JOB 11

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Zophar Rebukes Job  11:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,

And a talkative man be acquitted?

3 “Shall your boasts silence men?

And shall you scoff and none rebuke?

4 “For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,

And I am innocent in your eyes.’

5 “But would that God might speak,

And open His lips against you,

6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!

For sound wisdom has two sides.

Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

7 “Can you discover the depths of God?

Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?

8 “They are high as the heavens, what can you do?

Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

9 “Its measure is longer than the earth

And broader than the sea.

10 “If He passes by or shuts up,

Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?

11 “For He knows false men,

And He sees iniquity without investigating.

12 “An idiot will become intelligent

When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

13 “If you would direct your heart right

And spread out your hand to Him,

14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,

And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

15 “Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,

And you would be steadfast and not fear.

16 “For you would forget your trouble,

As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

17 “Your life would be brighter than noonday;

Darkness would be like the morning.

18 “Then you would trust, because there is hope;

And you would look around and rest securely.

19 “You would lie down and none would disturb you,

And many would entreat your favor.

20 “But the eyes of the wicked will fail,

And there will be no escape for them;

And their hope is to breathe their last.”

JOB 12

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Job Chides His Accusers  12:1 Then Job responded,

2 “Truly then you are the people,

And with you wisdom will die!

3 “But I have intelligence as well as you;

I am not inferior to you.

And who does not know such things as these?

4 “I am a joke to my friends,

The one who called on God and He answered him;

The just and blameless man is a joke.

5 “He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,

As prepared for those whose feet slip.

6 “The tents of the destroyers prosper,

And those who provoke God are secure,

Whom God brings into their power.

7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;

And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

8 “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;

And let the fish of the sea declare to you.

9 “Who among all these does not know

That the hand of the LORD has done this,

10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind?

11 “Does not the ear test words,

As the palate tastes its food?

12 “Wisdom is with aged men,

With long life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God13 “With Him are wisdom and might;

To Him belong counsel and understanding.

14 “Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;

He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

15 “Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;

And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.

16 “With Him are strength and sound wisdom,

The misled and the misleader belong to Him.

17 “He makes counselors walk barefoot

And makes fools of judges.

18 “He loosens the bond of kings

And binds their loins with a girdle.

19 “He makes priests walk barefoot

And overthrows the secure ones.

20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech

And takes away the discernment of the elders.

21 “He pours contempt on nobles

And loosens the belt of the strong.

22 “He reveals mysteries from the darkness

And brings the deep darkness into light.

23 “He makes the nations great, then destroys them;

He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.

24 “He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people

And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

25 “They grope in darkness with no light,

And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

PROVERBS 10

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Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked  10:1 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a father glad,

But a foolish son is a grief to his mother.

2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit,

But righteousness delivers from death.

3 The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger,

But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,

But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,

But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

7 The memory of the righteous is blessed,

But the name of the wicked will rot.

8 The wise of heart will receive commands,

But a babbling fool will be ruined.

9 He who walks in integrity walks securely,

But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

10 He who winks the eye causes trouble,

And a babbling fool will be ruined.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12 Hatred stirs up strife,

But love covers all transgressions.

13 On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,

But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.

14 Wise men store up knowledge,

But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

15 The rich man’s wealth is his fortress,

The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

16 The wages of the righteous is life,

The income of the wicked, punishment.

17 He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,

But he who ignores reproof goes astray.

18 He who conceals hatred has lying lips,

And he who spreads slander is a fool.

19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,

But he who restrains his lips is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver,

The heart of the wicked is worth little.

21 The lips of the righteous feed many,

But fools die for lack of understanding.

22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich,

And He adds no sorrow to it.

23 Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,

And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

24 What the wicked fears will come upon him,

But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,

But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

So is the lazy one to those who send him.

27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

28 The hope of the righteous is gladness,

But the expectation of the wicked perishes.

29 The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright,

But ruin to the workers of iniquity.

30 The righteous will never be shaken,

But the wicked will not dwell in the land.

31 The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,

But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

32 The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,

But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

PSALM 91

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Security of the One Who Trusts in the LORD.91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,

My God, in whom I trust!”

3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper

And from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,

Or of the arrow that flies by day;

6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

7 A thousand may fall at your side

And ten thousand at your right hand,

But it shall not approach you.

8 You will only look on with your eyes

And see the recompense of the wicked.

9 For you have made the LORD, my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place.

10 No evil will befall you,

Nor will any plague come near your tent.

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

12 They will bear you up in their hands,

That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

16 “With a long life I will satisfy him

And let him see My salvation.”