Job 9 - 10, Luke 1, Psalm 31 — Legacy Standard Bible

Job Replies There Is No Adjudicator

9Then Job answered and said,

²“In truth I know that this is so;But how can a ^aman be in the right ¹before God?³“If one desired to ^acontend with Him,He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.⁴“^aWise in heart and ^bmighty in power,Who has ^cstiffened his neck against Him and been at peace?⁵“^aGod is the One who removes the mountains, they know not how,When He overturns them in His anger;⁶The One who ^ashakes the earth out of its place,And its ^bpillars tremble;⁷The One who says for the ^asun ¹not to shine,And sets a seal upon the stars;⁸Who alone ^astretches out the heavens,And ¹^,^btramples down the waves of the sea;⁹Who makes the ^aBear, Orion, and the Pleiades,And the ^bchambers of the south;¹⁰Who ^adoes great things, unsearchable,And wondrous works, innumerable.¹¹“Were He to sweep by me, ^aI would not see Him;Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.¹²“Were He to snatch away, who could ^aturn Him back?Who could say to Him, ‘^bWhat are You doing?’¹³“God will not turn back His anger;Beneath Him crouch the helpers of ^aRahab.¹⁴“How then can ^aI ¹answer Him,And choose my words ²before Him?¹⁵“For ^athough I were right, I could not ¹answer;I would have to ^bplead for the grace of my judge.¹⁶“If I called and He answered me,I could not believe that He was giving ear to my voice.¹⁷“For He ^abruises me with a tempestAnd multiplies my wounds without cause.¹⁸“He will ^anot allow me to get my breath,But saturates me with ^bbitterness.¹⁹“If it is a matter of power, ^abehold, He is the mighty one!And if it is a matter of justice, who can make ¹Him testify?²⁰“^aThough I am righteous, my mouth will ^bcondemn me;Though I am blameless, He will declare me perverse.²¹“I am ^ablameless;I do not know my soul;I ^breject my life.²²“It is all one; therefore I say,‘He ^aconsumes the blameless and the wicked.’²³“If the scourge puts to death suddenly,He ^amocks the despair of the innocent.²⁴“The earth ^ais given into the hand of the wicked;He ^bcovers the faces of its judges.If it is not He, then who is it?²⁵“Now ^amy days are swifter than a runner;They flee away; ^bthey do not see good.²⁶“They sweep by like ^areed boats,Like an ^beagle that swoops on its food.²⁷“Though I say, ‘I will forget ^amy musing,I will forsake my sad countenance and be cheerful,’²⁸I am ^aafraid of all my pains;I know that ^bYou will not acquit me.²⁹“I am accounted ^awicked;Why then should I toil in vain?³⁰“If I should ^awash myself with snowAnd cleanse ^bmy hands with lye,³¹Yet You would plunge me into the pit,And my own clothes would abhor me.³²“For ^aHe is not a man as I am that ^bI may answer Him,That we may go to court for judgment together.³³“There is no ^aadjudicator between us,Who may lay his hand upon us both.³⁴“Let Him ^aremove His rod from me,And let not dread of Him terrify me.³⁵“Then I ^awould speak and not fear Him;But I am not like that in myself.

Job Cries Out to God

10“^aMy soul is loathed by my life;I will abandon all restraint in myself to ^bmy complaint;I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.²“I will say to God, ‘^aDo not account me as wicked;Let me know why You contend with me.³‘Is it good to You that You ^aoppress,That You reject ^bthe labor of Your hands,And ¹cause ^cthe counsel of the wicked to shine forth?⁴‘Have You eyes of flesh?Or do You ^asee as a mortal man sees?⁵‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal man,Or ^aYour years as man’s years,⁶That ^aYou should seek for my guiltAnd search after my sin?⁷‘According to Your knowledge ^aI am indeed not wicked,Yet there is ^bno ¹deliverer from Your hand.⁸‘^aYour hands fashioned and made me ¹altogether,^bAnd would You swallow me up?⁹‘Remember now, that You have made me as ^aclay;And would You ^bturn me into dust again?¹⁰‘Did You not pour me out like milkAnd curdle me like cheese,¹¹Clothe me with skin and flesh,And knit me together with bones and sinews?¹²‘You have ^amade alongside me life and lovingkindness;And Your care has kept my spirit.¹³‘Yet ^athese things You have concealed in Your heart;I know that this is within You:¹⁴If I sin, then You would ^atake note of meAnd ^bwould not acquit me of my guilt.¹⁵‘If ^aI am wicked, woe to me!And ^bif I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.I am sated with disgrace—so see my misery!¹⁶‘Should my head be set on high, ^aYou would hunt me like a lion;And again You would show Your ^bwonders against me.¹⁷‘You renew ^aYour witnesses against meAnd increase Your vexation toward me;¹^,^bHardship after hardship is with me.¹⁸‘^aWhy then have You brought me out of the womb?Would that I had breathed my last and no eye had seen me!¹⁹‘I should have been as though I had not been,Carried from womb to tomb.’²⁰“Would He not cease ^afor a few of my days?¹^,^bWithdraw from me that I may have a little cheer²¹Before I go—^aand I shall not return—^bTo the land of darkness and ^cshadow of death,²²The land of utter gloom as the thick darkness itself,Of the shadow of death, without order,And which shines as the thick darkness.”

Luke’s Account of Things Fulfilled

1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that ¹^,^ahave been fulfilled among us, ²just as those, who ^afrom the beginning ¹were ^beyewitnesses and ²^,^cservants of ^dthe ³word, handed them down to us, ³it seemed fitting for me as well, ^ahaving ¹investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you ^bin orderly sequence, ^cmost excellent ^dTheophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty about the things you have been ¹^,^ataught.

John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold

⁵^aIn the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the ^bdivision of ¹Abijah, and he had a wife ²from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both ^arighteous in the sight of God, walking ^bblamelessly in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the ¹Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in ¹years.

⁸Now it happened that while ^ahe was performing his priestly service before God in the order of his division, ⁹according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot ^ato enter the ¹sanctuary of the ²Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying ^aoutside at the hour of the incense offering. ¹¹And ^aan angel of the ¹Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and ^afear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, “^aDo not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will ¹bear you a son, and ^byou will call his name ²John. ¹⁴“And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵“For he will be great in the sight of the ¹Lord; and ^ahe will not drink any wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit ²while yet in his mother’s womb. ¹⁶“And he will ^aturn many of the sons of Israel back to the ¹Lord their God. ¹⁷“And he will ^ago before Him in the spirit and power of ^bElijah, ^cto turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to ^dmake ready a people prepared for the ¹Lord.”

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For ^aI am an old man and my wife is advanced in ¹years.” ¹⁹And the angel answered and said to him, “I am ^aGabriel, who ^bstands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰“And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

²¹And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. ²²But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. And he ^akept ¹making signs to them, and remained mute. ²³And it happened that when the days of his priestly service were fulfilled, he went back home.

²⁴After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she ¹kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, ²⁵“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked upon me to ^atake away my disgrace among men.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel ^aGabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called ^bNazareth, ²⁷to ^aa virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, ^bof the ¹house of David, and the virgin’s name was ²Mary. ²⁸And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, ¹favored one! The Lord ²is with you.” ²⁹But she ^awas very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. ³⁰And the angel said to her, “^aDo not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you ^ashall name Him Jesus. ³²“¹He will be great and will be called the Son of ^athe Most High, and the ²Lord God will give Him ^bthe throne of His father David, ³³^aand He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, ^band there will be no end of His kingdom.” ³⁴But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I ¹am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel answered and said to her, “^aThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of ^bthe Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason ¹^,^cthe holy Child shall be called ^dthe Son of God. ³⁶“And behold, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷“For ¹^,^anothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸And Mary said, “Behold, the slave of the ¹Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹Now ¹at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to ^athe hill country, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was ^afilled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³“And ¹how has it happened to me, that the mother of ^amy Lord would come to me? ⁴⁴“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵“And ^ablessed is she who believed ¹that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her ²by the ³Lord.”

Mary Magnifies the Lord

⁴⁶And Mary said: “^aMy soul ^bmagnifies the ¹Lord,

⁴⁷And ^amy spirit has rejoiced in ^bGod my Savior.⁴⁸“For ^aHe has looked upon the humble state of His slave,For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me ^bblessed.⁴⁹“For the Mighty One has done great things for me,And holy is His name.⁵⁰“^aAnd His mercy is ¹upon generation after generationToward those who fear Him.⁵¹“^aHe has done a mighty deed with His arm;He has scattered those who were proud in the ¹thoughts of their heart.⁵²“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,And has ^aexalted those who were humble.⁵³“^aHe has filled the hungry with good things,And sent away the rich empty-handed.⁵⁴“He has given help to Israel His servant,¹In remembrance of His mercy,⁵⁵^aAs He spoke to our fathers,^bTo Abraham and his seed forever.”

⁵⁶And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

John the Baptist Is Born

⁵⁷Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to ¹give birth, and she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had ^amagnified His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.

⁵⁹And it happened that on ^athe eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father. ⁶⁰But his mother answered and said, “No, but ^ahe shall be called John.” ⁶¹And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶²And they ^awere making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. ⁶³And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “^aHis name is John.” And they all marveled. ⁶⁴^aAnd at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing God. ⁶⁵And fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all ^athe hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶And all who heard these things put them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For ^athe hand of the ¹Lord was indeed with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

⁶⁷And his father Zechariah ^awas filled with the Holy Spirit, and ^bprophesied, saying:

⁶⁸“^aBlessed be the ¹Lord God of Israel,For He visited and accomplished ^bredemption for His people,⁶⁹And raised up a ^ahorn of salvation for usIn the house of David ^bHis servant—⁷⁰^aAs He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets ^bfrom of old—⁷¹¹^,^aSalvation ^bfrom our enemies,And from the hand of all who hate us,⁷²^aTo show mercy toward our fathers,^bAnd to remember His holy covenant,⁷³^aThe oath which He swore to Abraham our father,⁷⁴To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,Might serve Him without fear,⁷⁵^aIn holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.⁷⁶“And you, child, will be called the ^aprophet of ^bthe Most High,For you will go on ^cbefore the ¹Lord to ^dmake ready His ways,⁷⁷To give to His people the knowledge of salvation¹By ^athe forgiveness of their sins,⁷⁸Because of the tender mercy of our God,With which ^athe Sunrise from on high will visit us,⁷⁹^aTo shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,To direct our feet into the ^bway of peace.”

⁸⁰^aAnd the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desolate regions until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

^aIn You, O Yahweh, I have taken refuge;Let me never ^bbe ashamed;^cIn Your righteousness protect me.²^aIncline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly;Be to me a ^brock of ¹strength,A fortress to save me.³For You are my ¹^,^ahigh rock and my fortress;For ^bYour name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.⁴You will ^abring me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,For You are my ^bstrength.⁵^aInto Your hand I commit my spirit;You have ^bransomed me, O Yahweh, ^cGod of truth.⁶I hate those who ^aregard worthless idols,But I ^btrust in Yahweh.⁷I will ^arejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,Because You have ^bseen my affliction;You have known the troubles of my soul,⁸And You have not ^agiven me over into the hand of the enemy;You have set my feet in a large place.⁹Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, for ^aI am in distress;My ^beye is wasted away from grief, ^cmy soul and ¹my body also.¹⁰For my life is worn down with ^asorrowAnd my years with sighing;My ^bstrength fails because of my iniquity,And ^cmy bones waste away.¹¹Among all my adversaries, I have become a ^areproach,Especially to my ^bneighbors,And an object of dread to my acquaintances;Those who see me in the street flee from me.¹²I am ^aforgotten like a dead man—out of ¹mind—I am like a broken vessel.¹³For I have heard ¹^,^athe bad report of many,^bTerror is on every side;While they ^ctook counsel together against me,They ^dschemed to take my life.¹⁴But as for me, I trust in You, O Yahweh,I say, “^aYou are my God.”¹⁵My ^atimes are in Your hand;^bDeliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me.¹⁶Make Your ^aface to shine upon Your slave;^bSave me in Your lovingkindness.¹⁷O Yahweh, let me not be ^aput to shame, for I call upon You;Let the ^bwicked be put to shame, let them ^cbe silent in Sheol.¹⁸Let the ^alying lips be mute,Which ^bspeak arrogantly against the righteousWith lofty pride and contempt.¹⁹How great is Your ^agoodness,Which You have stored up for those who fear You,Which You have worked for those who ^btake refuge in You,^cBefore the sons of men!²⁰You hide them in the ^asecret place of Your presence from the ^bconspiracies of man;You keep them secretly in a ¹shelter from the ^cstrife of tongues.²¹^aBlessed be Yahweh,For He has made ^bmarvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged ^ccity.²²As for me, ^aI said in my alarm,“I am ^bcut off from before Your eyes”;Nevertheless, You ^cheard the voice of my supplicationsWhen I cried to You for help.²³Oh, love Yahweh, all you ^aHis holy ones!Yahweh ^bguards the faithfulBut ^crepays fully the one who acts in lofty pride.²⁴^aBe strong and let your heart take courage,All you who wait for Yahweh.