JOB 19

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Job Feels Insulted  19:1 Then Job responded,

2 “How long will you torment me

And crush me with words?

3 “These ten times you have insulted me;

You are not ashamed to wrong me.

4 “Even if I have truly erred,

My error lodges with me.

5 “If indeed you vaunt yourselves against me

And prove my disgrace to me,

6 Know then that God has wronged me

And has closed His net around me.

Everything Is against Him7 “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;

I shout for help, but there is no justice.

8 “He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,

And He has put darkness on my paths.

9 “He has stripped my honor from me

And removed the crown from my head.

10 “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;

And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.

11 “He has also kindled His anger against me

And considered me as His enemy.

12 “His troops come together,

And build up their way against me

And camp around my tent.

13 “He has removed my brothers far from me,

And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14 “My relatives have failed,

And my intimate friends have forgotten me.

15 “Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.

I am a foreigner in their sight.

16 “I call to my servant, but he does not answer;

I have to implore him with my mouth.

17 “My breath is offensive to my wife,

And I am loathsome to my own brothers.

18 “Even young children despise me;

I rise up and they speak against me.

19 “All my associates abhor me,

And those I love have turned against me.

20 “My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,

And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

21 “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,

For the hand of God has struck me.

22 “Why do you persecute me as God does,

And are not satisfied with my flesh?

Job Says, “My Redeemer Lives”23 “Oh that my words were written!

Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

24 “That with an iron stylus and lead

They were engraved in the rock forever!

25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

27 Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes will see and not another.

My heart faints within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’

And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’

29 “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,

For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

So that you may know there is judgment.”

JOB 20

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Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”  20:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,

Even because of my inward agitation.

3 “I listened to the reproof which insults me,

And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.

4 “Do you know this from of old,

From the establishment of man on earth,

5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short,

And the joy of the godless momentary?

6 “Though his loftiness reaches the heavens,

And his head touches the clouds,

7 He perishes forever like his refuse;

Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8 “He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;

Even like a vision of the night he is chased away.

9 “The eye which saw him sees him no longer,

And his place no longer beholds him.

10 “His sons favor the poor,

And his hands give back his wealth.

11 “His bones are full of his youthful vigor,

But it lies down with him in the dust.

12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth

And he hides it under his tongue,

13 Though he desires it and will not let it go,

But holds it in his mouth,

14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed

To the venom of cobras within him.

15 “He swallows riches,

But will vomit them up;

God will expel them from his belly.

16 “He sucks the poison of cobras;

The viper’s tongue slays him.

17 “He does not look at the streams,

The rivers flowing with honey and curds.

18 “He returns what he has attained

And cannot swallow it;

As to the riches of his trading,

He cannot even enjoy them.

19 “For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;

He has seized a house which he has not built.

20 “Because he knew no quiet within him,

He does not retain anything he desires.

21 “Nothing remains for him to devour,

Therefore his prosperity does not endure.

22 “In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped;

The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

23 “When he fills his belly,

God will send His fierce anger on him

And will rain it on him while he is eating.

24 “He may flee from the iron weapon,

But the bronze bow will pierce him.

25 “It is drawn forth and comes out of his back,

Even the glittering point from his gall.

Terrors come upon him,

26 Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,

And unfanned fire will devour him;

It will consume the survivor in his tent.

27 “The heavens will reveal his iniquity,

And the earth will rise up against him.

28 “The increase of his house will depart;

His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger.

29 “This is the wicked man’s portion from God,

Even the heritage decreed to him by God.”

PROVERBS 12

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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

But he who hates reproof is stupid.

2 A good man will obtain favor from the LORD,

But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

3 A man will not be established by wickedness,

But the root of the righteous will not be moved.

4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.

5 The thoughts of the righteous are just,

But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

But the house of the righteous will stand.

8 A man will be praised according to his insight,

But one of perverse mind will be despised.

9 Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant

Than he who honors himself and lacks bread.

10 A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,

But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

11 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

12 The wicked man desires the booty of evil men,

But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

But the righteous will escape from trouble.

14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,

And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

16 A fool’s anger is known at once,

But a prudent man conceals dishonor.

17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,

But a false witness, deceit.

18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19 Truthful lips will be established forever,

But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

But counselors of peace have joy.

21 No harm befalls the righteous,

But the wicked are filled with trouble.

22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,

But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,

But the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24 The hand of the diligent will rule,

But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.

26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 A lazy man does not roast his prey,

But the precious possession of a man is diligence.

28 In the way of righteousness is life,

And in its pathway there is no death.

LUKE 18

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Parables on Prayer  18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
The Pharisee and the Publican    9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
    15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. 16 But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”
The Rich Young Ruler    18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
    28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” 29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
    31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” 34 But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.
Bartimaeus Receives Sight    35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.