JOB 8

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Bildad Says God Rewards the Good  8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 “How long will you say these things,

And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

3 “Does God pervert justice?

Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4 “If your sons sinned against Him,

Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.

5 “If you would seek God

And implore the compassion of the Almighty,

6 If you are pure and upright,

Surely now He would rouse Himself for you

And restore your righteous estate.

7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,

Yet your end will increase greatly.

8 “Please inquire of past generations,

And consider the things searched out by their fathers.

9 “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,

Because our days on earth are as a shadow.

10 “Will they not teach you and tell you,

And bring forth words from their minds?

11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?

Can the rushes grow without water?

12 “While it is still green and not cut down,

Yet it withers before any other plant.

13 “So are the paths of all who forget God;

And the hope of the godless will perish,

14 Whose confidence is fragile,

And whose trust a spider’s web.

15 “He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;

He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.

16 “He thrives before the sun,

And his shoots spread out over his garden.

17 “His roots wrap around a rock pile,

He grasps a house of stones.

18 “If he is removed from his place,

Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’

19 “Behold, this is the joy of His way;

And out of the dust others will spring.

20 “Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity,

Nor will He support the evildoers.

21 “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

And your lips with shouting.

22 “Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,

And the tent of the wicked will be no longer.”

PSALMS 32-33

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Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.A Psalm of David. A Maskil.
32:1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered!

2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away

Through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.

5 I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I did not hide;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;

And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;

You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,

Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,

Otherwise they will not come near to you.

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.

11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Praise to the Creator and Preserver.33:1 Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;

Praise is becoming to the upright.

2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;

Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.

3 Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is upright,

And all His work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations;

He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

13 The LORD looks from heaven;

He sees all the sons of men;

14 From His dwelling place He looks out

On all the inhabitants of the earth,

15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,

He who understands all their works.

16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;

A warrior is not delivered by great strength.

17 A horse is a false hope for victory;

Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

19 To deliver their soul from death

And to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the LORD;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart rejoices in Him,

Because we trust in His holy name.

22 Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,

According as we have hoped in You.

PROVERBS 19

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On Life and Conduct19:1 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.

2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,

And he who hurries his footsteps errs.

3 The foolishness of man ruins his way,

And his heart rages against the LORD.

4 Wealth adds many friends,

But a poor man is separated from his friend.

5 A false witness will not go unpunished,

And he who tells lies will not escape.

6 Many will seek the favor of a generous man,

And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.

7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him;

How much more do his friends abandon him!

He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;

He who keeps understanding will find good.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,

And he who tells lies will perish.

10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool;

Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

11 A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger,

And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

12 The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,

But his favor is like dew on the grass.

13 A foolish son is destruction to his father,

And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.

14 House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,

But a prudent wife is from the LORD.

15 Laziness casts into a deep sleep,

And an idle man will suffer hunger.

16 He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,

But he who is careless of conduct will die.

17 One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD,

And He will repay him for his good deed.

18 Discipline your son while there is hope,

And do not desire his death.

19 A man of great anger will bear the penalty,

For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.

20 Listen to counsel and accept discipline,

That you may be wise the rest of your days.

21 Many plans are in a man’s heart,

But the counsel of the LORD will stand.

22 What is desirable in a man is his kindness,

And it is better to be a poor man than a liar.

23 The fear of the LORD leads to life,

So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish,

But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

25 Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd,

But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge.

26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away

Is a shameful and disgraceful son.

27 Cease listening, my son, to discipline,

And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice,

And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity.

29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,

And blows for the back of fools.