JOB 40:1- 42:17
2 CORINTHIANS 5:11- 21
PSALM 45:1- 17
PROVERBS 22:14
Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?" 3 Then Job replied to the LORD, 4 "I am nothing-- how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say." 6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:7 "Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? 9 Are you as strong as God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. 11 Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. 12 Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. 13 Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14 Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you. 15" Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus. I made it, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. 16 See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. 17 Its tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together. 18 Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. 19 It is a prime example of God's amazing handiwork. Only its Creator can threaten it. 20 The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play. 21 It lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds. 22 The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream. 23 It is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon it. 24 No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away. 41:1 "CAN you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw? 2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose or pierce its jaw with a spike? 3 Will it beg you for mercy or implore you for pity? 4 Will it agree to work for you? Can you make it be your slave for life? 5 Can you make it a pet like a bird, or give it to your little girls to play with? 6 Will merchants try to buy it? Will they sell it in their shops? 7 Will its hide be hurt by darts, or its head by a harpoon? 8 If you lay a hand on it, you will never forget the battle that follows, and you will never try it again! 9" No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be thrown down. 10 And since no one dares to disturb Leviathan, who would dare to stand up to me? 11 Who will confront me and remain safe? Everything under heaven is mine. 12 "I want to emphasize the tremendous strength in Leviathan's limbs and throughout its enormous frame. 13 Who can strip off its hide, and who can penetrate its double layer of armor? 14 Who could pry open its jaws? For its teeth are terrible! 15 The overlapping scales on its back make a shield. 16 They are close together so no air can get between them. 17 They lock together so nothing can penetrate them. 18" When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn. 19 Fire and sparks leap from its mouth. 20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry rushes. 21 Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth. 22 "The tremendous strength in its neck strikes terror wherever it goes. 23 Its flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat. 24 Its heart is as hard as rock, as hard as a millstone. 25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror. 26 No sword can stop it, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft. 27 To Leviathan, iron is nothing but straw, and bronze is rotten wood. 28 Arrows cannot make it flee. Stones shot from a sling are as ineffective as straw. 29 Clubs do no good, and it laughs at the swish of the javelins. 30 Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass. They tear up the ground as it drags through the mud. 31" Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion. It churns the depths. 32 The water glistens in its wake. One would think the sea had turned white. 33 There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth. 34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts. "42:1 THEN Job replied to the LORD:2" I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. 3 You ask, `Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance? 'It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. 4 "You said, `Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' 5" I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance. "7 After the LORD had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite:" I am angry with you and with your two friends, for you have not been right in what you said about me, as my servant Job was. 8 Now take seven young bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not been right in what you said about me, as my servant Job was. "9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. 10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! 11 Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring. 12 So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren- happuch. 15 In all the land there were no other women as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. 16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, good life.
It is because we [Paul and his co- workers] know this solemn fear of the Lord that we work so hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you [Corinthians] know this, too. 12 Are we trying to pat ourselves on the back again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart before God. 13 If it seems that we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Whatever we do, it is because Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now! 17 What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! 18 All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. 20 We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you," Be reconciled to God! "21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
For the choir director:A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be sung to the tune" Lilies. "A love song.
1 My heart overflows with a beautiful thought!
I will recite a lovely poem to the king,
for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.
2 You are the most handsome of all.
Gracious words stream from your lips.
God himself has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!
You are so glorious, so majestic!
4 In your majesty, ride out to victory,
defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to perform awe- inspiring deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp,
piercing your enemies 'hearts.
The nations fall before you,
lying down beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
Your royal power is expressed in justice.
7 You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
8 Your robes are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
In palaces decorated with ivory,
you are entertained by the music of harps.
9 Kings' daughters are among your concubines.
At your right side stands the queen,
wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!
10 Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your homeland far away.
11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The princes of Tyre will shower you with gifts.
People of great wealth will entreat your favor.
13 The bride, a princess, waits within her chamber,
dressed in a gown woven with gold.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
accompanied by her bridesmaids.
15 What a joyful, enthusiastic procession
as they enter the king's palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father.
You will make them rulers over many lands.
17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; those living under the LORD's displeasure will fall into it
2 CORINTHIANS 5:11- 21
PSALM 45:1- 17
PROVERBS 22:14
Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?" 3 Then Job replied to the LORD, 4 "I am nothing-- how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say." 6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:7 "Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? 9 Are you as strong as God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. 11 Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. 12 Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. 13 Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14 Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you. 15" Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus. I made it, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. 16 See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. 17 Its tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together. 18 Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. 19 It is a prime example of God's amazing handiwork. Only its Creator can threaten it. 20 The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play. 21 It lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds. 22 The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream. 23 It is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon it. 24 No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away. 41:1 "CAN you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw? 2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose or pierce its jaw with a spike? 3 Will it beg you for mercy or implore you for pity? 4 Will it agree to work for you? Can you make it be your slave for life? 5 Can you make it a pet like a bird, or give it to your little girls to play with? 6 Will merchants try to buy it? Will they sell it in their shops? 7 Will its hide be hurt by darts, or its head by a harpoon? 8 If you lay a hand on it, you will never forget the battle that follows, and you will never try it again! 9" No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be thrown down. 10 And since no one dares to disturb Leviathan, who would dare to stand up to me? 11 Who will confront me and remain safe? Everything under heaven is mine. 12 "I want to emphasize the tremendous strength in Leviathan's limbs and throughout its enormous frame. 13 Who can strip off its hide, and who can penetrate its double layer of armor? 14 Who could pry open its jaws? For its teeth are terrible! 15 The overlapping scales on its back make a shield. 16 They are close together so no air can get between them. 17 They lock together so nothing can penetrate them. 18" When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn. 19 Fire and sparks leap from its mouth. 20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry rushes. 21 Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth. 22 "The tremendous strength in its neck strikes terror wherever it goes. 23 Its flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat. 24 Its heart is as hard as rock, as hard as a millstone. 25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror. 26 No sword can stop it, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft. 27 To Leviathan, iron is nothing but straw, and bronze is rotten wood. 28 Arrows cannot make it flee. Stones shot from a sling are as ineffective as straw. 29 Clubs do no good, and it laughs at the swish of the javelins. 30 Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass. They tear up the ground as it drags through the mud. 31" Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion. It churns the depths. 32 The water glistens in its wake. One would think the sea had turned white. 33 There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth. 34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts. "42:1 THEN Job replied to the LORD:2" I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. 3 You ask, `Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance? 'It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. 4 "You said, `Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' 5" I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance. "7 After the LORD had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite:" I am angry with you and with your two friends, for you have not been right in what you said about me, as my servant Job was. 8 Now take seven young bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not been right in what you said about me, as my servant Job was. "9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer. 10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! 11 Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring. 12 So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren- happuch. 15 In all the land there were no other women as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. 16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, good life.
It is because we [Paul and his co- workers] know this solemn fear of the Lord that we work so hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you [Corinthians] know this, too. 12 Are we trying to pat ourselves on the back again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart before God. 13 If it seems that we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Whatever we do, it is because Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a human being. How differently I think about him now! 17 What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! 18 All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. 20 We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you," Be reconciled to God! "21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
For the choir director:A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be sung to the tune" Lilies. "A love song.
1 My heart overflows with a beautiful thought!
I will recite a lovely poem to the king,
for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.
2 You are the most handsome of all.
Gracious words stream from your lips.
God himself has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!
You are so glorious, so majestic!
4 In your majesty, ride out to victory,
defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to perform awe- inspiring deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp,
piercing your enemies 'hearts.
The nations fall before you,
lying down beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
Your royal power is expressed in justice.
7 You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
8 Your robes are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
In palaces decorated with ivory,
you are entertained by the music of harps.
9 Kings' daughters are among your concubines.
At your right side stands the queen,
wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!
10 Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your homeland far away.
11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The princes of Tyre will shower you with gifts.
People of great wealth will entreat your favor.
13 The bride, a princess, waits within her chamber,
dressed in a gown woven with gold.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
accompanied by her bridesmaids.
15 What a joyful, enthusiastic procession
as they enter the king's palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father.
You will make them rulers over many lands.
17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; those living under the LORD's displeasure will fall into it
