JOB 29

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Job’s Past Was Glorious  29:1 And Job again took up his discourse and said,

2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by,

As in the days when God watched over me;

3 When His lamp shone over my head,

And by His light I walked through darkness;

4 As I was in the prime of my days,

When the friendship of God was over my tent;

5 When the Almighty was yet with me,

And my children were around me;

6 When my steps were bathed in butter,

And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

7 “When I went out to the gate of the city,

When I took my seat in the square,

8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,

And the old men arose and stood.

9 “The princes stopped talking

And put their hands on their mouths;

10 The voice of the nobles was hushed,

And their tongue stuck to their palate.

11 “For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,

And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,

12 Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,

And the orphan who had no helper.

13 “The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,

And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

14 “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

My justice was like a robe and a turban.

15 “I was eyes to the blind

And feet to the lame.

16 “I was a father to the needy,

And I investigated the case which I did not know.

17 “I broke the jaws of the wicked

And snatched the prey from his teeth.

18 “Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,

And I shall multiply my days as the sand.

19 ‘My root is spread out to the waters,

And dew lies all night on my branch.

20 ‘My glory is ever new with me,

And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

21 “To me they listened and waited,

And kept silent for my counsel.

22 “After my words they did not speak again,

And my speech dropped on them.

23 “They waited for me as for the rain,

And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.

24 “I smiled on them when they did not believe,

And the light of my face they did not cast down.

25 “I chose a way for them and sat as chief,

And dwelt as a king among the troops,

As one who comforted the mourners.

PSALM 41

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The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
41:1 How blessed is he who considers the helpless;

The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.

2 The LORD will protect him and keep him alive,

And he shall be called blessed upon the earth;

And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.

3 The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed;

In his illness, You restore him to health.

4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;

Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

5 My enemies speak evil against me,

“When will he die, and his name perish?”

6 And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood;

His heart gathers wickedness to itself;

When he goes outside, he tells it.

7 All who hate me whisper together against me;

Against me they devise my hurt, saying,

8 “A wicked thing is poured out upon him,

That when he lies down, he will not rise up again.”

9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,

Who ate my bread,

Has lifted up his heel against me.

10 But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up,

That I may repay them.

11 By this I know that You are pleased with me,

Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.

12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,

And You set me in Your presence forever.

13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

From everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

PSALM 42

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Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So my soul pants for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;

When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,

While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him

For the help of His presence.

6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me;

Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan

And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;

All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;

And His song will be with me in the night,

A prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,

While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my God.

PROVERBS 9

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Wisdom’s Invitation9:1 Wisdom has built her house,

She has hewn out her seven pillars;

2 She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine;

She has also set her table;

3 She has sent out her maidens, she calls

From the tops of the heights of the city:

4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”

To him who lacks understanding she says,

5 “Come, eat of my food

And drink of the wine I have mixed.

6 “Forsake your folly and live,

And proceed in the way of understanding.”

7 He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,

And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.

8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,

Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

9 Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For by me your days will be multiplied,

And years of life will be added to you.

12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,

And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

13 The woman of folly is boisterous,

She is naive and knows nothing.

14 She sits at the doorway of her house,

On a seat by the high places of the city,

15 Calling to those who pass by,

Who are making their paths straight:

16 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”

And to him who lacks understanding she says,

17 “Stolen water is sweet;

And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

18 But he does not know that the dead are there,

That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.