JOB 27

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Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity  27:1 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:
2

“As God lives, who has taken away my right,

and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 3

as long as my breath is in me,

and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, 4

my lips will not speak falsehood,

and my tongue will not utter deceit. 5

Far be it from me to say that you are right;

till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6

I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;

my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
7

“Let my enemy be as the wicked,

and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous. 8

For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,

when God takes away his life? 9

Will God hear his cry

when distress comes upon him? 10

Will he take delight in the Almighty?

Will he call upon God at all times? 11

I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

what is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 12

Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;

why then have you become altogether vain?
13

“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty: 14

If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,

and his descendants have not enough bread. 15

Those who survive him the pestilence buries,

and his widows do not weep. 16

Though he heap up silver like dust,

and pile up clothing like clay, 17

he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,

and the innocent will divide the silver. 18

He builds his house like a moth’s,

like a booth that a watchman makes. 19

He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;

he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone. 20

Terrors overtake him like a flood;

in the night a whirlwind carries him off. 21

The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;

it sweeps him out of his place. 22

It hurls at him without pity;

he flees from its power in headlong flight. 23

It claps its hands at him

and hisses at him from its place.

JOB 28

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Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?28:1

“Surely there is a mine for silver,

and a place for gold that they refine. 2

Iron is taken out of the earth,

and copper is smelted from the ore. 3

Man puts an end to darkness

and searches out to the farthest limit

the ore in gloom and deep darkness. 4

He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;

they are forgotten by travelers;

they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro. 5

As for the earth, out of it comes bread,

but underneath it is turned up as by fire. 6

Its stones are the place of sapphires,

and it has dust of gold.
7

“That path no bird of prey knows,

and the falcon’s eye has not seen it. 8

The proud beasts have not trodden it;

the lion has not passed over it.
9

“Man puts his hand to the flinty rock

and overturns mountains by the roots. 10

He cuts out channels in the rocks,

and his eye sees every precious thing. 11

He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,

and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12

“But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding? 13

Man does not know its worth,

and it is not found in the land of the living. 14

The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’

and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 15

It cannot be bought for gold,

and silver cannot be weighed as its price. 16

It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,

in precious onyx or sapphire. 17

Gold and glass cannot equal it,

nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. 18

No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;

the price of wisdom is above pearls. 19

The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,

nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20

“From where, then, does wisdom come?

And where is the place of understanding? 21

It is hidden from the eyes of all living

and concealed from the birds of the air. 22

Abaddon and Death say,

‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23

“God understands the way to it,

and he knows its place. 24

For he looks to the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens. 25

When he gave to the wind its weight

and apportioned the waters by measure, 26

when he made a decree for the rain

and a way for the lightning of the thunder, 27

then he saw it and declared it;

he established it, and searched it out. 28

And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

PROVERBS 18

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18:1

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;

he breaks out against all sound judgment. 2

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,

but only in expressing his opinion. 3

When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,

and with dishonor comes disgrace. 4

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;

the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. 5

It is not good to be partial to the wicked

or to deprive the righteous of justice. 6

A fool’s lips walk into a fight,

and his mouth invites a beating. 7

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

and his lips are a snare to his soul. 8

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body. 9

Whoever is slack in his work

is a brother to him who destroys. 10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

the righteous man runs into it and is safe. 11

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

and like a high wall in his imagination. 12

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,

but humility comes before honor. 13

If one gives an answer before he hears,

it is his folly and shame. 14

A man’s spirit will endure sickness,

but a crushed spirit who can bear? 15

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,

and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. 16

A man’s gift makes room for him

and brings him before the great. 17

The one who states his case first seems right,

until the other comes and examines him. 18

The lot puts an end to quarrels

and decides between powerful contenders. 19

A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,

and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 20

From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;

he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruits. 22

He who finds a wife finds a good thing

and obtains favor from the Lord. 23

The poor use entreaties,

but the rich answer roughly. 24

A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

PSALM 95

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Let Us Sing Songs of Praise95:1

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3

For the Lord is a great God,

and a great King above all gods. 4

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his also. 5

The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.
6

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7

For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice, 8

do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,

as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9

when your fathers put me to the test

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 10

For forty years I loathed that generation

and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,

and they have not known my ways.” 11

Therefore I swore in my wrath,

“They shall not enter my rest.”

PSALM 96

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Worship in the Splendor of Holiness96:1

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day. 3

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods. 5

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the Lord made the heavens. 6

Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9

Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth!
10

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12

let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13

before the Lord, for he comes,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

and the peoples in his faithfulness.