Job 38
1 After Elihu had ceased from speaking, then the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind and clouds, saying:
2 “Who is this who hides counsel from Me,
And holds words in his heart
And thinks to conceal them from Me?
3 Gird your waist like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
The Majestic Creator
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations 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 To what were its foundations fastened,
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the stars were made
And all My angels praised Me in a loud voice?
8 “I shut up the sea with doors
When it burst forth and issued from the womb.
9 I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in mist.
10 I fixed My limit for it and set bars and doors.
11 I said, ‘This far you may come, but no further,
And here your waves must stop.’
12 “Did I order the morning light in your time,
And did the morning star see its appointed place,
13 To lay hold of the ends of the earth
And to shake the ungodly out of it?
14 Or did you take clay of the ground and form a living creature,
And set it with the power of speech upon the earth?
15 Have you removed light from the ungodly
And crushed the arm of the arrogant?
16 “Have you come upon the fountain of the sea
And walked in the tracks of the deep?
17 Do the gates of death open to you for fear,
And did the doorkeepers of Hades quake when they saw you?
18 Have you been instructed in the breadth of the earth under heaven?
Tell Me now, what is the extent of it?
19 “In what kind of land does the light dwell,
And what kind is the place of darkness?
20 If you would bring Me to their boundaries,
And also if you understand their paths,
21 Then I know you were born at that time,
And the number of your years is great.
22 “Have you come upon the storehouses of snow?
Have you seen the storehouses of hail?
23 Are they stored for you against the time of your enemies,
For the day of wars and battles?
24 From where does the frost proceed?
From where does the south wind scatter over the earth?
25 “Who prepared a course for the violent rain
Or a path for the thunders?
26 Who causes it to rain on a land where there is no man,
Or an uninhabited wilderness, where there is not a man in it,
27 To satisfy the untrodden and uninhabited land
And cause it to spring forth a crop of tender grass?
28 Who is the rain’s father,
And who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice,
And who has given birth to the frost in heaven,
30 Which descends like flowing water?
Who made firm the face of the abyss?
31 “Do you understand the band of the Pleiades,
And have you opened the fence of Orion?
32 Will you open up Mazzaroth in its season,
And the evening star with his rays?
Will you guide them?
33 Do you know the movements of heaven
Or the events which take place together under heaven?
34 “Will you call a cloud with your voice,
And will it obey you with a violent shower of much rain?
35 Can you send out lightnings, and they shall go?
They shall say to you, ‘What do you want?’
36 Who has given to women wisdom in weaving
Or knowledge of embroidery?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom,
And who bowed heaven down to earth?
38 For it is spread like a cloud of dust,
And I have joined it together as one hewn stone to another.
39 “Will you hunt prey for the lions
Or satisfy the lives of the serpents?
40 They fear in their dens,
And live in the forests, and lie in wait.
41 Who provides food for the raven?
For its young ones wander
And cry to the Lord in search of food.
Psalms 43:10–27
10 But now You rejected and disgraced us,
And You will not go out with our armies;
11 You turned us back from our enemies,
And those who hate us took spoil for themselves.
12 You gave us as sheep to be eaten,
And You scattered us among the nations.
13 You bound Your people without honor,
And there was no abundance given to ransom them.
14 You made us a reproach to our neighbors
And a scorn and derision to those around us;
15 You made us a byword among the nations
And a shaking of the head among the peoples.
16 All day long my disgrace is before me,
And the shame of my face covers me,
17 Because of the voice of him who reviles and chatters,
Because of the face of the enemy and persecutor.
18 All these things came upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
And we did not act unjustly with Your covenant;
19 Our heart did not draw back,
Yet You turned our steps from Your way.
20 You humbled us in a place of affliction,
And the shadow of death covered us.
21 If we forget the name of our God,
And spread out our hands to a foreign god,
22 Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
23 For Your sake we are put to death all day long,
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
24 Awake; why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise; and do not reject us to the end.
25 Why do You turn away Your face,
And forget our poverty and our affliction?
26 For our soul was humbled to the dust,
And our belly was joined to the ground.
27 Arise, O Lord; help us,
And redeem us for Your name’s sake.
Proverbs 9:1–6
1 Wisdom built her house,
And she supported it with seven pillars.
2 She offered her sacrifices;
She mixed her wine in a bowl
And prepared her table.
3 She sent her servants,
Inviting people to the bowl with a lofty proclamation, saying,
4 “He who is without discernment,
Let him turn aside to me”;
And to those in need of discernment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my bread
And drink the wine I mixed for you;
6 Forsake lack of discernment, and you shall live;
Seek discernment so you may live,
And keep straight your understanding with knowledge.”
Romans 16
1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,
2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.
Greeting Roman Saints
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.
6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved.
10 Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them.
15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.
Avoid Divisive Persons
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.
20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Greetings from Paul’s Friends
21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.
24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Benediction
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—
27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
My son being an Old Calendarist, I have absorbed a lot of the “don’t scandalize” culture of the Orthodox. Unfortunately this can create a culture in which an elder abuses someone who then feels gaslighted and hushed. Proverbs today discusses the Eucharist, and making God’s wisdom and discernment more important than formulaic rules. God knows what is going on in our hearts (Job) and if we talk to prevent another person from being abused, after praying.