Job 31 - 32 - Legacy Standard Bible

Job 31 - 32

“I have cut a covenant with my eyes;

How then could I gaze at a virgin?

And what is the portion of God from above

Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

Is it not disaster to the unjust

And misfortune to those who work iniquity?

Does He not see my ways

And number all my steps?

“If I have walked with worthlessness,

And my foot has hastened after deceit,

Let Him weigh me with just scales,

And let God know my integrity.

If my step has turned from the way,

Or my heart followed my eyes,

Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,

Let me sow and another eat,

And let my crops be uprooted.

“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

Or I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s doorway,

May my wife grind for another,

And let others kneel down over her.

For that would be lewdness;

Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.

For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon,

And would uproot all my produce.

“If I have rejected the justice of my male or female slaves

When they filed a complaint against me,

What then could I do when God arises?

And when He calls me to account, with what will I respond to Him?

Did not He who made me in the womb make him,

And the same one fashion us in the womb?

“If I have held back the poor from their desire,

Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

Or have eaten my morsel alone,

And the orphan has not eaten from it

(But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,

And from the womb of my mother I guided her),

If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

Or that the needy had no covering,

If his loins have not blessed me,

And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

If I have waved my hand against the orphan

Because I saw my help in the gate,

Let my shoulder fall from the socket,

And my arm be broken off at the elbow.

For disaster from God is a dread to me,

And because of His exaltedness I can do nothing.

“If I have put my confidence in gold,

And called fine gold my trust,

If I have been glad because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had found so much,

If I have looked at the sun when it shone

Or the moon going in splendor,

And my heart became secretly enticed,

And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,

For I would have denied God above.

“If I have been glad at the upheaval of the one who hated me,

Or exulted when evil found him—

But I have not given over my mouth to sin

By asking for his life in a curse—

If the men of my tent have not said,

‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’—

The sojourner has not lodged outside,

For I have opened my doors to the traveler—

If I have covered my transgressions like Adam,

By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

Because I feared the great multitude,

And the contempt of families terrified me,

And I kept silent and did not go out of doors—

Oh that I had one to hear me!

Behold, here is my signature;

Let the Almighty answer me!

And the indictment which my accuser has written,

Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;

I would bind it to myself like a crown.

I would declare to Him the number of my steps;

Like a prince I would approach Him—

“If my land cries out against me,

And its furrows weep together,

If I have eaten its fruit without money,

Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,

Let briars come out instead of wheat,

And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Elihu Answers in Anger

Then these three men ceased answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned; against Job his anger burned because he was proving himself righteous before God. 3 And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited with his words for Job because they were years older than he. 5 Then Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, so his anger burned. 6 So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,

“I am young in years and you are old;

Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you my knowledge.

I thought age should speak,

And increased years should make wisdom known.

But it is a spirit in man,

And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

The abundant in years may not be wise,

Nor may elders understand justice.

So I say, ‘Listen to me,

I too will tell my knowledge.’

“Behold, I waited for your words,

I gave ear to your reasonings,

While you searched out what to say.

I even carefully considered you;

And behold, there was no one who reproved Job,

Not one of you who answered his words.

Lest you say,

‘We have found wisdom;

God will drive him away, not man.’

Now he has not arranged his words against me,

Nor will I respond to him with your words.

“They are dismayed; they no longer answer;

Words have moved away from them.

Shall I wait, because they do not speak,

Because they stand still and no longer answer?

I myself will also answer my share;

I also will tell my knowledge.

For I am full of words;

The spirit within my belly presses me.

Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, not opened;

Like new wineskins it is about to burst.

Let me speak that I may get relief;

Let me open my lips and answer.

Let me now be partial to no one,

Nor flatter any man.

For I do not know how to flatter,

Else my Maker would soon carry me away.

Luke 12

Fear Only God

At this time, after so many thousands of the crowd had gathered together that they were trampling on one another, He began saying to His disciples first, “Be on your guard for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4 “But I say to you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God, 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Parable of the Rich Fool

13 And someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you prepared?’ 21 So is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry

22 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his life span? 26 Therefore, if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 Do not fear, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 “Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be Ready for His Coming

35 “Gird up your loins, and keep your lamps lit. 36 And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find awake when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 You too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” 41 Now Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many beatings, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a beating, will receive but a few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Not Peace, but Division

49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! 51 Do you think that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 54 And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. 55 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to examine the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not examine this present time? 57 “And why do you not even judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the last lepton.”

Psalm 42 - 43

My Soul Thirsts for God

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So my soul pants for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;

When shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my food day and night,

While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,

With the sound of a shout of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why are you disturbed within me?

Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,

For the salvation of His presence.

O my God, my soul is in despair within me;

Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan

And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;

All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

By day, Yahweh will command His lovingkindness;

And by night, His song will be with me,

A prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries reproach me,

While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why are you disturbed within me?

Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,

The salvation of my presence and my God.

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

Give justice to me, O God, and plead my case against an unholy nation;

Oh protect me from the deceitful and unrighteous man!

For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Oh send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy mountain

And to Your dwelling places.

Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why are you disturbed within me?

Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,

The salvation of my presence and my God.