Psalm 146 and Esther 5:1-14

1   Praise the LORD!
     Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2   I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
          I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3   Do not put your trust in princes,
          in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4   When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
          on that very day their plans perish.

5   Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
          whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6   who made heaven and earth,
          the sea, and all that is in them;
     who keeps faith forever;
7        who executes justice for the oppressed;
          who gives food to the hungry.

     The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8        the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
     The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
          the LORD loves the righteous.
9   The LORD watches over the strangers;
          he upholds the orphan and the widow,
          but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10  The LORD will reign forever,
          your God, O Zion, for all generations.
     Praise the LORD!

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Esther 5:1-14

1 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, opposite the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. 3 The king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom." 4 Then Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the king." 5 Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires." So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, "What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." 7 Then Esther said, "This is my petition and request: 8 If I have won the king's favor, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and then I will do as the king has said." 

 

9 Haman went out that day happy and in good spirits. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, and observed that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was infuriated with Mordecai; 10 nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home. Then he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh, 11 and Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the ministers of the king. 12 Haman added, "Even Queen Esther let no one but myself come with the king to the banquet that she prepared. Tomorrow also I am invited by her, together with the king. 13 Yet all this does me no good so long as I see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate." 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go with the king to the banquet in good spirits." This advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

Psalm 57 and Esther 4:4-17

Psalm 57

1   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
          for in you my soul takes refuge;
     in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
          until the destroying storms pass by.
2   I cry to God Most High,
          to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3   He will send from heaven and save me,
          he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
     God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.

4   I lie down among lions
          that greedily devour human prey;
     their teeth are spears and arrows,
          their tongues sharp swords.

5   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
          Let your glory be over all the earth.

6   They set a net for my steps;
          my soul was bowed down.
     They dug a pit in my path,
          but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7   My heart is steadfast, O God,
          my heart is steadfast.
     I will sing and make melody.
8        Awake, my soul!
     Awake, O harp and lyre!
          I will awake the dawn.
9   I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
          I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10   For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
          your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

11   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
     Let your glory be over all the earth.

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Esther 4:4-17

4 When Esther's maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people. 

 

9 Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law - all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days." 12 When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, 13 Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this." 15 Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish." 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. 

Job 40:1; 41:1-11 and John 9:12-19

Job 40:1; 41:1-11

1 And the LORD said to Job:

1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down its tongue with a cord? 2 Can you put a rope in its nose, or pierce its jaw with a hook? 3 Will it make many supplications to you? Will it speak soft words to you? 4 Will it make a covenant with you to be taken as your servant forever? 5 Will you play with it as with a bird, or will you put it on leash for your girls? 6 Will traders bargain over it? Will they divide it up among the merchants? 7 Can you fill its skin with harpoons, or its head with fishing spears? 8 Lay hands on it; think of the battle; you will not do it again! 9 Any hope of capturing it will be disappointed; were not even the gods overwhelmed at the sight of it? 10 No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up. Who can stand before it? 11 Who can confront it and be safe? - under the whole heaven, who?

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John 9:12-19

12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord - the King of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: 15 "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. 17 So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. 18 It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. 19 The Pharisees then said to one another, "You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!"

Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33 and Psalm 102

Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33

[1]The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
[2]Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
[3]I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
[4]Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person's name?
And what is the name of the person's child?
Surely you know!

[24]Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
[25]the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
[26]the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
[27]the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
[28]the lizard can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.

[29]Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
[30]the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
[31]the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
and a king striding before his people.

[32]If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
[33]For as pressing milk produces curds,
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.

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Psalm 102

[1]   Hear my prayer, O LORD;  

          let my cry come to you.  

[2]   Do not hide your face from me  

          in the day of my distress.  

     Incline your ear to me;  

          answer me speedily in the day when I call.

[3]   For my days pass away like smoke,  

          and my bones burn like a furnace.  

[4]   My heart is stricken and withered like grass;  

          I am too wasted to eat my bread.  

[5]   Because of my loud groaning  

          my bones cling to my skin.  

[6]   I am like an owl of the wilderness,  

          like a little owl of the waste places.  

[7]   I lie awake;  

          I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.  

[8]   All day long my enemies taunt me;  

          those who deride me use my name for a curse.  

[9]   For I eat ashes like bread,  

          and mingle tears with my drink,  

[10]  because of your indignation and anger;  

          for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.  

[11]  My days are like an evening shadow;  

          I wither away like grass.

[12]  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;  

          your name endures to all generations.  

[13]  You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,  

          for it is time to favor it;  

          the appointed time has come.  

[14]  For your servants hold its stones dear,  

          and have pity on its dust.  

[15]  The nations will fear the name of the LORD,  

          and all the kings of the earth your glory.  

[16]  For the LORD will build up Zion;  

          he will appear in his glory.  

[17]  He will regard the prayer of the destitute,  

          and will not despise their prayer.  

[18]  Let this be recorded for a generation to come,  

          so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:  

[19]  that he looked down from his holy height,  

          from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,  

[20]  to hear the groans of the prisoners,  

          to set free those who were doomed to die;  

[21]  so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,  

          and his praise in Jerusalem,  

[22]  when peoples gather together,  

          and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

[23]  He has broken my strength in midcourse;  

          he has shortened my days.  

[24]  "O my God," I say, "do not take me away  

          at the mid-point of my life,  

     you whose years endure  

          throughout all generations."

[25]  Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,  

          and the heavens are the work of your hands.  

[26]  They will perish, but you endure;  

          they will all wear out like a garment.  

     You change them like clothing, and they pass away;  

[27]       but you are the same, and your years have no end.  

[28]  The children of your servants shall live secure;  

          their offspring shall be established in your presence.

Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12 and Philippians 2:1-13

Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12

[1]Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
[2]Let another praise you, and not your own mouth —
a stranger, and not your own lips.
[3]A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.
[4]Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
[5]Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
[6]Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

[10]Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.
[11]Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
[12]The clever see danger and hide;
but the simple go on, and suffer for it.

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Philippians 2:1-13

[1]If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, [2]make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3]Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. [4]Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. [5]Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, [6]who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, [7]but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, [8]he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. [9]Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, [10]so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11]and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[12]Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; [13]for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Proverbs 8:1-21 and Psalm 88

Proverbs 8:1-21

[1]Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? [2] On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; [3] beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: [4] "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. [5] O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it. [6] Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; [7] for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. [8] All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. [9] They are all straight to one who understands and right to those who find knowledge. [10] Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; [11] for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. [12] I, wisdom, live with prudence, and I attain knowledge and discretion. [13] The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. [14] I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have insight, I have strength. [15] By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; [16] by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly. [17] I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. [18] Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and prosperity. [19] My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. [20] I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, [21] endowing with wealth those who love me, and filling their treasuries. 

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Psalm 88

[1]   O LORD, God of my salvation,   
    when, at night, I cry out in your presence,   
[2]   let my prayer come before you;   
         incline your ear to my cry.

[3]   For my soul is full of troubles,   
         and my life draws near to Sheol.   
[4]   I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;   
         I am like those who have no help,   
[5]   like those forsaken among the dead,   
         like the slain that lie in the grave,   
    like those whom you remember no more,   
         for they are cut off from your hand.   
[6]   You have put me in the depths of the Pit,   
         in the regions dark and deep.   
[7]   Your wrath lies heavy upon me,   
         and you overwhelm me with all your waves.               Selah

[8]   You have caused my companions to shun me;   
         you have made me a thing of horror to them.   
    I am shut in so that I cannot escape;   
[9]        my eye grows dim through sorrow.   
    Every day I call on you, O LORD;   
         I spread out my hands to you.   
[10]  Do you work wonders for the dead?   
         Do the shades rise up to praise you?                                
 Selah   
[11]  Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,   
         or your faithfulness in Abaddon?   
[12]  Are your wonders known in the darkness,   
         or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

[13]  But I, O LORD, cry out to you;   
         in the morning my prayer comes before you.   
[14]  O LORD, why do you cast me off?   
         Why do you hide your face from me?   
[15]  Wretched and close to death from my youth up,   
         I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.   
[16]  Your wrath has swept over me;   
         your dread assaults destroy me.   
[17]  They surround me like a flood all day long;   
         from all sides they close in on me.   
[18]  You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;   
         my companions are in darkness.

  

Proverbs 7:1-27 and Psalm 143

Proverbs 7:1-27

[1]My child, keep my words and store up my commandments with you; [2]keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple of your eye; [3]bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. [4]Say to wisdom, "You are my sister", and call insight your intimate friend, [5]that they may keep you from the loose woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.

[6]For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, [7]and I saw among the simple ones, I observed among the youths, a young man without sense, [8]passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house [9]in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.

[10]Then a woman comes towards him, decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart. [11]She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home; [12]now in the street, now in the squares, and at every corner she lies in wait. [13]She seizes him and kisses him, and with impudent face she says to him: [14]"I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; [15]so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you! [16]I have decked my couch with coverings, coloured spreads of Egyptian linen; [17]I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. [18]Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. [19]For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. [20]He took a bag of money with him; he will not come home until full moon."

[21]With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. [22]Right away he follows her, and goes like an ox to the slaughter, or bounds like a stag towards the trap [23]until an arrow pierces its entrails. He is like a bird rushing into a snare, not knowing that it will cost him his life.

[24]And now, my children, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. [25]Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. [26]for many are those she has laid low, and numerous are her victims. [27]Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

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Psalm 143

[1]   Hear my prayer, O LORD;  
          give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;  
          answer me in your righteousness.  
[2]   Do not enter into judgment with your servant,  
          for no one living is righteous before you.

[3]   For the enemy has pursued me,  
          crushing my life to the ground,  
          making me sit in darkness like those long dead.  
[4]   Therefore my spirit faints within me;  
          my heart within me is appalled.

[5]   I remember the days of old,  
          I think about all your deeds,  
          I meditate on the works of your hands.  
[6]   I stretch out my hands to you;  
          my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.                  
Selah

[7]   Answer me quickly, O LORD;  
          my spirit fails.  
     Do not hide your face from me,  
          or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.  
[8]   Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,  
          for in you I put my trust.  
     Teach me the way I should go,  
          for to you I lift up my soul.

[9]   Save me, O LORD, from my enemies;  
          I have fled to you for refuge.  
[10]  Teach me to do your will,  
          for you are my God.  
     Let your good spirit lead me  
          on a level path.

[11]  For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life.  
          In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.  
[12]  In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,  
          and destroy all my adversaries,  
          for I am your servant.

Proverbs 6:1-19 and Psalm 65

Proverbs 6:1-19

[1]My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor, if you have bound yourself to another, [2] you are snared by the utterance of your lips, caught by the words of your mouth. [3] So do this, my child, and save yourself, for you have come into your neighbor's power: go, hurry, and plead with your neighbor. [4] Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; [5] save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

[6] Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. [7] Without having any chief or officer or ruler, [8] it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest. [9] How long will you lie there, O lazybones? When will you rise from your sleep? [10] A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, [11] and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior.

[12] A scoundrel and a villain goes around with crooked speech, [13] winking the eyes, shuffling the feet, pointing the fingers, [14] with perverted mind devising evil, continually sowing discord; [15] on such a one calamity will descend suddenly; in a moment, damage beyond repair.

[16] There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: [17] haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, [18] a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, [19] a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.

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Psalm 65

[1]   Praise is due to you,  
          O God, in Zion;  
     and to you shall vows be performed,  
[2]        O you who answer prayer!  
     To you all flesh shall come.  
[3]   When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,  
          you forgive our transgressions.  
[4]   Happy are those whom you choose and bring near  
          to live in your courts.  
     We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,  
          your holy temple.

[5]   By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,  
          O God of our salvation;  
     you are the hope of all the ends of the earth  
          and of the farthest seas.  
[6]   By your strength you established the mountains;  
          you are girded with might.  
[7]   You silence the roaring of the seas,  
          the roaring of their waves,  
          the tumult of the peoples.  
[8]   Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs;  
          you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

[9]   You visit the earth and water it,  
          you greatly enrich it;  
     the river of God is full of water;  
          you provide the people with grain,  
          for so you have prepared it.  
[10]  You water its furrows abundantly,  
          settling its ridges,  
     softening it with showers,  
          and blessing its growth.  
[11]  You crown the year with your bounty;  
          your wagon tracks overflow with richness.  
[12]  The pastures of the wilderness overflow,  
          the hills gird themselves with joy,  
[13]  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,  
          the valleys deck themselves with grain,  
          they shout and sing together for joy.

Ruth 1:1-18

[1]In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. [2]The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. [3]But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. [4]These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, [5]both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

[6]Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. [7]So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. [8]But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. [9]The LORD grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband." Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. [10]They said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." [11]But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?
[12]Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband.
Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, [13]would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the LORD has turned against me."
[14]Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

[15]So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." [16]But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. [17]Where you die, I will die - there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!"
[18]When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Job 40:1; 41:1-11

[1]And the LORD said to Job: 

[1]"Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down its tongue with a cord? [2]Can you put a rope in its nose, or pierce its jaw with a hook? [3]Will it make many supplications to you? Will it speak soft words to you? [4]Will it make a covenant with you to be taken as your servant forever? [5]Will you play with it as with a bird, or will you put it on leash for your girls? [6]Will traders bargain over it? Will they divide it up among the merchants? [7]Can you fill its skin with harpoons, or its head with fishing spears? [8]Lay hands on it; think of the battle; you will not do it again! [9]Any hope of capturing it will be disappointed; were not even the gods overwhelmed at the sight of it? [10]No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up. Who can stand before it? [11]Who can confront it and be safe? - under the whole heaven, who? 

  

Job 40:1-24

[1]And the LORD said to Job: [2]"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Anyone who argues with God must respond."

[3]Then Job answered the LORD: [4]"See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. [5]I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but will proceed no further."

[6]Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: [7]"Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you declare to me. [8]Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified? [9]Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?

[10]"Deck yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. [11]Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on all who are proud, and abase them. [12]Look on all who are proud, and bring them low; tread down the wicked where they stand. [13]Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below. [14]Then I will also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can give you victory.

[15]"Look at Behemoth, which I made just as I made you; it eats grass like an ox. [16]Its strength is in its loins, and its power in the muscles of its belly. [17]It makes its tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are knit together. [18]Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like bars of iron.

[19]"It is the first of the great acts of God - only its Maker can approach it with the sword. [20]For the mountains yield food for it where all the wild animals play. [21]Under the lotus plants it lies, in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh. [22]The lotus trees cover it for shade; the willows of the wadi surround it. [23]Even if the river is turbulent, it is not frightened; it is confident though Jordan rushes against its mouth. [24]Can one take it with hooks or pierce its nose with a snare?

Job 38:1-17

[1]Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: [2]"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? [3]Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.  

[4]"Where were you when I laid the foundation 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]On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone [7]when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? 

[8]"Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb? - [9]when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, [10]and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, [11]and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'? 

[12]"Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, [13]so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? [14]It is changed like clay under the seal, and it is dyed like a garment. [15]Light is withheld from the wicked, and their uplifted arm is broken. 

[16]"Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? [17]Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 

Job 29:1-20

[1]Job again took up his discourse and said: [2]"Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; [3]when his lamp shone over my head, and by his light I walked through darkness; [4]when I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent; [5]when the Almighty was still with me, when my children were around me; [6]when my steps were washed with milk, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil! [7]When I went out to the gate of the city, when I took my seat in the square, [8]the young men saw me and withdrew, and the aged rose up and stood; [9]the nobles refrained from talking, and laid their hands on their mouths; [10]the voices of princes were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. [11]When the ear heard, it commended me, and when the eye saw, it approved; [12]because I delivered the poor who cried, and the orphan who had no helper. [13]The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. [14]I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. [15]I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. [16]I was a father to the needy, and I championed the cause of the stranger. [17]I broke the fangs of the unrighteous, and made them drop their prey from their teeth. [18]Then I thought, 'I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days like the phoenix; [19]my roots spread out to the waters, with the dew all night on my branches; [20]my glory was fresh with me, and my bow ever new in my hand.'"

  

Job 32:1-10, 32:19-33:1, 33:19-28

[1]So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. [2]Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became angry. He was angry at Job because he justified himself rather than God; [3]he was angry also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, though they had declared Job to be in the wrong. [4]Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were older than he. [5]But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, he became angry.

[6]Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered: "I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. [7]I said, 'Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.' [8]But truly it is the spirit in a mortal, the breath of the Almighty, that makes for understanding.

[9]It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right. [10]Therefore I say, 'Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.'

[19]My heart is indeed like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins, it is ready to burst. [20]I must speak, so that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer. [21]I will not show partiality to any person or use flattery toward anyone. [22]For I do not know how to flatter - or my Maker would soon put an end to me!

[1]"But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words.

[19]They are also chastened with pain upon their beds, and with continual strife in their bones, [20]so that their lives loathe bread, and their appetites dainty food. [21]Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen; and their bones, once invisible, now stick out. [22]Their souls draw near the Pit, and their lives to those who bring death. [23]Then, if there should be for one of them an angel, a mediator, one of a thousand, one who declares a person upright, [24]and he is gracious to that person, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the Pit; I have found a ransom; [25]let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.' [26]Then he prays to God, and is accepted by him, he comes into his presence with joy, and God repays him for his righteousness. [27]That person sings to others and says, 'I sinned, and perverted what was right, and it was not paid back to me. [28]He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and my life shall see the light.'

 

Proverbs 21:30-22:6

[30] No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the LORD.

[31] The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

[1] A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

[2] The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.

[3] The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on, and suffer for it.

[4] The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.

[5] Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; the cautious will keep far from them.

[6] Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

[1]For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:


[2]a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck
up what is planted; 

[3]a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to
build up; 

[4]a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

[5]a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time
to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 

[6]a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw
away; 

[7]a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to
speak; 

[8]a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 

[9]What gain have the workers from their toil? [10]I have seen the business
that God has given to everyone to be busy with. [11]He has made everything
suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into
their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to
the end. [12]I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and
enjoy themselves as long as they live; [13]moreover, it is God's gift that all
should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. [14]I know that
whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything
taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him.
[15]That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God
seeks out what has gone by.