Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Job 23:1–27:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12–2:11; Psalm 41:1-13; and Proverbs 22:5-6. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.
Job 23-27:23 (Contemporary English Version)
Job 23
Job's Reply to Eliphaz
Today I Complain Bitterly
1Job said: 2Today I complain bitterly,
because God has been cruel
and made me suffer.
3If I knew where to find God,
I would go there
4and argue my case.
5Then I would discover
what he wanted to say.
6Would he overwhelm me
with his greatness?
No! He would listen
7because I am innocent,
and he would say,
"I now set you free!"
8I cannot find God anywhere--
in front or back of me,
9to my left or my right.
God is always at work,
though I never see him.
10But he knows what I am doing,
and when he tests me,
I will be pure as gold.
11I have never refused to follow
any of his commands,
12and I have always treasured
his teachings. [a] 13But he alone is God,
and who can oppose him?
God does as he pleases,
14and he will do exactly
what he intends with me.
15Merely the thought
of God All-Powerful
16makes me tremble with fear.
17God has covered me
with darkness,
but I refuse to be silent. [b]
because God has been cruel
and made me suffer.
3If I knew where to find God,
I would go there
4and argue my case.
5Then I would discover
what he wanted to say.
6Would he overwhelm me
with his greatness?
No! He would listen
7because I am innocent,
and he would say,
"I now set you free!"
8I cannot find God anywhere--
in front or back of me,
9to my left or my right.
God is always at work,
though I never see him.
10But he knows what I am doing,
and when he tests me,
I will be pure as gold.
11I have never refused to follow
any of his commands,
12and I have always treasured
his teachings. [a] 13But he alone is God,
and who can oppose him?
God does as he pleases,
14and he will do exactly
what he intends with me.
15Merely the thought
of God All-Powerful
16makes me tremble with fear.
17God has covered me
with darkness,
but I refuse to be silent. [b]
Job 24
Job Continues
Why Doesn't God Set a Time?
1Why doesn't God set a time for court?
Why don't his people know
where he can be found?
2Sinners remove boundary markers
and take care of sheep
they have stolen.
3They cheat orphans and widows
by taking their donkeys
and oxen.
4The poor are trampled
and forced to hide
5in the desert,
where they and their children
must live like wild donkeys
and search for food.
6If they want grain or grapes, [c] they must go to the property
of these sinners.
7They sleep naked in the cold,
because they have no cover,
8and during a storm
their only shelters are caves
among the rocky cliffs.
9Children whose fathers have died
are taken from their mothers
as payment for a debt.
10Then they are forced to work
naked in the grain fields
because they have no clothes,
and they go hungry.
11They crush olives to make oil
and grapes to make wine--
but still they go thirsty.
12And along the city streets,
the wounded and dying cry out,
yet God does nothing.
Why don't his people know
where he can be found?
2Sinners remove boundary markers
and take care of sheep
they have stolen.
3They cheat orphans and widows
by taking their donkeys
and oxen.
4The poor are trampled
and forced to hide
5in the desert,
where they and their children
must live like wild donkeys
and search for food.
6If they want grain or grapes, [c] they must go to the property
of these sinners.
7They sleep naked in the cold,
because they have no cover,
8and during a storm
their only shelters are caves
among the rocky cliffs.
9Children whose fathers have died
are taken from their mothers
as payment for a debt.
10Then they are forced to work
naked in the grain fields
because they have no clothes,
and they go hungry.
11They crush olives to make oil
and grapes to make wine--
but still they go thirsty.
12And along the city streets,
the wounded and dying cry out,
yet God does nothing.
Some Reject the Light
13Some rebel and refuse to follow the light.
14Soon after sunset they murder
the poor and the needy,
and at night they steal.
15Others wait for the dark,
thinking they won't be seen
if they sleep with the wife
or husband of someone else.
16Robbers hide during the day,
then break in after dark
because they reject the light.
17They prefer night to day,
since the terrors of the night
are their friends.
14Soon after sunset they murder
the poor and the needy,
and at night they steal.
15Others wait for the dark,
thinking they won't be seen
if they sleep with the wife
or husband of someone else.
16Robbers hide during the day,
then break in after dark
because they reject the light.
17They prefer night to day,
since the terrors of the night
are their friends.
Sinners Are Filthy Foam
18Those sinners are filthy foam on the surface of the water.
And so, their fields and vineyards
will fall under a curse
and won't produce.
19Just as the heat of summer
swallows the snow,
the world of the dead
swallows those who sin.
20Forgotten here on earth,
and with their power broken,
they taste sweet to worms.
21Sinners take advantage of widows
and other helpless women. [d] 22But God's mighty strength
destroys those in power.
Even if they seem successful,
they are doomed to fail.
23God may let them feel secure,
but they are never
out of his sight.
24Great for a while; gone forever!
Sinners are mowed down
like weeds,
then they wither and die.
25If I haven't spoken the truth,
then prove me wrong.
And so, their fields and vineyards
will fall under a curse
and won't produce.
19Just as the heat of summer
swallows the snow,
the world of the dead
swallows those who sin.
20Forgotten here on earth,
and with their power broken,
they taste sweet to worms.
21Sinners take advantage of widows
and other helpless women. [d] 22But God's mighty strength
destroys those in power.
Even if they seem successful,
they are doomed to fail.
23God may let them feel secure,
but they are never
out of his sight.
24Great for a while; gone forever!
Sinners are mowed down
like weeds,
then they wither and die.
25If I haven't spoken the truth,
then prove me wrong.
Job 25
Bildad's Third Speech
God Is the One To Fear
1Bildad from Shuah [e] said: 2God is the one to fear, because God is in control
and rules the heavens.
3Who can count his army of stars?
Isn't God the source of light?
4How can anyone be innocent
in the sight of God?
5To him, not even the light
of the moon and stars
can ever be pure.
6So how can we humans,
when we are merely worms?
and rules the heavens.
3Who can count his army of stars?
Isn't God the source of light?
4How can anyone be innocent
in the sight of God?
5To him, not even the light
of the moon and stars
can ever be pure.
6So how can we humans,
when we are merely worms?
Job 26
Job's Reply to Bildad
You Have Really Been Helpful
1Job said: 2You have really been helpful
to someone weak and weary.
3You have given great advice
and wonderful wisdom
to someone truly in need.
4How can anyone possibly speak
with such understanding?
5Remember the terrible trembling
of those in the world of the dead
below the mighty ocean.
6Nothing in that land
of death and destruction
is hidden from God,
7who hung the northern sky
and suspended the earth
on empty space.
8God stores water in clouds,
but they don't burst,
9and he wraps them around
the face of the moon.
10On the surface of the ocean,
God has drawn a boundary line
between light and darkness.
11And columns supporting the sky
tremble at his command.
12By his power and wisdom,
God conquered the force
of the mighty ocean. [f] 13The heavens became bright
when he breathed,
and the escaping sea monster [g] died at the hands of God.
14These things are merely a whisper
of God's power at work.
How little we would understand
if this whisper
ever turned into thunder!
to someone weak and weary.
3You have given great advice
and wonderful wisdom
to someone truly in need.
4How can anyone possibly speak
with such understanding?
5Remember the terrible trembling
of those in the world of the dead
below the mighty ocean.
6Nothing in that land
of death and destruction
is hidden from God,
7who hung the northern sky
and suspended the earth
on empty space.
8God stores water in clouds,
but they don't burst,
9and he wraps them around
the face of the moon.
10On the surface of the ocean,
God has drawn a boundary line
between light and darkness.
11And columns supporting the sky
tremble at his command.
12By his power and wisdom,
God conquered the force
of the mighty ocean. [f] 13The heavens became bright
when he breathed,
and the escaping sea monster [g] died at the hands of God.
14These things are merely a whisper
of God's power at work.
How little we would understand
if this whisper
ever turned into thunder!
Job 27
Job Continues
I Am Desperate
1Job said: 2I am desperate because
God All-Powerful
refuses
to do what is right.
As surely as God lives,
3and while he gives me breath,
4I will tell only the truth.
5Until the day I die,
I will refuse to do wrong
by saying you are right,
6because each day my conscience
agrees that I am innocent.
7I pray that my enemies
will suffer no less
than the wicked.
8Such people are hopeless,
and God All-Powerful
will cut them down,
9without listening
when they beg for mercy.
10And that is what God should do,
because they don't like him
or ever pray.
11Now I will explain in detail
what God All-Powerful does.
12All of you have seen these things
for yourselves.
So you have no excuse.
God All-Powerful
refuses
to do what is right.
As surely as God lives,
3and while he gives me breath,
4I will tell only the truth.
5Until the day I die,
I will refuse to do wrong
by saying you are right,
6because each day my conscience
agrees that I am innocent.
7I pray that my enemies
will suffer no less
than the wicked.
8Such people are hopeless,
and God All-Powerful
will cut them down,
9without listening
when they beg for mercy.
10And that is what God should do,
because they don't like him
or ever pray.
11Now I will explain in detail
what God All-Powerful does.
12All of you have seen these things
for yourselves.
So you have no excuse.
How God Treats the Wicked
13Here is how God All-Powerful treats those who are wicked
and brutal.
14They may have many children,
but most of them
will go hungry
or suffer a violent death.
15Others will die of disease,
and their widows
won't be able to weep.
16The wicked may collect riches
and clothes in abundance
as easily as clay.
17But God's people will wear
clothes taken from them
and divide up their riches.
18No homes built by the wicked
will outlast a cocoon
or a shack.
19Those sinners may go to bed rich,
but they will wake up poor. [h] 20Terror will strike at night
like a flood or a storm.
21Then a scorching wind
will sweep them away
22without showing mercy,
as they try to escape.
23At last, the wind will celebrate
because they are gone.
Footnotes:- Job 23:12 treasured his teachings: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Job 23:17 silent: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.
- Job 24:6 If they want grain or grapes: Poor people were allowed to gather what was left in the fields and vineyards after the harvest.
- Job 24:21 women: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21.
- Job 25:1 Shuah: See the note at 2.11.
- Job 26:12 the force of the mighty ocean: The Hebrew text has "the ocean. . . Rahab." In this passage the sea monster Rahab stands for the fearsome power of the ocean (see the notes at 3.8 and 9.13).
- Job 26:13 sea monster: The Hebrew text has "snake," which probably stands for some kind of fearsome sea monster, such as Leviathan (see Isaiah 27.1).
- Job 27:19 poor: Or "dead."
and brutal.
14They may have many children,
but most of them
will go hungry
or suffer a violent death.
15Others will die of disease,
and their widows
won't be able to weep.
16The wicked may collect riches
and clothes in abundance
as easily as clay.
17But God's people will wear
clothes taken from them
and divide up their riches.
18No homes built by the wicked
will outlast a cocoon
or a shack.
19Those sinners may go to bed rich,
but they will wake up poor. [h] 20Terror will strike at night
like a flood or a storm.
21Then a scorching wind
will sweep them away
22without showing mercy,
as they try to escape.
23At last, the wind will celebrate
because they are gone.
Footnotes:
- Job 23:12 treasured his teachings: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Job 23:17 silent: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.
- Job 24:6 If they want grain or grapes: Poor people were allowed to gather what was left in the fields and vineyards after the harvest.
- Job 24:21 women: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21.
- Job 25:1 Shuah: See the note at 2.11.
- Job 26:12 the force of the mighty ocean: The Hebrew text has "the ocean. . . Rahab." In this passage the sea monster Rahab stands for the fearsome power of the ocean (see the notes at 3.8 and 9.13).
- Job 26:13 sea monster: The Hebrew text has "snake," which probably stands for some kind of fearsome sea monster, such as Leviathan (see Isaiah 27.1).
- Job 27:19 poor: Or "dead."
2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11 (Contemporary English Version)
Paul's Change of Plans
12We can be proud of our clear conscience. We have always lived honestly and sincerely, especially when we were with you. And we were guided by God's wonderful kindness instead of by the wisdom of this world. 13I am not writing anything you cannot read and understand. I hope you will understand it completely, 14just as you already partly understand us. Then when our Lord Jesus returns, you can be as proud of us as we are of you. 15I was so sure of your pride in us that I had planned to visit you first of all. In this way you would have the blessing of two visits from me. 16Once on my way to Macedonia and again on my return from there. Then you could send me on to Judea. 17Do you think I couldn't make up my mind about what to do? Or do I seem like someone who says "Yes" or "No" simply to please others? 18God can be trusted, and so can I, when I say that our answer to you has always been "Yes" and never "No." 19This is because Jesus Christ the Son of God is always "Yes" and never "No." And he is the one that Silas, [a] Timothy, and I told you about. 20Christ says "Yes" to all of God's promises. That's why we have Christ to say "Amen" [b] for us to the glory of God. 21And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the one who chose us 22and put his Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong only to him. 23God is my witness that I stayed away from Corinth, just to keep from being hard on you. 24We are not bosses who tell you what to believe. We are working with you to make you glad, because your faith is strong.
2 Corinthians 2
1I have decided not to make my next visit with you so painful. 2If I make you feel bad, who would be left to cheer me up, except the people I had made to feel bad? 3The reason I want to be happy is to make you happy. I wrote as I did because I didn't want to visit you and be made to feel bad, when you should make me feel happy. 4At the time I wrote, I was suffering terribly. My eyes were full of tears, and my heart was broken. But I didn't want to make you feel bad. I only wanted to let you know how much I cared for you.
Forgiveness
5I don't want to be hard on you. But if one of you has made someone feel bad, I am not really the one who has been made to feel bad. Some of you are the ones. 6Most of you have already pointed out the wrong that person did, and that is punishment enough for what was done. 7When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair. 8You should make them sure of your love for them.
9I also wrote because I wanted to test you and find out if you would follow my instructions. 10I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven. 11I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.
Footnotes:- 2 Corinthians 1:19 Silas: The Greek text has "Silvanus," which is another form of the name Silas.
- 2 Corinthians 1:20 Amen: The word "amen" is used here with the meaning of "yes."
9I also wrote because I wanted to test you and find out if you would follow my instructions. 10I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven. 11I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.
Footnotes:
- 2 Corinthians 1:19 Silas: The Greek text has "Silvanus," which is another form of the name Silas.
- 2 Corinthians 1:20 Amen: The word "amen" is used here with the meaning of "yes."
Psalm 41:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 41
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
A Prayer in Time of Sickness
1You, LORD God, bless everyone who cares for the poor,
and you rescue those people
in times of trouble.
2You protect them
and keep them alive.
You make them happy here
in this land,
and you don't hand them over
to their enemies.
3You always heal them
and restore their strength
when they are sick.
4I prayed, "Have pity, LORD!
Heal me,
though I have sinned
against you."
5My vicious enemies ask me,
"When will you die
and be forgotten?"
6When visitors come,
all they ever bring
are worthless words,
and when they leave,
they spread gossip.
7My enemies whisper about me.
They think the worst,
8and they say,
"You have some fatal disease!
You'll never get well."
9My most trusted friend
has turned against me,
though he ate at my table.
10Have pity, LORD! Heal me,
so I can pay them back.
11Then my enemies
won't defeat me,
and I will know
that you really care.
12You have helped me
because I am innocent,
and you will always
be close to my side.
13You, the LORD God of Israel,
will be praised forever!
Amen and amen.
and you rescue those people
in times of trouble.
2You protect them
and keep them alive.
You make them happy here
in this land,
and you don't hand them over
to their enemies.
3You always heal them
and restore their strength
when they are sick.
4I prayed, "Have pity, LORD!
Heal me,
though I have sinned
against you."
5My vicious enemies ask me,
"When will you die
and be forgotten?"
6When visitors come,
all they ever bring
are worthless words,
and when they leave,
they spread gossip.
7My enemies whisper about me.
They think the worst,
8and they say,
"You have some fatal disease!
You'll never get well."
9My most trusted friend
has turned against me,
though he ate at my table.
10Have pity, LORD! Heal me,
so I can pay them back.
11Then my enemies
won't defeat me,
and I will know
that you really care.
12You have helped me
because I am innocent,
and you will always
be close to my side.
13You, the LORD God of Israel,
will be praised forever!
Amen and amen.
Proverbs 22:5-6 (Contemporary English Version)
5Crooks walk down a road
full of thorny traps.
Stay away from there!
6Teach your children
right from wrong,
and when they are grown
they will still do right.
full of thorny traps.
Stay away from there!
6Teach your children
right from wrong,
and when they are grown
they will still do right.
Thought for the Day
“The LORD gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm.” (Isaiah 26:3 - Contemporary English Version) Faith leads to peace. You see, when we trust that God is in control and that he loves us and that he holds our destinies in his hands, we'll feel a sense of security grounded in him and not ourselves.
Quote for the Day
American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris, Man Ray wrote, “A creator needs only one enthusiast to justify him.”
Joke for Today
Apparently to start a zoo you need at least two pandas, a grizzly, and three polars...
It's the bear minimum.
A Prayer Request
As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.
That our leaders would be honest, humble and God-fearing men and women who recognize that they are accountable to God for each decision and action.
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