JOB 37

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Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty37:1

“At this also my heart trembles

and leaps out of its place. 2

Keep listening to the thunder of his voice

and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 3

Under the whole heaven he lets it go,

and his lightning to the corners of the earth. 4

After it his voice roars;

he thunders with his majestic voice,

and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. 5

God thunders wondrously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend. 6

For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’

likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 7

He seals up the hand of every man,

that all men whom he made may know it. 8

Then the beasts go into their lairs,

and remain in their dens. 9

From its chamber comes the whirlwind,

and cold from the scattering winds. 10

By the breath of God ice is given,

and the broad waters are frozen fast. 11

He loads the thick cloud with moisture;

the clouds scatter his lightning. 12

They turn around and around by his guidance,

to accomplish all that he commands them

on the face of the habitable world. 13

Whether for correction or for his land

or for love, he causes it to happen.
14

“Hear this, O Job;

stop and consider the wondrous works of God. 15

Do you know how God lays his command upon them

and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine? 16

Do you know the balancings of the clouds,

the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge, 17

you whose garments are hot

when the earth is still because of the south wind? 18

Can you, like him, spread out the skies,

hard as a cast metal mirror? 19

Teach us what we shall say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of darkness. 20

Shall it be told him that I would speak?

Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
21

“And now no one looks on the light

when it is bright in the skies,

when the wind has passed and cleared them. 22

Out of the north comes golden splendor;

God is clothed with awesome majesty. 23

The Almighty—we cannot find him;

he is great in power;

justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 24

Therefore men fear him;

he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”

JOB 38

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The Lord Answers Job  38:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3

Dress for action like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding. 5

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it? 6

On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone, 7

when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8

“Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb, 9

when I made clouds its garment

and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10

and prescribed limits for it

and set bars and doors, 11

and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
12

“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

and caused the dawn to know its place, 13

that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,

and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14

It is changed like clay under the seal,

and its features stand out like a garment. 15

From the wicked their light is withheld,

and their uplifted arm is broken.
16

“Have you entered into the springs of the sea,

or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17

Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18

Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

Declare, if you know all this.
19

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

and where is the place of darkness, 20

that you may take it to its territory

and that you may discern the paths to its home? 21

You know, for you were born then,

and the number of your days is great!
22

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,

or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23

which I have reserved for the time of trouble,

for the day of battle and war? 24

What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,

or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
25

“Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain

and a way for the thunderbolt, 26

to bring rain on a land where no man is,

on the desert in which there is no man, 27

to satisfy the waste and desolate land,

and to make the ground sprout with grass?
28

“Has the rain a father,

or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29

From whose womb did the ice come forth,

and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? 30

The waters become hard like stone,

and the face of the deep is frozen.
31

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades

or loose the cords of Orion? 32

Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,

or can you guide the Bear with its children? 33

Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?

Can you establish their rule on the earth?
34

“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

that a flood of waters may cover you? 35

Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go

and say to you, ‘Here we are’? 36

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts

or given understanding to the mind? 37

Who can number the clouds by wisdom?

Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, 38

when the dust runs into a mass

and the clods stick fast together?
39

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,

or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40

when they crouch in their dens

or lie in wait in their thicket? 41

Who provides for the raven its prey,

when its young ones cry to God for help,

and wander about for lack of food?

PROVERBS 24

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24:1

Be not envious of evil men,

nor desire to be with them, 2

for their hearts devise violence,

and their lips talk of trouble.
3

By wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established; 4

by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches. 5

A wise man is full of strength,

and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 7

Wisdom is too high for a fool;

in the gate he does not open his mouth.
8

Whoever plans to do evil

will be called a schemer. 9

The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10

If you faint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small. 11

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 12

If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man according to his work?
13

My son, eat honey, for it is good,

and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14

Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, there will be a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.
15

Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

do no violence to his home; 16

for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,

but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18

lest the Lord see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.
19

Fret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not envious of the wicked, 20

for the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21

My son, fear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise, 22

for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both? More Sayings of the Wise23 These also are sayings of the wise.

Partiality in judging is not good. 24

Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”

will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25

but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them. 26

Whoever gives an honest answer

kisses the lips.
27

Prepare your work outside;

get everything ready for yourself in the field,

and after that build your house.
28

Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,

and do not deceive with your lips. 29

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;

I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30

I passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31

and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down. 32

Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction. 33

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest, 34

and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

1 TIMOTHY 1

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Greeting  1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
    2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
    Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Warning Against False Teachers3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
    8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
    18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.