Job 5 - 6, Mark 13:28-14:72, Psalm 29

The Discipline of the Almighty

5“Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?And to which of the ^aholy ones will you turn?²“For ^avexation kills the ignorant fool,And jealousy puts to death the simple.³“I have seen the ^aignorant fool taking root,And I ^bcursed his abode suddenly.⁴“His ^asons are far from salvation,They are even crushed in the gate,And there is no deliverer.⁵“¹His harvest the hungry devourAnd take it to a place of thorns,And the ²^,^aschemer pants after their wealth.⁶“For ^awickedness does not come out from the dust,Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,⁷For ^aman is born for trouble,As ¹sparks fly upward.⁸“But as for me, I would ^aseek God,And I would set my cause before God,⁹Who ^adoes great and unsearchable things,¹Wonders without number.¹⁰“He ^agives rain on the earthAnd sends water on the fields outside,¹¹So that ^aHe sets on high those who are lowly,And those who mourn are lifted to salvation.¹²“He ^afrustrates the thoughts of the crafty,So that their hands cannot attain success of sound wisdom.¹³“He ^acatches the wise by their own craftiness,And the counsel of the twisted is quickly thwarted.¹⁴“By day they ^ameet with darknessAnd grope at noon as in the night.¹⁵“But He saves from ^athe sword of their mouth,And ^bthe needy from the hand of the strong.¹⁶“So the poor has hope,And ^aunrighteousness must shut its mouth.¹⁷“Behold, how ^ablessed is the man whom God reproves,So do not reject the ^bdiscipline of the ¹Almighty.¹⁸“For ^aHe inflicts pain and ¹gives relief;He ²wounds, and His hands also heal.¹⁹“¹From six distresses ^aHe will deliver you,Even in seven ^bevil will not touch you.²⁰“In ^afamine He will redeem you from death,And ^bin war from hands with swords.²¹“You will be ^ahidden from the scourge of the tongue,^bAnd you will not be afraid of devastation when it comes.²²“You will ^alaugh at devastation and starvation,^bAnd you will not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.²³“For your covenant will be with the stones of the field,And ^athe beasts of the field will be at peace with you.²⁴“You will know that your ^atent is at peace,For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.²⁵“You will know also that your ^aseed will be many,And ^byour offspring as the vegetation of the land.²⁶“You will ^acome to the grave in full vigor,Like the stacking of grain in its season.²⁷“Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Job Answers Eliphaz

6Then Job answered and said,

²“^aOh that my vexation were actually weighedAnd laid in the balances together with my destruction!³“For then it would be ^aheavier than the sand of the seas;Therefore my words have been rash.⁴“For the ^aarrows of the Almighty are within me,¹Their ^bpoison my spirit drinks;The ^chorrors of God are arranged against me.⁵“Does the ^awild donkey bray over his grass,Or does the ox low over his fodder?⁶“Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,Or is there any taste in the slime of a ¹yolk?⁷“My soul ^arefuses to touch them;They are like loathsome food to me.⁸“Oh that my request might come to pass,And that God would grant my hope!⁹“Would that God were ^awilling to crush me,That He would release His hand and cut me off!¹⁰“But it is still my comfort,And I rejoice in unsparing pain,That I ^ahave not at all hidden away the words of the Holy One.¹¹“What is my strength, that I should wait?And what is my end, that I should ¹^,^aendure?¹²“Is my strength the strength of stones,Or is my flesh bronze?¹³“Is it that there is no ^ahelp within me,And that the ¹^,^bsuccess of sound wisdom is driven from me?¹⁴“For the ^adespairing man lovingkindness should be from his friend;But he ^bforsakes the ¹fear of the Almighty.¹⁵“My brothers have ^abetrayed me like a ¹wadi,Like the torrents of ²wadis which pass away,¹⁶Which grow dark because of iceAnd upon which the snow hides itself.¹⁷“When ^athey become waterless, they ¹are silent;When it is hot, they vanish from their place.¹⁸“The ¹paths of their course wind along;They go up into a formless place and perish.¹⁹“The caravans of ^aTema looked;The travelers of ^bSheba hoped for them.²⁰“They ^awere ashamed for they had trusted;They came there and were humiliated.²¹“Indeed, you have now become such;^aYou see a terror and are afraid.²²“Have I said, ‘Give me something,’Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’²³Or, ‘Give me escape from the hand of the adversary,’Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless men’?²⁴“Instruct me, and ^aI will be silent;And cause me to understand how I have erred.²⁵“How painful are upright words!But what does your reproof prove?²⁶“Do you think to reprove my words,Or think of the ^awords of one in despair as wind?²⁷“You would even ^acast lots for ^bthe orphansAnd ^cbargain over your friend.²⁸“So now be willing to face me,And see if I ^alie to your face.²⁹“Now turn from this, let there be no unrighteousness;Even turn from this, ^amy righteousness is yet in it.³⁰“Is there unrighteousness on my tongue?Cannot ^amy palate discern ¹destruction?

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁸“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹“Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, ¹recognize that ²He is near, right at the ³door. ³⁰“Truly I say to you, this ¹generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. ³²“^aBut of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

³³“See to it, ^akeep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time ¹will come. ³⁴“^aIt is like a man away on a journey, who, leaving his house and giving authority to his slaves—each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵“Therefore, ^astay awake—for you do not know when the ¹master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or ^bwhen the rooster crows, or ^cin the morning— ³⁶lest he come suddenly and find you ^asleeping. ³⁷“And what I say to you I say to all, ‘^aStay awake!’”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14^aNow ^bthe Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes ^cwere seeking how, after seizing Him in secret, they might kill Him; ²for they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people.”

The Costly Perfume

³^aAnd while He was in ^bBethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster jar of perfume of very ^ccostly pure ¹nard; and she broke the jar and poured it over His head. ⁴But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵“For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred ¹denarii and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. ⁶But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She did a good work to Me. ⁷“For you always have ^athe poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸“She has done what she could; ^ashe anointed My body beforehand for the burial. ⁹“And truly I say to you, ^awherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman did will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

¹⁰^aThen Judas Iscariot, ^bwho was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests in order to ¹betray Him to them. ¹¹And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

The Passover Meal

¹²^aAnd on the first day of ^bUnleavened Bread, when ¹the Passover lamb was being ^csacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹³And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; ¹⁴and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My ^aguest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹⁵“And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” ¹⁶And the disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷^aAnd when it was evening He *came with the twelve. ¹⁸And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will ¹betray Me—the one who is eating with Me.” ¹⁹They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” ²⁰And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, the one who dips with Me in the bowl. ²¹“For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man ¹by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good ²for that man if he had not been born.”

The Lord’s Supper

²²^aAnd while they were eating, He took some bread, and ¹after a ^bblessing, He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” ²³And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴And He said to them, “This is My ^ablood of the ^bcovenant, which is poured out for many. ²⁵“Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

²⁶^aAnd after singing a hymn, they went out to ^bthe Mount of Olives.

²⁷^aAnd Jesus *said to them, “You will all ¹fall away, because it is written, ‘^bI will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ ²⁸“But after I have been raised, ^aI will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ²⁹But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may ¹fall away, yet I will not.” ³⁰And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that ^atoday, this very night, before ^ba rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” ³¹But Peter kept saying insistently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³²^aThen they *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” ³³And He *took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very ^adistressed and troubled. ³⁴And He *said to them, “^aMy soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” ³⁵And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, ^athe hour might pass from Him. ³⁶And He was saying, “^aAbba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; ^byet not what I will, but what You will.” ³⁷And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not keep watch for one hour? ³⁸“^aKeep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹And again He went away and prayed, saying the same ¹words. ⁴⁰And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. ⁴¹And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “¹Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; ^athe hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being ²betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²“Get up, let us go; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴³^aAnd immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up, and with him was a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away ¹under guard.” ⁴⁵And after coming, Judas, having immediately gone to Him, *said, “^aRabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁴⁶And they laid hands on Him and seized Him. ⁴⁷But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and ¹cut off his ear. ⁴⁸And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? ⁴⁹“Every day I was with you ^ain the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place in order that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰And they all left Him and fled.

⁵¹And a young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. ⁵²But he ¹pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

Jesus Before His Accusers

⁵³^aThen they led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. ⁵⁴And Peter followed Him at a distance, ^aright into ^bthe courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the ¹officers and ^cwarming himself at the ²fire. ⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the whole ¹^,^aSanhedrin were seeking to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. ⁵⁶For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. ⁵⁷And some, standing up, were giving false testimony against Him, saying, ⁵⁸“We ourselves heard Him say, ‘^aI will destroy this ¹sanctuary made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” ⁵⁹And not even in this way was their testimony consistent. ⁶⁰And the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus, saying, “You answer nothing? What are these men testifying against You?” ⁶¹^aBut He kept silent and did not answer. ^bAgain the high priest was questioning Him and *said to Him, “Are You the ¹Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶²And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see ^athe Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and ^bcoming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³^aAnd tearing his tunics, the high priest *said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? ⁶⁴“You have heard the ^ablasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. ⁶⁵And some began to ^aspit at Him, and ¹^,^bto blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “^cProphesy!” And the officers ²received Him with ³slaps in the face.

Peter’s Denials

⁶⁶^aAnd as Peter was below in ^bthe courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest *came, ⁶⁷and seeing Peter ^awarming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You also were with the ^bNazarene, Jesus.” ⁶⁸But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he ^awent out into the entryway.¹ ⁶⁹And when the servant-girl saw him, she began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” ⁷⁰But again ^ahe was denying it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, ^bfor you are also a Galilean.” ⁷¹But he began to ¹curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” ⁷²And immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said the statement to him, “Before ^aa rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” ¹And throwing himself down, he began to cry.

The Voice of Yahweh

A Psalm of David.

^aAscribe to Yahweh, O ¹sons of the mighty,Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.²Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name;Worship Yahweh ^ain the splendor of holiness.³The ^avoice of Yahweh is upon the waters;The God of glory ^bthunders,Yahweh is over ¹^,^cmany waters.⁴The voice of Yahweh is ^apowerful,The voice of Yahweh is full of splendor.⁵The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars;Indeed, Yahweh breaks in pieces ^athe cedars of Lebanon.⁶He makes Lebanon ^askip like a calf,And ^bSirion like a young wild ox.⁷The voice of Yahweh hews out ¹flames of fire.⁸The voice of Yahweh causes the wilderness to tremble;Yahweh causes the wilderness of ^aKadesh to tremble.⁹The voice of Yahweh makes ^athe deer to calveAnd strips the forests bare;And ^bin His temple everything says, “Glory!”¹⁰Yahweh sat enthroned over the ^aflood;Indeed, Yahweh sits as ^bKing forever.¹¹¹Yahweh will give ^astrength to His people;²Yahweh will bless His people with ^bpeace.