Job 23 - 24 - Legacy Standard Bible

Job 23 - 24

Where Is God?

Then Job answered and said, 2

“Even today my musing is rebellion;

His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

Oh that I knew where I might find Him,

That I might come to His seat!

I would arrange my case for justice before Him

And fill my mouth with arguments.

I would know the words which He would answer,

And discern what He would say to me.

Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?

No, surely He would pay attention to me.

There the upright would argue with Him;

And I would have escaped forever from my Judge.

“Behold, I go forward but He is not there,

And backward, but I cannot discern Him;

When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;

He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.

But He knows the way I take;

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

My foot has held fast to His path;

I have kept His way and not turned aside.

I have not departed from the command of His lips;

I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food.

But He is unique and who can turn Him?

And what His soul desires, that He does.

For He performs what is apportioned for me,

And many such decrees are with Him.

Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;

I carefully consider, and I am in dread of Him.

It is God who has made my heart faint,

And the Almighty who has dismayed me,

But I am not silenced by the darkness,

Nor thick darkness which covers me.

Who Can Prove Me a Liar?

“Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,

And why do those who know Him not behold His days?

Some move the boundaries;

They seize and devour flocks.

They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;

They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

They push the needy aside from the road;

The afflicted of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.

Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness

They go forth seeking food earnestly in their work,

The desert becomes for him a place of bread for his young ones.

They harvest their fodder in the field

And glean the vineyard of the wicked.

They spend the night naked, without clothing,

And have no covering against the cold.

They are wet with the mountain rains

And hug the rock for want of a shelter.

Others snatch the orphan from the breast,

And against the afflicted they take a pledge.

Those poor ones walk about naked without clothing,

And hungry ones carry the sheaves.

Within the walls they produce oil;

They tread wine presses but thirst.

From the city men groan,

And the souls of the wounded cry out;

Yet God does not pay attention to such offense.

“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;

They do not want to recognize its ways

Nor abide in its paths.

The murderer arises at dawn;

He kills the afflicted and the needy,

And at night he is as a thief.

The eye of the adulterer keeps watch for the twilight,

Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’

And he keeps his face hidden.

In the dark they dig into houses;

They shut themselves up by day;

They do not know the light.

For the morning is the same to him as the shadow of death,

For he recognizes the terrors of the shadow of death.

“They are insignificant on the surface of the water;

Their portion is cursed on the earth.

They do not turn toward the vineyards.

Drought and heat seize the snow waters,

So does Sheol those who have sinned.

A mother will forget him;

The worm feasts sweetly till he is no longer remembered.

And unrighteousness will be broken like a tree.

He feeds on the barren woman who does not give birth

And does no good for the widow.

But He drags off the mighty by His power;

He rises, but no one believes in his life.

He provides them with security, and they are supported;

And His eyes are on their ways.

They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;

Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;

Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,

And make my speech worthless?”

Luke 8

Many Women Contribute to Jesus’ Ministry

And it happened that soon afterward He was going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s manager, and Susanna, and many others who were ministering to them from their possessions.

The Parable of the Sower

4 Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 And other seed fell on rock and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And other seed fell among the thorns, and when the thorns grew up with it, they choked it out. 8 And other seed fell into the good soil; and growing up, it produced a crop one hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

9 And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear ripe fruit. 15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

A Lampstand and the Light

16 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it with a container or puts it under a bed, but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 So beware how you listen, for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

19 And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” 21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

22 Now it happened that on one of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they set sail. 23 But as they were sailing along, He fell asleep, and a windstorm descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and in danger. 24 And they came to Him and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He woke up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

Jesus Saves a Man from Many Demons

26 Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He came out onto the land, a man from the city met Him, one who was possessed with demons and had not put on any garment for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 28 Now seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles, being kept under guard. And yet breaking his bonds, he was driven by the demon into the desolate regions. 30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they were pleading with Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. 32 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain, and the demons pleaded with Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. 33 And when the demons came out of the man, they entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 And when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. 35 And the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been saved. 37 And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear. And He got into a boat and returned. 38 But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him. But He sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your house and recount what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus’ Daughter

40 And as Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he began to plead with Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. 43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding and pressing in on You.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I knew that power had gone out of Me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling. And falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace.” 49 While He was still speaking, someone *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” 50 But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be saved.” 51 So when He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. 52 Now they were all crying and lamenting for her, but He said, “Stop crying, for she has not died, but is asleep.” 53 And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. 54 He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” 55 And her spirit returned, and she stood up immediately. And He gave orders for something to be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were astounded, but He directed them to tell no one what had happened.

Psalm 38

Do Not Forsake Me, O Yahweh

A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.

O Yahweh, reprove me not in Your wrath,

And discipline me not in Your burning anger.

For Your arrows have pressed deep into me,

And Your hand has pressed down upon me.

There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;

There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

For my iniquities go over my head;

As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

My wounds stink and rot

Because of my folly.

I am bent over and greatly bowed down;

I go mourning all day long.

For my loins are filled with burning,

And there is no soundness in my flesh.

I am faint and badly crushed;

I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before You;

And my sighing is not hidden from You.

My heart throbs, my strength forsakes me;

And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;

And my kinsmen stand afar off.

Those who search for my life lay snares for me;

And those who seek to do me evil have threatened destruction,

And they meditate on deception all day long.

But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;

And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

And I am like a man who does not hear,

And in whose mouth are no reproofs.

For I wait on You, O Yahweh;

You will answer, O Lord my God.

For I said, “Save, lest they be glad over me,

Who, when my foot stumbles, magnify themselves against me.”

For I am ready to fall,

And my sorrow is continually before me.

For I confess my iniquity;

I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

But my enemies are vigorous and strong,

And those who wrongfully hate me abound.

And those who repay evil for good,

They accuse me, for I pursue what is good.

Do not forsake me, O Yahweh;

O my God, do not be far from me!

Make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation!