JOB 25

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Bildad Says Man Is Inferior  25:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 “Dominion and awe belong to Him

Who establishes peace in His heights.

3 “Is there any number to His troops?

And upon whom does His light not rise?

4 “How then can a man be just with God?

Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?

5 “If even the moon has no brightness

And the stars are not pure in His sight,

6 How much less man, that maggot,

And the son of man, that worm!”

JOB 26

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Job Rebukes Bildad  26:1 Then Job responded,

2 “What a help you are to the weak!

How you have saved the arm without strength!

3 “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!

What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

4 “To whom have you uttered words?

And whose spirit was expressed through you?

The Greatness of God5 “The departed spirits tremble

Under the waters and their inhabitants.

6 “Naked is Sheol before Him,

And Abaddon has no covering.

7 “He stretches out the north over empty space

And hangs the earth on nothing.

8 “He wraps up the waters in His clouds,

And the cloud does not burst under them.

9 “He obscures the face of the full moon

And spreads His cloud over it.

10 “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters

At the boundary of light and darkness.

11 “The pillars of heaven tremble

And are amazed at His rebuke.

12 “He quieted the sea with His power,

And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared;

His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;

And how faint a word we hear of Him!

But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

PROVERBS 17

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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked17:1 Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it

Than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,

And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,

But the LORD tests hearts.

4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips;

A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5 He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;

He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of old men,

And the glory of sons is their fathers.

7 Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,

Much less are lying lips to a prince.

8 A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner;

Wherever he turns, he prospers.

9 He who conceals a transgression seeks love,

But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.

10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding

Than a hundred blows into a fool.

11 A rebellious man seeks only evil,

So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,

Rather than a fool in his folly.

13 He who returns evil for good,

Evil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,

When he has no sense?

17 A friend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man lacking in sense pledges

And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

19 He who loves transgression loves strife;

He who raises his door seeks destruction.

20 He who has a crooked mind finds no good,

And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil.

21 He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow,

And the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,

But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom

To pervert the ways of justice.

24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding,

But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father

And bitterness to her who bore him.

26 It is also not good to fine the righteous,

Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27 He who restrains his words has knowledge,

And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

28 Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

PSALM 94

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The LORD Implored to Avenge His People.94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance,

God of vengeance, shine forth!

2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,

Render recompense to the proud.

3 How long shall the wicked, O LORD,

How long shall the wicked exult?

4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;

All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.

5 They crush Your people, O LORD,

And afflict Your heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger

And murder the orphans.

7 They have said, “The LORD does not see,

Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

8 Pay heed, you senseless among the people;

And when will you understand, stupid ones?

9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?

He who formed the eye, does He not see?

10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,

Even He who teaches man knowledge?

11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,

That they are a mere breath.

12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD,

And whom You teach out of Your law;

13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,

Until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the LORD will not abandon His people,

Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

15 For judgment will again be righteous,

And all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?

Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?

17 If the LORD had not been my help,

My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.

18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.

19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,

Your consolations delight my soul.

20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,

One which devises mischief by decree?

21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous

And condemn the innocent to death.

22 But the LORD has been my stronghold,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them

And will destroy them in their evil;

The LORD our God will destroy them.