Job 12
Job Chides His Critics
1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Moreover you are men. Surely wisdom will die with you?
3 But I also have a heart as well as you.
4 “A righteous and blameless man Has become an object of mockery.
5 For it had been ordained that he should fall Under the power of others at the appointed time, And his houses should be plundered by the lawless.†
6 Let not, however, any one be persuaded That, if he is evil, he will be held innocent. Let not those who provoke the Lord Be persuaded there will be no trial for them.
7 “But now ask the four-footed animals if they may speak to you, And the birds of the air if they may report it to you.
8 Tell the earth if it may interpret it to you, And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9 Who among all these does not know The hand of the Lord created them,
10 That in His hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of every man?
11 For indeed, the ear discerns words, And the palate tastes wheat.
12 In length of time is wisdom, And in long life, knowledge.
13 “With Him are wisdom and power; With Him are counsel and understanding.
14 If He tears down a house, who will build it up again? If He closes a door against men, who will open it?
15 If He withholds the water, He will dry up the earth; If He lets it loose, He will destroy and ruin it.†
16 With Him are might and strength. He has knowledge and understanding.
17 He leads counselors away captive And makes fools of judges.
18 He sets kings upon thrones And binds their waist with a belt.
19 He sends priests away into captivity And overthrows the mighty of the earth.
20 He changes the lips of the faithful And knows the understanding of elders.
21 He pours dishonor on rulers And heals the humble.
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness And has brought into light the shadow of death.†
23 He leads the nations astray and destroys them. He overthrows the nations and leads them away.
24 He changes the hearts of rulers And leads them astray in a way they have not known.
25 May they grope in darkness, And may they go astray like a drunken man.
Psalms 103
1 By David. †Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are magnified exceedingly; You clothe Yourself with thanksgiving and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain;
3 You are He who covers His upper chambers with waters, Who makes the clouds His means of approach, Who walks on the wings of the winds,
4 Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.
5 He established the earth on its stable foundation; It shall not be moved unto ages of ages.
6 The deep like a garment is His covering; The waters shall stand upon the mountains;
7 At Your rebuke they shall flee; At the sound of Your thunder, they shall be afraid.
8 The mountains rise up, and the plains sink down To the place You founded for them.
9 You set a boundary they shall not pass over; Neither shall they return to cover the earth.
10 You are He who sends springs into the valley; The waters shall pass between the mountains;
11 They shall give drink to all the wild animals of the field; The wild asses shall quench their thirst;
12 The birds of heaven shall dwell beside them; They shall sing from the midst of the rocks.
13 You are He who waters the mountains from His higher places; The earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
14 You are He who causes grass to grow for the cattle, And the green plant for the service of man, To bring forth bread from the earth;
15 And wine gladdens the heart of man, To brighten his face with oil; And bread strengthens man’s heart.
16 The trees of the plain shall be full of fruit, The cedars of Lebanon, which You planted;
17 There the sparrows shall make their nests; The house of the heron takes the lead among them.
18 The high mountains are for the deer; The cliff is a refuge for the rabbits.
Proverbs of Solomon 22
6 The rich will rule over the poor, And servants will lend to their own masters.
7 He who sows worthless things will reap evil things, And bring to an end the plague of his works.
8 God blesses a cheerful man and a giver, And he will bring to an end the vanity of his works.†
9 He who shows mercy to a poor man shall himself be supported, For he gave his own bread to the poor man.
10 He who gives gifts to a poor man gains victory and honor for himself; However, he who buys him takes away his soul.
Luke 22
The Chief Priests and Judas
1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.†
2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.†
4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.
5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.
6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
Preparation for the Passover
7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.†
8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”
9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”
10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.
11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’
12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”
13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
The Eucharist Instituted
14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.
15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;†
16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves;†
18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”†
Deception and Betrayal
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.†
22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.