JOB 41

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41:1

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook

or press down his tongue with a cord? 2

Can you put a rope in his nose

or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3

Will he make many pleas to you?

Will he speak to you soft words? 4

Will he make a covenant with you

to take him for your servant forever? 5

Will you play with him as with a bird,

or will you put him on a leash for your girls? 6

Will traders bargain over him?

Will they divide him up among the merchants? 7

Can you fill his skin with harpoons

or his head with fishing spears? 8

Lay your hands on him;

remember the battle—you will not do it again! 9

Behold, the hope of a man is false;

he is laid low even at the sight of him. 10

No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.

Who then is he who can stand before me? 11

Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?

Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12

“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,

or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. 13

Who can strip off his outer garment?

Who would come near him with a bridle? 14

Who can open the doors of his face?

Around his teeth is terror. 15

His back is made of rows of shields,

shut up closely as with a seal. 16

One is so near to another

that no air can come between them. 17

They are joined one to another;

they clasp each other and cannot be separated. 18

His sneezings flash forth light,

and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. 19

Out of his mouth go flaming torches;

sparks of fire leap forth. 20

Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,

as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21

His breath kindles coals,

and a flame comes forth from his mouth. 22

In his neck abides strength,

and terror dances before him. 23

The folds of his flesh stick together,

firmly cast on him and immovable. 24

His heart is hard as a stone,

hard as the lower millstone. 25

When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;

at the crashing they are beside themselves. 26

Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail,

nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. 27

He counts iron as straw,

and bronze as rotten wood. 28

The arrow cannot make him flee;

for him, sling stones are turned to stubble. 29

Clubs are counted as stubble;

he laughs at the rattle of javelins. 30

His underparts are like sharp potsherds;

he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. 31

He makes the deep boil like a pot;

he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32

Behind him he leaves a shining wake;

one would think the deep to be white-haired. 33

On earth there is not his like,

a creature without fear. 34

He sees everything that is high;

he is king over all the sons of pride.”

JOB 42

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Job’s Confession and Repentance  42:1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2

“I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4

‘Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees you; 6

therefore I despise myself,

and repent in dust and ashes.” The Lord Rebukes Job’s Friends7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. The Lord Restores Job’s Fortunes10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
    12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days.

PROVERBS 26

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26:1

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

so honor is not fitting for a fool. 2

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

a curse that is causeless does not alight. 3

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

and a rod for the back of fools. 4

Answer not a fool according to his folly,

lest you be like him yourself. 5

Answer a fool according to his folly,

lest he be wise in his own eyes. 6

Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool

cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. 7

Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,

is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 8

Like one who binds the stone in the sling

is one who gives honor to a fool. 9

Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 10

Like an archer who wounds everyone

is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. 11

Like a dog that returns to his vomit

is a fool who repeats his folly. 12

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?

There is more hope for a fool than for him. 13

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

There is a lion in the streets!” 14

As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a sluggard on his bed. 15

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. 16

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes

than seven men who can answer sensibly. 17

Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own

is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears. 18

Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death 19

is the man who deceives his neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!” 20

For lack of wood the fire goes out,

and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. 21

As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. 22

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body. 23

Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel

are fervent lips with an evil heart. 24

Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips

and harbors deceit in his heart; 25

when he speaks graciously, believe him not,

for there are seven abominations in his heart; 26

though his hatred be covered with deception,

his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. 27

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,

and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. 28

A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.

PSALM 98

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Make a Joyful Noise to the LordA Psalm.
98:1

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,

for he has done marvelous things!

His right hand and his holy arm

have worked salvation for him. 2

The Lord has made known his salvation;

he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3

He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness

to the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.
4

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5

Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6

With trumpets and the sound of the horn

make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
7

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

the world and those who dwell in it! 8

Let the rivers clap their hands;

let the hills sing for joy together 9

before the Lord, for he comes

to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness,

and the peoples with equity.

PSALM 99

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The Lord Our God Is Holy99:1

The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!

He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 2

The Lord is great in Zion;

he is exalted over all the peoples. 3

Let them praise your great and awesome name!

Holy is he! 4

The King in his might loves justice.

You have established equity;

you have executed justice

and righteousness in Jacob. 5

Exalt the Lord our God;

worship at his footstool!

Holy is he!
6

Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.

They called to the Lord, and he answered them. 7

In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;

they kept his testimonies

and the statute that he gave them.
8

O Lord our God, you answered them;

you were a forgiving God to them,

but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 9

Exalt the Lord our God,

and worship at his holy mountain;

for the Lord our God is holy!