Job 1–4
1:1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 4His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
13Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
2:1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. 2And the LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” 4Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
3:1After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2And Job said:
3“Let the day perish on which I was born,and the night that said,‘A man is conceived.’4Let that day be darkness!May God above not seek it,nor light shine upon it.5Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.Let clouds dwell upon it;let the blackness of the day terrify it.6That night—let thick darkness seize it!Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;let it not come into the number of the months.7Behold, let that night be barren;let no joyful cry enter it.8Let those curse it who curse the day,who are ready to rouse up Leviathan.9Let the stars of its dawn be dark;let it hope for light, but have none,nor see the eyelids of the morning,10because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,nor hide trouble from my eyes. 11“Why did I not die at birth,come out from the womb and expire?12Why did the knees receive me?Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?13For then I would have lain down and been quiet;I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,14with kings and counselors of the earthwho rebuilt ruins for themselves,15or with princes who had gold,who filled their houses with silver.16Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child,as infants who never see the light?17There the wicked cease from troubling,and there the weary are at rest.18There the prisoners are at ease together;they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.19The small and the great are there,and the slave is free from his master. 20“Why is light given to him who is in misery,and life to the bitter in soul,21who long for death, but it comes not,and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,22who rejoice exceedinglyand are glad when they find the grave?23Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,whom God has hedged in?24For my sighing comes instead of my bread,and my groanings are poured out like water.25For the thing that I fear comes upon me,and what I dread befalls me.26I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;I have no rest, but trouble comes.”
4:1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2“If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?Yet who can keep from speaking?3Behold, you have instructed many,and you have strengthened the weak hands.4Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,and you have made firm the feeble knees.5But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;it touches you, and you are dismayed.6Is not your fear of God your confidence,and the integrity of your ways your hope? 7“Remember: who that was innocent ever perished?Or where were the upright cut off?8As I have seen, those who plow iniquityand sow trouble reap the same.9By the breath of God they perish,and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.10The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,the teeth of the young lions are broken.11The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. 12“Now a word was brought to me stealthily;my ear received the whisper of it.13Amid thoughts from visions of the night,when deep sleep falls on men,14dread came upon me, and trembling,which made all my bones shake.15A spirit glided past my face;the hair of my flesh stood up.16It stood still,but I could not discern its appearance.A form was before my eyes;there was silence, then I heard a voice:17‘Can mortal man be in the right before God?Can a man be pure before his Maker?18Even in his servants he puts no trust,and his angels he charges with error;19how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,whose foundation is in the dust,who are crushed like the moth.20Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;they perish forever without anyone regarding it.21Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,do they not die, and that without wisdom?’
Luke 1:1–10
1:1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
Psalm 105:23–36
23Then Israel came to Egypt;Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.24And the LORD made his people very fruitfuland made them stronger than their foes.25He turned their hearts to hate his people,to deal craftily with his servants. 26He sent Moses, his servant,and Aaron, whom he had chosen.27They performed his signs among themand miracles in the land of Ham.28He sent darkness, and made the land dark;they did not rebel against his words.29He turned their waters into bloodand caused their fish to die.30Their land swarmed with frogs,even in the chambers of their kings.31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,and gnats throughout their country.32He gave them hail for rain,and fiery lightning bolts through their land.33He struck down their vines and fig trees,and shattered the trees of their country.34He spoke, and the locusts came,young locusts without number,35which devoured all the vegetation in their landand ate up the fruit of their ground.36He struck down all the firstborn in their land,the firstfruits of all their strength.
Ecclesiastes 7:5–8
5It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wisethan to hear the song of fools.6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,so is the laughter of the fools;this also is vanity.7Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,and a bribe corrupts the heart.8Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
