Genesis 19

The Doom of Sodom

19 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. ² And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” ³ Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. ⁴ Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; ⁵ and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” ⁶ But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, ⁷ and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. ⁸ Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.” ⁹ But they said, “Stand aside.” Furthermore, they said, “This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.” So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. ¹⁰ But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. ¹¹ They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.

¹² Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; ¹³ for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” ¹⁴ Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

¹⁵ When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. ¹⁷ When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” ¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! ¹⁹ Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; ²⁰ now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” ²¹ He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, ²⁵ and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ²⁶ But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; ²⁸ and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹ Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived.

Lot Is Debased

³⁰ Lot went up from Zoar, and stayed in the mountains, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to stay in Zoar; and he stayed in a cave, he and his two daughters. ³¹ Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. ³² Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father.” ³³ So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. ³⁴ On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father.” ³⁵ So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. ³⁶ Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. ³⁷ The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. ³⁸ As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.

Genesis 20

Abraham’s Treachery

20 Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar. ² Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.” ⁴ Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless? ⁵ Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” ⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

⁸ So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened. ⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” ¹⁰ And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?” ¹¹ Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. ¹² Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife; ¹³ and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” ¹⁴ Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him. ¹⁵ Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please.” ¹⁶ To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.” ¹⁷ Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children. ¹⁸ For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Genesis 21

Isaac Is Born

21 Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. ² So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. ³ Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. ⁴ Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵ Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

⁹ Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰ Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” ¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. ¹³ And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” ¹⁴ So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. ¹⁷ God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. ¹⁸ Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” ¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.

²⁰ God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. ²¹ He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Covenant with Abimelech

²² Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; ²³ now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.” ²⁴ Abraham said, “I swear it.” ²⁵ But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. ²⁶ And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it until today.”

²⁷ Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. ²⁸ Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹ Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” ³⁰ He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” ³¹ Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. ³² So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. ³⁴ And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

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Genesis 16

Sarai and Hagar

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. ⁴ He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. ⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” ⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

⁷ Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. ⁸ He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” ⁹ Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” ¹⁰ Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” ¹¹ The angel of the Lord said to her further,

“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.
¹² “He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” ¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Genesis 17

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

17 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.
² “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

³ Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
⁵ “No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. ⁷ I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. ⁸ I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

⁹ God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. ¹² And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. ¹³ A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵ Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” ¹⁹ But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” ²² When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

²³ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. ²⁴ Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵ And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶ In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. ²⁷ All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Genesis 18

Birth of Isaac Promised

18 Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. ² When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, ³ and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; ⁵ and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” ⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” ⁷ Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰ He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. ¹² Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” ¹³ And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵ Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

¹⁶ Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. ¹⁷ The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸ since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? ¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” ²⁰ And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. ²¹ I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ²³ Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” ²⁶ So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.” ²⁷ And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” ³¹ And he said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” ³² Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” ³³ As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

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

Genesis 12

Abram Journeys to Egypt

12 Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
² And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
³ And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. ⁶ Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. ⁸ Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. ¹¹ It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; ¹² and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. ¹³ Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” ¹⁴ It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. ¹⁸ Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” ²⁰ Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.

Genesis 13

Abram and Lot

13 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

² Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. ³ He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. ⁵ Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. ⁷ And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” ¹⁰ Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. ¹² Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. ¹⁶ I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. ¹⁷ Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Genesis 14

War of the Kings

14 And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, ² that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³ All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ⁴ Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. ⁵ In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, ⁶ and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. ⁷ Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. ⁸ And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, ⁹ against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. ¹⁰ Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. ¹¹ Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. ¹² They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.

¹³ Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. ¹⁴ When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. ¹⁶ He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

God’s Promise to Abram

¹⁷ Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). ¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ He blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

He gave him a tenth of all. ²¹ The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.” ²² Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ²⁴ I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”

Genesis 15

Abram Promised a Son

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,

“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”

² Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” ⁴ Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” ⁵ And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶ Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. ⁷ And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” ⁸ He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” ⁹ So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. ¹¹ The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹² Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,

“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:

¹⁹ the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite ²⁰ and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim ²¹ and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

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 40

Job: What Can I Say?

40 Then the Lord said to Job,

² “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves God answer it.”

³ Then Job answered the Lord and said,

⁴ “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
⁵ “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”

God Questions Job

⁶ Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm and said,

⁷ “Now gird up your loins like a man;
I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
⁸ “Will you really annul My judgment?
Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
⁹ “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?

¹⁰ “Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
¹¹ “Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.
¹² “Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And tread down the wicked where they stand.
¹³ “Hide them in the dust together;
Bind them in the hidden place.
¹⁴ “Then I will also confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

¹⁵ “Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
¹⁶ “Behold now, his strength in his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
¹⁷ “He bends his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
¹⁸ “His bones are tubes of bronze;
His limbs are like bars of iron.

¹⁹ “He is the first of the ways of God;
Let his maker bring near his sword.
²⁰ “Surely the mountains bring him food,
And all the beasts of the field play there.
²¹ “Under the lotus plants he lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
²² “The lotus plants cover him with shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
²³ “If a river rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth.
²⁴ “Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,
With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?

Job 41

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

41 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
² “Can you put a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
³ “Will he make many supplications to you,
Or will he speak to you soft words?
⁴ “Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him for a servant forever?
⁵ “Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you bind him for your maidens?
⁶ “Will the traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
⁷ “Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
⁸ “Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again!
⁹ “Behold, your expectation is false;
Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?
¹⁰ “No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?
¹¹ “Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.

¹² “I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame.
¹³ “Who can strip off his outer armor?
Who can come within his double mail?
¹⁴ “Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror.
¹⁵ “His strong scales are his pride,
Shut up as with a tight seal.
¹⁶ “One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.
¹⁷ “They are joined one to another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
¹⁸ “His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
¹⁹ “Out of his mouth go burning torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth.
²⁰ “Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
²¹ “His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
²² “In his neck lodges strength,
And dismay leaps before him.
²³ “The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immovable.
²⁴ “His heart is as hard as a stone,
Even as hard as a lower millstone.
²⁵ “When he raises himself up, the mighty fear;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
²⁶ “The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.
²⁷ “He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
²⁸ “The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
²⁹ “Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
³⁰ “His underparts are like sharp potsherds;
He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire.
³¹ “He makes the depths boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
³² “Behind him he makes a wake to shine;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
³³ “Nothing on earth is like him,
One made without fear.
³⁴ “He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the sons of pride.”

Job 42

Job’s Confession

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,

² “I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
³ ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
⁴ ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
⁵ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
⁶ Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”

God Displeased with Job’s Friends

⁷ It came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. ⁸ Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job.

God Restores Job’s Fortunes

¹⁰ The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. ¹¹ Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. ¹² The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. ¹³ He had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵ In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. ¹⁶ After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. ¹⁷ And Job died, an old man and full of 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.

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 38

God Speaks Now to Job

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,

² “Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
³ “Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
⁵ Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
⁶ “On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷ When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸ “Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
⁹ When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
¹⁰ And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
¹¹ And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?

God’s Mighty Power

¹² “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
¹³ That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
¹⁴ “It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.
¹⁵ “From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the 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?
¹⁸ “Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

¹⁹ “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
²⁰ That you may take it to its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its home?
²¹ “You know, for you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
²² “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
²³ Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
²⁴ “Where is the way that the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?

²⁵ “Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
²⁶ To bring rain on a land without people,
On a desert without a man in it,
²⁷ To satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
²⁸ “Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
²⁹ “From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
³⁰ “Water becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

³¹ “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
³² “Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?
³³ “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?

³⁴ “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you?
³⁵ “Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
³⁶ “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being
Or given understanding to the mind?
³⁷ “Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
³⁸ When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?

³⁹ “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
⁴⁰ When they crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
⁴¹ “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?

Job 39

God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings

39 “Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
² “Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
³ “They kneel down, they bring forth their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
⁴ “Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.

⁵ “Who sent out the wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
⁶ To whom I gave the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
⁷ “He scorns the tumult of the city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
⁸ “He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
⁹ “Will the wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
¹⁰ “Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
¹¹ “Will you trust him because his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
¹² “Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

¹³ “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
With the pinion and plumage of love,
¹⁴ For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
¹⁵ And she forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may trample them.
¹⁶ “She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned;
¹⁷ Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
¹⁸ “When she lifts herself on high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.

¹⁹ “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
²⁰ “Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic snorting is terrible.
²¹ “He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He goes out to meet the weapons.
²² “He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
²³ “The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
²⁴ “With shaking and rage he races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
²⁵ “As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

²⁶ “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
²⁷ “Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
And makes his nest on high?
²⁸ “On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
²⁹ “From there he spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
³⁰ “His young ones also suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there is he.”

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)

Thoughts on Job

Whew!!! We did it. Tomorrow, Job will encounter God. After all the discussion about the age old problem of why do the righteous suffer, God will reveal Himself in majesty and power.

Job tries to justify himself, his three counselors charge him with sin, and Elihu’s explanations also falls short of the answer. So in Job how do we address the question of Why do the righteous suffer? What implications can we find?

After looking through a few commentaries on Job, I blended together the following thoughts:

Many people wonder why they should undergo affliction, why they should experience tragedy, heartache, and adversity. For anyone, suffering is hard to comprehend, but especially so when it strikes the undeserving. When pain does not seem to be punishment for wrongdoing, it is puzzling.

The Book of Job addresses the mystery of unmerited misery, showing that in adversity God may have other purposes besides retribution for wrongdoing.

This book also addresses the problem of attitudes in affliction. Job’s experience demonstrates that a believer, while undergoing intense agony, need not renounce God. Question Him, yes; but not deny Him.

Like Job, he may long for an explanation of his experience; but being unable to comprehend the cause of his calamity, he need not curse God. Though Job came close to doing so, he did not actually denounce God as Satan had predicted.

The Book of Job also teaches that to ask why, as Job did (3:11- 12, 16, 20), is not wrong. But to demand that God answer why, as Job also did (13:22; 19:7; 31:15), is wrong. To insist that God explain one’s adversities is inappropriate for it places man above God and challenges God’s sovereignty.

It was not until God revealed Himself in His majesty and power (chapters 38- 41) that Job, “perfect and upright” though he was, turned from his own goodness and confessed:”Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:6).

Then it was that, having seen himself to be worse than anything he had ever done, Job emerged from suffering into blessing and restoration.

Hope this helps – Jim

Job 35

Elihu Sharply Reproves Job

35 Then Elihu continued and said,

² “Do you think this is according to justice?
Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
³ “For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You?
What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’
⁴ “I will answer you,
And your friends with you.
⁵ “Look at the heavens and see;
And behold the clouds—they are higher than you.
⁶ “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?
⁷ “If you are righteous, what do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
⁸ “Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man.

⁹ “Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help because of the arm of the mighty.
¹⁰ “But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who gives songs in the night,
¹¹ Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
¹² “There they cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.
¹³ “Surely God will not listen to an empty cry,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
¹⁴ “How much less when you say you do not behold Him,
The case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
¹⁵ “And now, because He has not visited in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged transgression well,
¹⁶ So Job opens his mouth emptily;
He multiplies words without knowledge.”

Job 36

Elihu Speaks of God’s Dealings with Men

36 Then Elihu continued and said,

² “Wait for me a little, and I will show you
That there is yet more to be said in God’s behalf.
³ “I will fetch my knowledge from afar,
And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
⁴ “For truly my words are not false;
One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
⁵ “Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any;
He is mighty in strength of understanding.
⁶ “He does not keep the wicked alive,
But gives justice to the afflicted.
⁷ “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
But with kings on the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
⁸ “And if they are bound in fetters,
And are caught in the cords of affliction,
⁹ Then He declares to them their work
And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves.
¹⁰ “He opens their ear to instruction,
And commands that they return from evil.
¹¹ “If they hear and serve Him,
They will end their days in prosperity
And their years in pleasures.
¹² “But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword
And they will die without knowledge.
¹³ “But the godless in heart lay up anger;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.
¹⁴ “They die in youth,
And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes.
¹⁵ “He delivers the afflicted in their affliction,
And opens their ear in time of oppression.
¹⁶ “Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress,
Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness.

¹⁷ “But you were full of judgment on the wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
¹⁸ “Beware that wrath does not entice you to scoffing;
And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
¹⁹ “Will your riches keep you from distress,
Or all the forces of your strength?
²⁰ “Do not long for the night,
When people vanish in their place.
²¹ “Be careful, do not turn to evil,
For you have preferred this to affliction.
²² “Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a teacher like Him?
²³ “Who has appointed Him His way,
And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴ “Remember that you should exalt His work,
Of which men have sung.
²⁵ “All men have seen it;
Man beholds from afar.
²⁶ “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him;
The number of His years is unsearchable.
²⁷ “For He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from the mist,
²⁸ Which the clouds pour down,
They drip upon man abundantly.
²⁹ “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
The thundering of His pavilion?
³⁰ “Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him,
And He covers the depths of the sea.
³¹ “For by these He judges peoples;
He gives food in abundance.
³² “He covers His hands with the lightning,
And commands it to strike the mark.
³³ “Its noise declares His presence;
The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.

Job 37

Elihu Says God Is Back of the Storm

37 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
² “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
³ “Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His lightning to the ends of the earth.
⁴ “After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
⁵ “God thunders with His voice wondrously,
Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.
⁶ “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
⁷ “He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
⁸ “Then the beast goes into its lair
And remains in its den.
⁹ “Out of the south comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
¹⁰ “From the breath of God ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
¹¹ “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
¹² “It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.
¹³ “Whether for correction, or for His world,
Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

¹⁴ “Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
¹⁵ “Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
¹⁶ “Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,
¹⁷ You whose garments are hot,
When the land is still because of the south wind?
¹⁸ “Can you, with Him, spread out the skies,
Strong as a molten mirror?
¹⁹ “Teach us what we shall say to Him;
We cannot arrange our case because of darkness.
²⁰ “Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

²¹ “Now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
²² “Out of the north comes golden splendor;
Around God is awesome majesty.
²³ “The Almighty—we cannot find Him;
He is exalted in power
And He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.
²⁴ “Therefore men fear Him;
He does not regard any who are wise of heart.”

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 32

Elihu in Anger Rebukes Job

32 Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. ² But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. ³ And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. ⁴ Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. ⁵ And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.

⁶ So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said,

“I am young in years and you are old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.
⁷ “I thought age should speak,
And increased years should teach wisdom.
⁸ “But it is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.
⁹ “The abundant in years may not be wise,
Nor may elders understand justice.
¹⁰ “So I say, ‘Listen to me,
I too will tell what I think.’

¹¹ “Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings,
While you pondered what to say.
¹² “I even paid close attention to you;
Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
¹³ “Do not say,
‘We have found wisdom;
God will rout him, not man.’
¹⁴ “For he has not arranged his words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

¹⁵ “They are dismayed, they no longer answer;
Words have failed them.
¹⁶ “Shall I wait, because they do not speak,
Because they stop and no longer answer?
¹⁷ “I too will answer my share,
I also will tell my opinion.
¹⁸ “For I am full of words;
The spirit within me constrains me.
¹⁹ “Behold, my belly is like unvented wine,
Like new wineskins it is about to burst.
²⁰ “Let me speak that I may get relief;
Let me open my lips and answer.
²¹ “Let me now be partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
²² “For I do not know how to flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me away.

Job 33

Elihu Claims to Speak for God

33 “However now, Job, please hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.
² “Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my mouth speaks.
³ “My words are from the uprightness of my heart,
And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.
⁴ “The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
⁵ “Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
⁶ “Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too have been formed out of the clay.
⁷ “Behold, no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

⁸ “Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words:
⁹ ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.
¹⁰ ‘Behold, He invents pretexts against me;
He counts me as His enemy.
¹¹ ‘He puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
¹² “Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this,
For God is greater than man.

¹³ “Why do you complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
¹⁴ “Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
¹⁵ “In a dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶ Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,
¹⁷ That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And keep man from pride;
¹⁸ He keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from passing over into Sheol.

¹⁹ “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
²⁰ So that his life loathes bread,
And his soul favorite food.
²¹ “His flesh wastes away from sight,
And his bones which were not seen stick out.
²² “Then his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.

²³ “If there is an angel as mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is right for him,
²⁴ Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
‘Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom’;
²⁵ Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
²⁶ Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him,
That he may see His face with joy,
And He may restore His righteousness to man.
²⁷ “He will sing to men and say,
‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not proper for me.
²⁸ ‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life shall see the light.’

²⁹ “Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men,
³⁰ To bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
³¹ “Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
³² “Then if you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.
³³ “If not, listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Job 34

Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice

34 Then Elihu continued and said,

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who know.
³ “For the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
⁴ “Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
But God has taken away my right;
⁶ Should I lie concerning my right?
My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
⁷ “What man is like Job,
Who drinks up derision like water,
⁸ Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
⁹ “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
When he is pleased with God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
¹¹ “For He pays a man according to his work,
And makes him find it according to his way.
¹² “Surely, God will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
¹³ “Who gave Him authority over the earth?
And who has laid on Him the whole world?
¹⁴ “If He should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
¹⁵ All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

¹⁶ “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
¹⁷ “Shall one who hates justice rule?
And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
¹⁸ Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;
¹⁹ Who shows no partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands?
²⁰ “In a moment they die, and at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹ “For His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
²² “There is no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
²³ “For He does not need to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
²⁴ “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
²⁵ “Therefore He knows their works,
And He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
²⁶ “He strikes them like the wicked
In a public place,
²⁷ Because they turned aside from following Him,
And had no regard for any of His ways;
²⁸ So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might hear the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?—
³⁰ So that godless men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;
³² Teach me what I do not see;
If I have done iniquity,
I will not do it again’?
³³ “Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
³⁴ “Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
³⁵ ‘Job speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
³⁶ ‘Job ought to be tried to the limit,
Because he answers like wicked men.
³⁷ ‘For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”

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)