Job 1
Faithful Job and His Children
1 There was a man in the land of Ausitis whose name was Job. That man was true, blameless, righteous, and God-fearing, and he abstained from every evil thing.
2 Now he had seven sons and three daughters,
3 and his cattle consisted of seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys in the pastures. Moreover he possessed a very large number of house servants. His works were also great on the earth, and that man was the most noble of all the men of the East.
4 His sons would visit one another and prepare a banquet every day, and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5 When the days of their drinking were ended, Job sent and purified them; and he rose early in the morning and offered sacrifices for them according to their number, as well as one calf for the sins of their souls. For Job said, “Lest my sons consider evil things in their mind against God.” Therefore Job did this continually.
Satan Is Permitted to Test Job
6 Then as it so happened one day that behold, the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil also came with them.†
7 The Lord said to the devil, “Where did you come from?” So the devil answered the Lord and said, “I came here after going about the earth and walking around under heaven.”†
8 Then the Lord said to him, “Have you yet considered my servant Job, since there is none like him on the earth: a blameless, true, and God-fearing man, and one who abstains from every evil thing?”
9 So the devil answered and said before the Lord, “Does Job worship the Lord for no reason?
10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his cattle have increased in the land.†
11 But stretch out Your hand and touch all he has, and see if he will bless You to Your face.”
12 Then the Lord said to the devil, “Behold, whatever he has I give into your hand; but do not touch him.” Thus the devil went out from the Lord.
Job Loses His Children and Property
13 Now there was a day when Job’s sons and daughters were drinking wine in the house of their elder brother,
14 and behold, a messenger came to Job and said, “The yokes of oxen were plowing, and the female donkeys were feeding beside them.
15 Then raiders came and took them captive and killed the servants with the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said to Job, “Fire fell from heaven and burned up the sheep, and likewise consumed the shepherds; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Horsemen formed three bands against us, surrounded the camels, took them captive, and killed the servants with the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine with their elder brother,
19 and suddenly a great wind came from the desert and struck the four corners of the house; and it fell on your children, and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved off the hair of his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped, saying,†
21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it came to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 In all these things that happened, Job did not sin against the Lord or charge God with folly.†
Job 2
Job Loses His Health
1 Then again as it so happened another day, the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil also came among them to present himself before the Lord.
2 The Lord said to the devil, “Where did you come from?” Then the devil said before the Lord, “I came here from walking around under heaven and going about all the earth.”†
3 Then the Lord said to the devil, “Have you considered my servant Job, since there is none like him on the earth: an innocent, true, blameless, and God-fearing man, and one who abstains from every evil thing? Moreover he still holds fast to his integrity, though you told me to destroy his possessions without cause.”
4 Then the devil answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin. Whatever a man has he will pay in full for his life.†
5 Yet truly, stretch out Your hand and touch his bones and his flesh, and see if he will bless You to Your face.”
6 So the Lord said to the devil, “Behold, I give him over to you; only spare his life.”
7 Thus the devil went out from the Lord and struck Job with malignant sores from head to foot.†
8 So he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge and sat on a dunghill outside the city.†
9 When a period of time passed, his wife said to him, “How long will you hold out, saying,†
10 ‘Behold, I will wait a little longer, looking for the hope of my salvation’?
11 Listen, your memory is wiped out from the earth: your sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb, which I suffered in vain and with hardships.
12 You yourself are sitting down, spending the nights in the open air among the rottenness of worms;
13 and I go about as a wanderer and a handmaid from place to place and from house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, so as to rest from my labors and pains that now beset me.
14 But say a word against the Lord and die!”
15 Then Job looked at her and said, “You have spoken as one of the foolish women speaks. If we accepted good things from the Lord’s hand, shall we not endure evil things?” In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin with his lips against God.†
Job’s Friends Visit Him
16 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all the evil things that had come upon him, each one came to him from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite king, Bildad the Shuhite ruler, and Zophar the Naamathite king. For they came to him with one accord: to visit and comfort him.†
17 Now when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him; and they cried with a loud voice and wept. Each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head.
18 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke to him, for they saw that his affliction was terrible and very great.
Psalms 93
16 Who will rise up for me against evildoers, Or who will side with me against the workers of lawlessness?
17 If the Lord had not helped me, My soul would have almost sojourned in Hades.
18 If I said, “My foot slipped,” Your mercy, O Lord, helped me.
19 O Lord, according to the abundance of grief in my heart, Your encouragements consoled my soul.
20 Shall a throne of lawlessness be present with You, A throne that frames trouble by an ordinance?
21 They shall hunt for the soul of a righteous man And shall condemn innocent blood.
22 And the Lord has become a place of refuge for me, And my God, the helper of my hope;
23 And repay their lawlessness to them, And according to their wickedness, The Lord our God shall destroy them.
Proverbs of Solomon 20
11 A portion gained hastily in the beginning Will not be blessed at the end.
12 Do not say, “I will avenge myself on the enemy,” But wait on the Lord, that you may be helped.
13 A weight, great and small, and a double standard, Both are also unclean before the Lord.
14 And the one who uses these things in his pursuits will be entangled; But a young man with holiness, his road is straight.
15 The ear hears and the eye sees; Both are also works of the Lord.†
Luke 17
Leadership Is a Stewardship
1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.†
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”†
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.†
7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?†
8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”†
The Ten Cleansed Lepers
11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.†
13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?†
18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”