the other brothers. 12 Now about our brother Apollos-- I urged him to join the other brothers when they visit you, but he was not willing to come right now. He will be seeing you later, when the time is right. 13 Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And everything you do must be done with love. 15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first to become Christians in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to other Christians. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, *16 to respect them fully and others like them who serve with such real devotion. 17 I am so glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been making up for the help you weren't here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you, too. You must give proper honor to all who serve so well. 19 The churches here in the province of Asia greet you heartily in the Lord, along with Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here have asked me to greet you for them. Greet each other in Christian love. 21 Here is my greeting, which I write with my own hand-- PAUL. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come! 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be astounded.
They will put their trust in the LORD.
4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,
who have no confidence in the proud,
or in those who worship idols.
5 O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.
6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand--
you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, "Look, I have come.
And this has been written about me in your scroll:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your law is written on my heart."
9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O LORD, well know.
10 I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold
1 CORINTHIANS 16:1- 24
PSALM 40:1- 10
PROVERBS 22:1
Then Job spoke again:2 "I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! 3 Won't you ever stop your flow of foolish words? What have I said that makes you speak so endlessly? 4 I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off my criticisms against you and shake my head at you. 5 But that's not what I would do. I would speak in a way that helps you. I would try to take away your grief. 6 But as it is, my grief remains no matter how I defend myself. And it does not help if I refuse to speak. 7" O God, you have ground me down and devastated my family. 8 You have reduced me to skin and bones-- as proof, they say, of my sins. 9 God hates me and tears angrily at my flesh. He gnashes his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes. 10 People jeer and laugh at me. They slap my cheek in contempt. A mob gathers against me. 11 God has handed me over to sinners. He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked. 12 "I was living quietly until he broke me apart. He took me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. Then he set me up as his target. 13 His archers surrounded me, and his arrows pierced me without mercy. The ground is wet with my blood. 14 Again and again he smashed me, charging at me like a warrior. 15 Here I sit in sackcloth. I have surrendered, and I sit in the dust. 16 My eyes are red with weeping; darkness covers my eyes. 17 Yet I am innocent, and my prayer is pure. 18" O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf. 19 Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. 20 My friends scorn me, but I pour out my tears to God. 21 Oh, that someone would mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. 22 For soon I must go down that road from which I will never return. 17:1 "MY spirit is crushed, and I am near death. The grave is ready to receive me. 2 I am surrounded by mockers. I watch how bitterly they taunt me. 3" You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me. 4 You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph. 5 They denounce their companions for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger. 6 "God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face. 7 My eyes are dim with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self. 8 The upright are astonished when they see me. The innocent are aroused against the ungodly. 9 The righteous will move onward and forward, and those with pure hearts will become stronger and stronger. 10" As for all of you, come back and try again! But I will not find a wise man among you. 11 My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart's desires are broken. 12 They say that night is day and day is night; how they pervert the truth! 13 I might go to the grave and make my bed in darkness. 14 And I might call the grave my father, and the worm my mother and my sister. 15 But where then is my hope? Can anyone find it? 16 No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust! "18:1 THEN Bildad the Shuhite replied:2" How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer! 3 Do you think we are cattle? Do you think we have no intelligence? 4 You may tear your hair out in anger, but will that cause the earth to be abandoned? Will it make rocks fall from a cliff? 5 "The truth remains that the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow. 6 The light in their tent will grow dark. The lamp hanging above them will be quenched. 7 The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall. 8" The wicked walk into a net. They fall into a pit that's been dug in the path. 9 A trap grabs them by the heel. A noose tightens around them. 10 A snare lies hidden in the ground. A rope lies coiled on their path. 11 "Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step. 12 Their vigor is depleted by hunger, and calamity waits for them to stumble. 13 Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs. 14 They are torn from the security of their tent, and they are brought down to the king of terrors. 15 The home of the wicked will disappear beneath a fiery barrage of burning sulfur. 16 Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither. 17 All memory of their existence will perish from the earth. No one will remember them. 18 They will be thrust from light into darkness, driven from the world. 19 They will have neither children nor grandchildren, nor any survivor in their home country. 20 People in the west are appalled at their fate; people in the east are horrified. 21 They will say, `This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God. '" 19:1 THEN Job spoke again:2 "How long will you torture me? How long will you try to break me with your words? 3 Ten times now you have meant to insult me. You should be ashamed of dealing with me so harshly. 4 And even if I have sinned, that is my concern, not yours. 5 You are trying to overcome me, using my humiliation as evidence of my sin, 6 but it is God who has wronged me. I cannot defend myself, for I am like a city under siege. 7" I cry out for help, but no one hears me. I protest, but there is no justice. 8 God has blocked my way and plunged my path into darkness. 9 He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. 10 He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has destroyed my hope. 11 His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy. 12 His troops advance. They build up roads to attack me. They camp all around my tent. 13 "My relatives stay far away, and my friends have turned against me. 14 My neighbors and my close friends are all gone. 15 The members of my household have forgotten me. The servant girls consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16 I call my servant, but he doesn't come; I even plead with him! 17 My breath is repulsive to my wife. I am loathsome to my own family. 18 Even young children despise me. When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me. 19 My close friends abhor me. Those I loved have turned against me. 20 I have been reduced to skin and bones and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth. 21" Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me. 22 Why must you persecute me as God does? Why aren't you satisfied with my anguish? 23 "Oh, that my words could be written. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock. 25" But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27 I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! 28 "How dare you go on persecuting me, saying, `It's his own fault'? 29 I warn you, you yourselves are in danger of punishment for your attitude. Then you will know that there is judgment."
Now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem:You [Corinthians] should follow the same procedures I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 3 When I come I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it seems appropriate for me also to go along, then we can travel together. 5 I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 6 It could be that I will stay awhile with you, perhaps all winter, and then you can send me on my way to the next destination. 7 This time I don't want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 8 In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost, 9 for there is a wide- open door for a great work here, and many people are responding. But there are many who oppose me. 10 When Timothy comes, treat him with respect. He is doing the Lord's work, just as I am. 11 Don't let anyone despise him. Send him on his way with your blessings when he returns to me. I am looking forward to seeing him soon, along with the other brothers. 12 Now about our brother Apollos-- I urged him to join the other brothers when they visit you, but he was not willing to come right now. He will be seeing you later, when the time is right. 13 Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And everything you do must be done with love. 15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first to become Christians in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to other Christians. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, *16 to respect them fully and others like them who serve with such real devotion. 17 I am so glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been making up for the help you weren't here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you, too. You must give proper honor to all who serve so well. 19 The churches here in the province of Asia greet you heartily in the Lord, along with Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here have asked me to greet you for them. Greet each other in Christian love. 21 Here is my greeting, which I write with my own hand-- PAUL. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come! 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
For the choir director:A psalm of David.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be astounded.
They will put their trust in the LORD.
4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,
who have no confidence in the proud,
or in those who worship idols.
5 O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.
6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand--
you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, "Look, I have come.
And this has been written about me in your scroll:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your law is written on my heart."
9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O LORD, well know.
10 I have not kept this good news hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold
