Job 29

Job’s Past Was Glorious

29 And Job again took up his discourse and said,

² “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me;
³ When His lamp shone over my head,
And by His light I walked through darkness;
⁴ As I was in the prime of my days,
When the friendship of God was over my tent;
⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were around me;
⁶ When my steps were bathed in butter,
And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
⁷ “When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the square,
⁸ The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
⁹ “The princes stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;
¹⁰ The voice of the nobles was hushed,
And their tongue stuck to their palate.
¹¹ “For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
¹² Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
¹³ “The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
¹⁴ “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
¹⁵ “I was eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.
¹⁶ “I was a father to the needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.
¹⁷ “I broke the jaws of the wicked
And snatched the prey from his teeth.
¹⁸ “Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand.
¹⁹ ‘My root is spread out to the waters,
And dew lies all night on my branch.
²⁰ ‘My glory is ever new with me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.’

²¹ “To me they listened and waited,
And kept silent for my counsel.
²² “After my words they did not speak again,
And my speech dropped on them.
²³ “They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouth as for the spring rain.
²⁴ “I smiled on them when they did not believe,
And the light of my face they did not cast down.
²⁵ “I chose a way for them and sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king among the troops,
As one who comforted the mourners.

Job 30

Job’s Present State Is Humiliating

30 “But now those younger than I mock me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
² “Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
³ “From want and famine they are gaunt
Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
⁴ Who pluck mallow by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
⁵ “They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
⁶ So that they dwell in dreadful valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
⁷ “Among the bushes they cry out;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
⁸ “Fools, even those without a name,
They were scourged from the land.

⁹ “And now I have become their taunt,
I have even become a byword to them.
¹⁰ “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not refrain from spitting at my face.
¹¹ “Because He has loosed His bowstring and afflicted me,
They have cast off the bridle before me.
¹² “On the right hand their brood arises;
They thrust aside my feet and build up against me their ways of destruction.
¹³ “They break up my path,
They profit from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
¹⁴ “As through a wide breach they come,
Amid the tempest they roll on.
¹⁵ “Terrors are turned against me;
They pursue my honor as the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

¹⁶ “And now my soul is poured out within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.
¹⁷ “At night it pierces my bones within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
¹⁸ “By a great force my garment is distorted;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
¹⁹ “He has cast me into the mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
²⁰ “I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
²¹ “You have become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You persecute me.
²² “You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
²³ “For I know that You will bring me to death
And to the house of meeting for all living.

²⁴ “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
Or in his disaster therefore cry out for help?
²⁵ “Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
²⁶ “When I expected good, then evil came;
When I waited for light, then darkness came.
²⁷ “I am seething within and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.
²⁸ “I go about mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.
²⁹ “I have become a brother to jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
³⁰ “My skin turns black on me,
And my bones burn with fever.
³¹ “Therefore my harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

Job 31

Job Asserts His Integrity

31 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
² “And what is the portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
³ “Is it not calamity to the unjust
And disaster to those who work iniquity?
⁴ “Does He not see my ways
And number all my steps?

⁵ “If I have walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
⁶ Let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.
⁷ “If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,
⁸ Let me sow and another eat,
And let my crops be uprooted.

⁹ “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
¹⁰ May my wife grind for another,
And let others kneel down over her.
¹¹ “For that would be a lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.
¹² “For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon,
And would uproot all my increase.

¹³ “If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
¹⁴ What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
¹⁵ “Did not He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶ “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
¹⁷ Or have eaten my morsel alone,
And the orphan has not shared it
¹⁸ (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from infancy I guided her),
¹⁹ If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or that the needy had no covering,
²⁰ If his loins have not thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
²¹ If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw I had support in the gate,
²² Let my shoulder fall from the socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.
²³ “For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

²⁴ “If I have put my confidence in gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
²⁵ If I have gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
²⁶ If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
²⁷ And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
²⁸ That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

²⁹ “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or exulted when evil befell him?
³⁰ “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in a curse.
³¹ “Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’?
³² “The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler.
³³ “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
³⁴ Because I feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
³⁵ “Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my signature;
Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my adversary has written,
³⁶ Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
³⁷ “I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.

³⁸ “If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
³⁹ If I have eaten its fruit without money,
Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
⁴⁰ Let briars grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

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

Job 24

Job Says God Seems to Ignore Wrongs

24 “Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?
² “Some remove the landmarks;
They seize and devour flocks.
³ “They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
⁴ “They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.
⁵ “Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness
They go forth seeking food in their activity,
As bread for their children in the desert.
⁶ “They harvest their fodder in the field
And glean the vineyard of the wicked.
⁷ “They spend the night naked, without clothing,
And have no covering against the cold.
⁸ “They are wet with the mountain rains
And hug the rock for want of a shelter.
⁹ “Others snatch the orphan from the breast,
And against the poor they take a pledge.
¹⁰ “They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
¹¹ “Within the walls they produce oil;
They tread wine presses but thirst.
¹² “From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.

¹³ “Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.
¹⁴ “The murderer arises at dawn;
He kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he is as a thief.
¹⁵ “The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me.’
And he disguises his face.
¹⁶ “In the dark they dig into houses,
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.
¹⁷ “For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

¹⁸ “They are insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth.
They do not turn toward the vineyards.
¹⁹ “Drought and heat consume the snow waters,
So does Sheol those who have sinned.
²⁰ “A mother will forget him;
The worm feeds sweetly till he is no longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken like a tree.
²¹ “He wrongs the barren woman
And does no good for the widow.
²² “But He drags off the valiant by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.
²³ “He provides them with security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.
²⁴ “They are exalted a little while, then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
²⁵ “Now if it is not so, who can prove me a liar,
And make my speech worthless?”

Job 25

Bildad Says Man Is Inferior

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

² “Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.
³ “Is there any number to His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
⁴ “How then can a man be just with God?
Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?
⁵ “If even the moon has no brightness
And the stars are not pure in His sight,
⁶ How much less man, that maggot,
And the son of man, that worm!”

Job 26

Job Rebukes Bildad

26 Then Job responded,

² “What a help you are to the weak!
How you have saved the arm without strength!
³ “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!
⁴ “To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit was expressed through you?

The Greatness of God

⁵ “The departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
⁶ “Naked is Sheol before Him,
And Abaddon has no covering.
⁷ “He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸ “He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
⁹ “He obscures the face of the full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
¹⁰ “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness.
¹¹ “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
¹² “He quieted the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
¹³ “By His breath the heavens are cleared;
His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.
¹⁴ “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

Job 27

Job Affirms His Righteousness

27 Then Job continued his discourse and said,

² “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul,
³ For as long as life is in me,
And the breath of God is in my nostrils,
⁴ My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.
⁵ “Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
⁶ “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.

The State of the Godless

⁷ “May my enemy be as the wicked
And my opponent as the unjust.
⁸ “For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires his life?
⁹ “Will God hear his cry
When distress comes upon him?
¹⁰ “Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
¹¹ “I will instruct you in the power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
¹² “Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act foolishly?

¹³ “This is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty.
¹⁴ “Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
¹⁵ “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And their widows will not be able to weep.
¹⁶ “Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
¹⁷ He may prepare it, but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
¹⁸ “He has built his house like the spider’s web,
Or as a hut which the watchman has made.
¹⁹ “He lies down rich, but never again;
He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.
²⁰ “Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
²¹ “The east wind carries him away, and he is gone,
For it whirls him away from his place.
²² “For it will hurl at him without sparing;
He will surely try to flee from its power.
²³ “Men will clap their hands at him
And will hiss him from his place.

Job 28

Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures

28 “Surely there is a mine for silver
And a place where they refine gold.
² “Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.
³ “Man puts an end to darkness,
And to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
⁴ “He sinks a shaft far from habitation,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing to and fro far from men.
⁵ “The earth, from it comes food,
And underneath it is turned up as fire.
⁶ “Its rocks are the source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
⁷ “The path no bird of prey knows,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
⁸ “The proud beasts have not trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
⁹ “He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the base.
¹⁰ “He hews out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.
¹¹ “He dams up the streams from flowing,
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

The Search for Wisdom Is Harder

¹² “But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
¹³ “Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
¹⁴ “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
¹⁵ “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
¹⁶ “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
¹⁷ “Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
¹⁸ “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
¹⁹ “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
²⁰ “Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?
²¹ “Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
²² “Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

²³ “God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
²⁴ “For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ “When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,
²⁶ When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt,
²⁷ Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
²⁸ “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

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 21

Job Says God Will Deal with the Wicked

21 Then Job answered,

² “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
³ “Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may mock.
⁴ “As for me, is my complaint to man?
And why should I not be impatient?
⁵ “Look at me, and be astonished,
And put your hand over your mouth.
⁶ “Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And horror takes hold of my flesh.
⁷ “Why do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very powerful?
⁸ “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
⁹ Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
¹⁰ “His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not abort.
¹¹ “They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.
¹² “They sing to the timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
¹³ “They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
¹⁴ “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
¹⁵ ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’
¹⁶ “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷ “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their calamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
¹⁸ “Are they as straw before the wind,
And like chaff which the storm carries away?
¹⁹ “You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
²⁰ “Let his own eyes see his decay,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
²¹ “For what does he care for his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
²² “Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
²³ “One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and satisfied;
²⁴ His sides are filled out with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is moist,
²⁵ While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
²⁶ “Together they lie down in the dust,
And worms cover them.

²⁷ “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you would wrong me.
²⁸ “For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,
And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
²⁹ “Have you not asked wayfaring men,
And do you not recognize their witness?
³⁰ “For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity;
They will be led forth at the day of fury.
³¹ “Who will confront him with his actions,
And who will repay him for what he has done?
³² “While he is carried to the grave,
Men will keep watch over his tomb.
³³ “The clods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, all men will follow after him,
While countless ones go before him.
³⁴ “How then will you vainly comfort me,
For your answers remain full offalsehood?”

Job 22

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

² “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?
³ “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
⁴ “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
⁵ “Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?
⁶ “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.
⁷ “To the weary you have given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
⁸ “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the honorable man dwells in it.
⁹ “You have sent widows away empty,
And the strength of the orphans has been crushed.
¹⁰ “Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
¹¹ Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.

¹² “Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the distant stars, how high they are!
¹³ “You say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
¹⁴ ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
¹⁵ “Will you keep to the ancient path
Which wicked men have trod,
¹⁶ Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
¹⁷ “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
¹⁸ “Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
¹⁹ “The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,
²⁰ Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their abundance the fire has consumed.’

²¹ “Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
²² “Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
²³ “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
²⁴ And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
²⁵ Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
²⁶ “For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
²⁷ “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
²⁸ “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
²⁹ “When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will save.
³⁰ “He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job 23

Job Says He Longs for God

23 Then Job replied,

² “Even today my complaint is rebellion;
His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
³ “Oh that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might come to His seat!
⁴ “I would present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
⁵ “I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.
⁶ “Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
⁷ “There the upright would reason with Him;
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

⁸ “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹ When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.
¹⁰ “But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
¹¹ “My foot has held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
¹² “I have not departed from the command of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
¹³ “But He is unique and who can turn Him?
And what His soul desires, that He does.
¹⁴ “For He performs what is appointed for me,
And many such decrees are with Him.
¹⁵ “Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.
¹⁶ “It is God who has made my heart faint,
And the Almighty who has dismayed me,
¹⁷ But I am not silenced by the darkness,
Nor deep gloom which covers me.

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 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.”

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 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.

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 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)