Job 1, 2
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 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.
Psalm 31
1 By David; concerning understanding.
Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not take into account,
And in whose mouth there is no deceit.
3 Because I kept silent, my bones grew old
From my groaning all the day long;
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
I became miserable when the thorn pierced me.
(Pause)
5 I made known my sin,
And I did not hide my transgression;
I said, “I will confess my transgression to the Lord,”
And You forgave the ungodliness of my sin.
(Pause)
6 For this cause, everyone who is holy will pray to Him in a well-fitted time;
Surely they will not draw near to Him in a flood of many waters.
7 You are my refuge from the oppression of those who surround me;
O my exceeding joy, redeem me from those who encircle me.
(Pause)
8 “I will give you understanding, and I will teach you in the way you should walk;
I will fix My eyes on you.
9 Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding;
You squeeze their jaws with bit and bridle,
Lest they come near you.”
10 Many are the scourges of the sinner,
But he who hopes in the Lord, mercy shall encircle him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice greatly, O righteous ones,
And boast, all you upright in heart.
Proverbs 6:17–19
17 A man who is without discernment and is lawless does not walk in good ways.
But he winks with an eye; he makes a sign with his foot,
And teaches with the wave of his hand.
18 And with a perverse heart, he constantly schemes evil things;
Such a man causes trouble in a city.
19 Therefore his destruction comes suddenly,
A deep and incurable wound.
Romans 3
3 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the [a]oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be [b]true but every man a liar. As it is written:
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their [c]condemnation is just.
All Have Sinned
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their throat is an open [d]tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become [e]guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all [f]and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [g]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a [h]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is [i]justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.