Job 17

Job Says He Has Become a Byword

17 “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.
² “Surely mockers are with me,
And my eye gazes on their provocation.

³ “Lay down, now, a pledge for me with Yourself;
Who is there that will be my guarantor?
⁴ “For You have kept their heart from understanding,
Therefore You will not exalt them.
⁵ “He who informs against friends for a share of the spoil,
The eyes of his children also will languish.

⁶ “But He has made me a byword of the people,
And I am one at whom men spit.
⁷ “My eye has also grown dim because of grief,
And all my members are as a shadow.
⁸ “The upright will be appalled at this,
And the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.
⁹ “Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way,
And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
¹⁰ “But come again all of you now,
For I do not find a wise man among you.
¹¹ “My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
Even the wishes of my heart.
¹² “They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
¹³ “If I look for Sheol as my home,
I make my bed in the darkness;
¹⁴ If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’;
To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’;
¹⁵ Where now is my hope?
And who regards my hope?
¹⁶ “Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together go down into the dust?”

Job 18

Bildad Speaks of the Wicked

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,

² “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding and then we can talk.
³ “Why are we regarded as beasts,
As stupid in your eyes?
⁴ “O you who tear yourself in your anger—
For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,
Or the rock to be moved from its place?

⁵ “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out,
And the flame of his fire gives no light.
⁶ “The light in his tent is darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
⁷ “His vigorous stride is shortened,
And his own scheme brings him down.
⁸ “For he is thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
⁹ “A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
¹⁰ “A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.
¹¹ “All around terrors frighten him,
And harry him at every step.
¹² “His strength is famished,
And calamity is ready at his side.
¹³ “His skin is devoured by disease,
The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
¹⁴ “He is torn from the security of his tent,
And they march him before the king of terrors.
¹⁵ “There dwells in his tent nothing of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.
¹⁶ “His roots are dried below,
And his branch is cut off above.
¹⁷ “Memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
¹⁸ “He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased from the inhabited world.
¹⁹ “He has no offspring or posterity among his people,
Nor any survivor where he sojourned.
²⁰ “Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
²¹ “Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

Job 19

Job Feels Insulted

19 Then Job responded,

² “How long will you torment me
And crush me with words?
³ “These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.
⁴ “Even if I have truly erred,
My error lodges with me.
⁵ “If indeed you vaunt yourselves against me
And prove my disgrace to me,
⁶ Know then that God has wronged me
And has closed His net around me.

Everything Is against Him

⁷ “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.
⁸ “He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put darkness on my paths.
⁹ “He has stripped my honor from me
And removed the crown from my head.
¹⁰ “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.
¹¹ “He has also kindled His anger against me
And considered me as His enemy.
¹² “His troops come together,
And build up their way against me
And camp around my tent.

¹³ “He has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
¹⁴ “My relatives have failed,
And my intimate friends have forgotten me.
¹⁵ “Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
¹⁶ “I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore him with my mouth.
¹⁷ “My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
¹⁸ “Even young children despise me;
I rise up and they speak against me.
¹⁹ “All my associates abhor me,
And those I love have turned against me.
²⁰ “My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
²¹ “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me.
²² “Why do you persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

Job Says, “My Redeemer Lives”

²³ “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
²⁴ “That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!
²⁵ “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
²⁶ “Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
²⁷ Whom I myself shall behold,
And whom my eyes will see and not another.
My heart faints within me!
²⁸ “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’
And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
²⁹ “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”

Job 20

Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

² “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,
Even because of my inward agitation.
³ “I listened to the reproof which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
⁴ “Do you know this from of old,
From the establishment of man on earth,
⁵ That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless momentary?
⁶ “Though his loftiness reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
⁷ He perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
⁸ “He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;
Even like a vision of the night he is chased away.
⁹ “The eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And his place no longer beholds him.
¹⁰ “His sons favor the poor,
And his hands give back his wealth.
¹¹ “His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
But it lies down with him in the dust.

¹² “Though evil is sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
¹³ Though he desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it in his mouth,
¹⁴ Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the venom of cobras within him.
¹⁵ “He swallows riches,
But will vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
¹⁶ “He sucks the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue slays him.
¹⁷ “He does not look at the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
¹⁸ “He returns what he has attained
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
¹⁹ “For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.

²⁰ “Because he knew no quiet within him,
He does not retain anything he desires.
²¹ “Nothing remains for him to devour,
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
²² “In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
²³ “When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it on him while he is eating.
²⁴ “He may flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
²⁵ “It is drawn forth and comes out of his back,
Even the glittering point from his gall.
Terrors come upon him,
²⁶ Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
²⁷ “The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.
²⁸ “The increase of his house will depart;
His possessions will flow away in the day of His anger.
²⁹ “This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
Even the heritage decreed to him by God.”

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 14

Job Speaks of the Finality of Death

14 “Man, who is born of woman,
Is short-lived and full of turmoil.
² “Like a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.
³ “You also open Your eyes on him
And bring him into judgment with Yourself.
⁴ “Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!
⁵ “Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
⁶ “Turn Your gaze from him that he may rest,
Until he fulfills his day like a hired man.

⁷ “For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not fail.
⁸ “Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
⁹ At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant.
¹⁰ “But man dies and lies prostrate.
Man expires, and where is he?
¹¹ “As water evaporates from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dried up,
¹² So man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.

¹³ “Oh that You would hide me in Sheol,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!
¹⁴ “If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my struggle I will wait
Until my change comes.
¹⁵ “You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for the work of Your hands.
¹⁶ “For now You number my steps,
You do not observe my sin.
¹⁷ “My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You wrap up my iniquity.

¹⁸ “But the falling mountain crumbles away,
And the rock moves from its place;
¹⁹ Water wears away stones,
Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
So You destroy man’s hope.
²⁰ “You forever overpower him and he departs;
You change his appearance and send him away.
²¹ “His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.
²² “But his body pains him,
And he mourns only for himself.”

Job 15

Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

² “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
And fill himself with the east wind?
³ “Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which are not profitable?
⁴ “Indeed, you do away with reverence
And hinder meditation before God.
⁵ “For your guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of the crafty.
⁶ “Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify against you.

⁷ “Were you the first man to be born,
Or were you brought forth before the hills?
⁸ “Do you hear the secret counsel of God,
And limit wisdom to yourself?
⁹ “What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that we do not?
¹⁰ “Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
¹¹ “Are the consolations of God too small for you,
Even the word spoken gently with you?
¹² “Why does your heart carry you away?
And why do your eyes flash,
¹³ That you should turn your spirit against God
And allow such words to go out of your mouth?
¹⁴ “What is man, that he should be pure,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
¹⁵ “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
¹⁶ How much less one who is detestable and corrupt,
Man, who drinks iniquity like water!

What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

¹⁷ “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
¹⁸ What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from their fathers,
¹⁹ To whom alone the land was given,
And no alien passed among them.
²⁰ “The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.
²¹ “Sounds of terror are in his ears;
While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
²² “He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
And he is destined for the sword.
²³ “He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
²⁴ “Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
²⁵ Because he has stretched out his hand against God
And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty.
²⁶ “He rushes headlong at Him
With his massive shield.
²⁷ “For he has covered his face with his fat
And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
²⁸ “He has lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ruins.
²⁹ “He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
³⁰ “He will not escape from darkness;
The flame will wither his shoots,
And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
³¹ “Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his reward.
³² “It will be accomplished before his time,
And his palm branch will not be green.
³³ “He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.
³⁴ “For the company of the godless is barren,
And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
³⁵ “They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity,
And their mind prepares deception.”

Job 16

Job Says Friends Are Sorry Comforters

16 Then Job answered,

² “I have heard many such things;
Sorry comforters are you all.
³ “Is there no limit to windy words?
Or what plagues you that you answer?
⁴ “I too could speak like you,
If I were in your place.
I could compose words against you
And shake my head at you.
⁵ “I could strengthen you with my mouth,
And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

Job Says God Shattered Him

⁶ “If I speak, my pain is not lessened,
And if I hold back, what has left me?
⁷ “But now He has exhausted me;
You have laid waste all my company.
⁸ “You have shriveled me up,
It has become a witness;
And my leanness rises up against me,
It testifies to my face.
⁹ “His anger has torn me and hunted me down,
He has gnashed at me with His teeth;
My adversary glares at me.
¹⁰ “They have gaped at me with their mouth,
They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;
They have massed themselves against me.
¹¹ “God hands me over to ruffians
And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
¹² “I was at ease, but He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.
¹³ “His arrows surround me.
Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
¹⁴ “He breaks through me with breach after breach;
He runs at me like a warrior.
¹⁵ “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
And thrust my horn in the dust.
¹⁶ “My face is flushed from weeping,
And deep darkness is on my eyelids,
¹⁷ Although there is no violence in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And let there be no resting place for my cry.
¹⁹ “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
And my advocate is on high.
²⁰ “My friends are my scoffers;
My eye weeps to God.
²¹ “O that a man might plead with God
As a man with his neighbor!
²² “For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way of no return.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

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Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 10

Job Despairs of God’s Dealings

10 “I loathe my own life;
I will give full vent to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
² “I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
³ ‘Is it right for You indeed to oppress,
To reject the labor of Your hands,
And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?
⁴ ‘Have You eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as a man sees?
⁵ ‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,
Or Your years as man’s years,
⁶ That You should seek for my guilt
And search after my sin?
⁷ ‘According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

⁸ ‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether,
And would You destroy me?
⁹ ‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
And would You turn me into dust again?
¹⁰ ‘Did You not pour me out like milk
And curdle me like cheese;
¹¹ Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
¹² ‘You have granted me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
¹³ ‘Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
¹⁴ If I sin, then You would take note of me,
And would not acquit me of my guilt.
¹⁵ ‘If I am wicked, woe to me!
And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.
¹⁶ ‘Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your power against me.
¹⁷ ‘You renew Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
Hardship after hardship is with me.

¹⁸ ‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
¹⁹ ‘I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’
²⁰ “Would He not let my few days alone?
Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer
²¹ Before I go—and I shall not return—
To the land of darkness and deep shadow,
²² The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And which shines as the darkness.”

Job 11

Zophar Rebukes Job

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

² “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a talkative man be acquitted?
³ “Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you scoff and none rebuke?
⁴ “For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’
⁵ “But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
⁶ And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

⁷ “Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ “They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?
⁹ “Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
¹⁰ “If He passes by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?
¹¹ “For He knows false men,
And He sees iniquity without investigating.
¹² “An idiot will become intelligent
When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

¹³ “If you would direct your heart right
And spread out your hand to Him,
¹⁴ If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
¹⁵ “Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and not fear.
¹⁶ “For you would forget your trouble,
As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
¹⁷ “Your life would be brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
¹⁸ “Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
¹⁹ “You would lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would entreat your favor.
²⁰ “But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And there will be no escape for them;
And their hope is to breathe their last.”

Job 12

Job Chides His Accusers

12 Then Job responded,

² “Truly then you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!
³ “But I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And who does not know such things as these?
⁴ “I am a joke to my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and blameless man is a joke.
⁵ “He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.
⁶ “The tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure,
Whom God brings into their power.

⁷ “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;
And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
⁸ “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
⁹ “Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
¹⁰ In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
¹¹ “Does not the ear test words,
As the palate tastes its food?
¹² “Wisdom is with aged men,
Withlong life is understanding.

Job Speaks of the Power of God

¹³ “With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.
¹⁴ “Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
¹⁵ “Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up;
And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
¹⁶ “With Him are strength and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader belong to Him.
¹⁷ “He makes counselors walk barefoot
And makes fools of judges.
¹⁸ “He loosens the bond of kings
And binds their loins with a girdle.
¹⁹ “He makes priests walk barefoot
And overthrows the secure ones.
²⁰ “He deprives the trusted ones of speech
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
²¹ “He pours contempt on nobles
And loosens the belt of the strong.
²² “He reveals mysteries from the darkness
And brings the deep darkness into light.
²³ “He makes the nations great, then destroys them;
He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
²⁴ “He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
²⁵ “They grope in darkness with no light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Job 13

Job Says His Friends’ Proverbs Are Ashes

13 “Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
² “What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.

³ “But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to argue with God.
⁴ “But you smear with lies;
You are all worthless physicians.
⁵ “O that you would be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
⁶ “Please hear my argument
And listen to the contentions of my lips.
⁷ “Will you speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
⁸ “Will you show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
⁹ “Will it be well when He examines you?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?
¹⁰ “He will surely reprove you
If you secretly show partiality.
¹¹ “Will not His majesty terrify you,
And the dread of Him fall on you?
¹² “Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes,
Your defenses are defenses of clay.

Job Is Sure He Will Be Vindicated

¹³ “Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come on me what may.
¹⁴ “Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
And put my life in my hands?
¹⁵ “Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.
¹⁶ “This also will be my salvation,
For a godless man may not come before His presence.
¹⁷ “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
¹⁸ “Behold now, I have prepared my case;
I know that I will be vindicated.
¹⁹ “Who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

²⁰ “Only two things do not do to me,
Then I will not hide from Your face:
²¹ Remove Your hand from me,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.
²² “Then call, and I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
²³ “How many are my iniquities and sins?
Make known to me my rebellion and my sin.
²⁴ “Why do You hide Your face
And consider me Your enemy?
²⁵ “Will You cause a driven leaf to tremble?
Or will You pursue the dry chaff?
²⁶ “For You write bitter things against me
And make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.
²⁷ “You put my feet in the stocks
And watch all my paths;
You set a limit for the soles of my feet,
²⁸ While I am decaying like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 6

Job’s Friends Are No Help

6 Then Job answered,

² “Oh that my grief were actually weighed
And laid in the balances together with my calamity!
³ “For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
Therefore my words have been rash.
⁴ “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
Their poison my spirit drinks;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
⁵ “Does the wild donkey bray over his grass,
Or does the ox low over his fodder?
⁶ “Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
⁷ “My soul refuses to touch them;
They are like loathsome food to me.

⁸ “Oh that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my longing!
⁹ “Would that God were willing to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
¹⁰ “But it is still my consolation,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
¹¹ “What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should endure?
¹² “Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ “Is it that my help is not within me,
And that deliverance is driven from me?

¹⁴ “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵ “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi,
Like the torrents of wadis which vanish,
¹⁶ Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow melts.
¹⁷ “When they become waterless, they are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ “The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
¹⁹ “The caravans of Tema looked,
The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
²⁰ “They were disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
²¹ “Indeed, you have now become such,
You see a terror and are afraid.
²² “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will be silent;
And show me how I have erred.
²⁵ “How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
²⁶ “Do you intend to reprove my words,
When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?
²⁷ “You would even cast lots for the orphans
And barter over your friend.
²⁸ “Now please look at me,
And see if I lie to your face.
²⁹ “Desist now, let there be no injustice;
Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.
³⁰ “Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern calamities?

Job 7

Job’s Life Seems Futile

7 “Is not man forced to labor on earth,
And are not his days like the days of a hired man?
² “As a slave who pants for the shade,
And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,
³ So am I allotted months of vanity,
And nights of trouble are appointed me.
⁴ “When I lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
⁵ “My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and runs.
⁶ “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And come to an end without hope.

⁷ “Remember that my life is but breath;
My eye will not again see good.
⁸ “The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;
Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.
⁹ “When a cloud vanishes, it is gone,
So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.
¹⁰ “He will not return again to his house,
Nor will his place know him anymore.

¹¹ “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹² “Am I the sea, or the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
¹³ “If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,’
¹⁴ Then You frighten me with dreams
And terrify me by visions;
¹⁵ So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my pains.
¹⁶ “I waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
¹⁷ “What is man that You magnify him,
And that You are concerned about him,
¹⁸ That You examine him every morning
And try him every moment?
¹⁹ “Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
²⁰ “Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
O watcher of men?
Why have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
²¹ “Why then do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me, but I will not be.”

Job 8

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

² “How long will you say these things,
And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
³ “Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
⁴ “If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.
⁵ “If you would seek God
And implore the compassion of the Almighty,
⁶ If you are pure and upright,
Surely now He would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous estate.
⁷ “Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will increase greatly.

⁸ “Please inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
⁹ “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are as a shadow.
¹⁰ “Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?

¹¹ “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
¹² “While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant.
¹³ “So are the paths of all who forget God;
And the hope of the godless will perish,
¹⁴ Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a spider’s web.
¹⁵ “He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.
¹⁶ “He thrives before the sun,
And his shoots spread out over his garden.
¹⁷ “His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He grasps a house of stones.
¹⁸ “If he is removed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
¹⁹ “Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
²⁰ “Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor will He support the evildoers.
²¹ “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
²² “Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
And the tent of the wicked will be no longer.”

Job 9

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man

9 Then Job answered,

² “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?
³ “If one wished to dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
⁴ “Wise in heart and mighty in strength,
Who has defied Him without harm?
⁵ “It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
⁶ Who shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;
⁷ Who commands the sun not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
⁸ Who alone stretches out the heavens
And tramples down the waves of the sea;
⁹ Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
¹⁰ Who does great things, unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
¹¹ “Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
¹² “Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

¹³ “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.
¹⁴ “How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words before Him?
¹⁵ “For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.
¹⁶ “If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
¹⁷ “For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
¹⁸ “He will not allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with bitterness.
¹⁹ “If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
²⁰ “Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
²¹ “I am guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I despise my life.
²² “It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
²³ “If the scourge kills suddenly,
He mocks the despair of the innocent.
²⁴ “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

²⁵ “Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
²⁶ “They slip by like reed boats,
Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.
²⁷ “Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’
²⁸ I am afraid of all my pains,
I know that You will not acquit me.
²⁹ “I am accounted wicked,
Why then should I toil in vain?
³⁰ “If I should wash myself with snow
And cleanse my hands with lye,
³¹ Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.
³² “For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court together.
³³ “There is no umpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
³⁴ “Let Him remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
³⁵ “Then I would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Job 1

Job’s Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. ² Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³ His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” ⁸ The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” ⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” ¹² Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

¹³ Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ He said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

Job 2

Job Loses His Health

2 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. ² The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” ³ The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” ⁴ Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ⁵ However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” ⁶ So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

⁷ Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸ And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.

⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

¹¹ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹² When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. ¹³ Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Job 3

Job’s Lament

3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² And Job said,

³ “Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
⁴ “May that day be darkness;
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
⁵ “Let darkness and black gloom claim it;
Let a cloud settle on it;
Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
⁶ “As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
⁷ “Behold, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.
⁸ “Let those curse it who curse the day,
Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan.
⁹ “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the breaking dawn;
¹⁰ Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹ “Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
¹² “Why did the knees receive me,
And why the breasts, that I should suck?
¹³ “For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
¹⁴ With kings and with counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;
¹⁵ Or with princes who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
¹⁶ “Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.
¹⁷ “There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.
¹⁸ “The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
¹⁹ “The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.

²⁰ “Why is light given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,
²¹ Who long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
²² Who rejoice greatly,
And exult when they find the grave?
²³ “Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
²⁴ “For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries pour out like water.
²⁵ “For what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread befalls me.
²⁶ “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

Job 4

Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,

² “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But who can refrain from speaking?
³ “Behold you have admonished many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
⁴ “Your words have helped the tottering to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
⁵ “But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
It touches you, and you are dismayed.
⁶ “Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷ “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
⁸ “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
⁹ “By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.
¹⁰ “The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
¹¹ “The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

¹² “Now a word was brought to me stealthily,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
¹³ “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
¹⁴ Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made all my bones shake.
¹⁵ “Then a spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh bristled up.
¹⁶ “It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
¹⁷ ‘Can mankind be just before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
¹⁸ ‘He puts no trust even in His servants;
And against His angels He charges error.
¹⁹ ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
²⁰ ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unobserved, they perish forever.
²¹ ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, yet without wisdom.’

Job 5

God Is Just

5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
² “For anger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple.
³ “I have seen the foolish taking root,
And I cursed his abode immediately.
⁴ “His sons are far from safety,
They are even oppressed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
⁵ “His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the schemer is eager for their wealth.
⁶ “For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
⁷ For man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.

⁸ “But as for me, I would seek God,
And I would place my cause before God;
⁹ Who does great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number.
¹⁰ “He gives rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields,
¹¹ So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹² “He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
¹³ “He captures the wise by their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
¹⁴ “By day they meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
¹⁵ “But He saves from the sword of their mouth,
And the poor from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶ “So the helpless has hope,
And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.

¹⁷ “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
¹⁸ “For He inflicts pain, and gives relief;
He wounds, and His hands also heal.
¹⁹ “From six troubles He will deliver you,
Even in seven evil will not touch you.
²⁰ “In famine He will redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.
²¹ “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
²² “You will laugh at violence and famine,
And you will not be afraid of wild beasts.
²³ “For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
²⁴ “You will know that your tent is secure,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
²⁵ “You will know also that your descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth.
²⁶ “You will come to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
²⁷ “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Genesis 8

The Flood Subsides

8 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. ² Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; ³ and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased. ⁴ In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

⁶ Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; ⁷ and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. ⁸ Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; ⁹ but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. ¹⁰ So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. ¹¹ The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. ¹² Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again.

¹³ Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. ¹⁴ In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. ¹⁵ Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing of
all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ¹⁸ So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. ¹⁹ Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

²² “While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”

Genesis 9

Covenant of the Rainbow

9 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. ² The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. ³ Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. ⁴ Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. ⁵ Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

⁶ “Whoever sheds man’s blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For in the image of God
He made man.
⁷ “As for you, be fruitful and multiply;
Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. ¹¹ I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; ¹³ I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

¹⁸ Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. ¹⁹ These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

²⁰ Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. ²¹ He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. ²³ But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. ²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. ²⁵ So he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”

²⁶ He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.
²⁷ “May God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
And let Canaan be his servant.”

²⁸ Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. ²⁹ So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Genesis 10

Descendants of Noah

10 Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood.

² The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. ⁴ The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. ⁵ From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

⁶ The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. ⁷ The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. ⁸ Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” ¹⁰ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ¹¹ From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, ¹² and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. ¹³ Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim ¹⁴ and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.

¹⁵ Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth ¹⁶ and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite ¹⁷ and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite ¹⁸ and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. ¹⁹ The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. ²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.

²¹ Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born. ²² The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. ²³ The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. ²⁴ Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. ²⁵ Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. ²⁶ Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah ²⁷ and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah ²⁸ and Obal and Abimael and Sheba ²⁹ and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. ³⁰ Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. ³¹ These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.

³² These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion

11 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. ² It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. ⁴ They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

Descendants of Shem

¹⁰ These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; ¹¹ and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹² Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah; ¹³ and Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber; ¹⁵ and Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg; ¹⁷ and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu; ¹⁹ and Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; ²¹ and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters.

²² Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor; ²³ and Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah; ²⁵ and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters.

²⁶ Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

²⁷ Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. ³⁰ Sarai was barren; she had no child.

³¹ Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. ³² The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Genesis 4

Cain and Abel

4 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” ² Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. ⁴ Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; ⁵ but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” ⁸ Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! ¹⁴ Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.

¹⁶ Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. ¹⁸ Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. ¹⁹ Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give heed to my speech,
For I have killed a man for wounding me;
And a boy for striking me;
²⁴ If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

²⁵ Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” ²⁶ To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 5

Descendants of Adam

5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. ² He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

³ When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. ⁴ Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵ So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

⁶ Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh. ⁷ Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁸ So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

⁹ Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¹² Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. ²² Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

²⁵ Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. ²⁹ Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” ³⁰ Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. ³¹ So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6

The Corruption of Mankind

6 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

⁹ These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

¹³ Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. ¹⁶ You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. ¹⁸ But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. ²¹ As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” ²² Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Genesis 7

The Flood

7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. ² You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; ³ also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” ⁵ Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.

⁶ Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. ⁷ Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. ⁸ Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ there went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. ¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. ¹² The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, ¹⁴ they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. ¹⁵ So they went into the ark to Noah, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. ¹⁶ Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the Lord closed it behind him.

¹⁷ Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. ¹⁸ The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. ²⁰ The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. ²¹ All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; ²² of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. ²³ Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. ²⁴ The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

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Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

Genesis 1

The Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. ¹³ There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; ³⁰ and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. ³¹ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 2

The Creation of Man and Woman

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. ² By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. ⁵ Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. ⁶ But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. ⁸ The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. ⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. ¹⁶ The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; ¹⁷ but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” ¹⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. ²² The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. ²³ The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

²⁴ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3

The Fall of Man

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

⁸ They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
¹⁶ To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

²⁰ Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Know the Story…

Pray for an open and teachable heart as you read through God’s Word and discover His truths.

Consider keeping a journal of what you are learning.

Read the Word: Read the passages provided.

Dig Into the Word: What’s the big story behind the passage?

Implications of the Word: What are the implications of this passage for my life today?

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)