Study the Word

Psalm 27

Of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me

to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the LORD,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;

be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, LORD;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 28

Of David.

1 To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock,

do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent,

I will be like those who go down to the pit.

2 Hear my cry for mercy

as I call to you for help,

as I lift up my hands

toward your Most Holy Place.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,

with those who do evil,

who speak cordially with their neighbors

but harbor malice in their hearts.

4 Repay them for their deeds

and for their evil work;

repay them for what their hands have done

and bring back on them what they deserve.

5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD

and what his hands have done,

he will tear them down

and never build them up again.

6 Praise be to the LORD,

for he has heard my cry for mercy.

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

and with my song I praise him.

8 The LORD is the strength of his people,

a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;

 be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

1 Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;

the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,

Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD strikes

with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;

the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks

and strips the forests bare.

And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;

the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to his people;

   the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 30

A psalm. A song.

For the dedication of the temple.

Of David.

1 I will exalt you, LORD,

for you lifted me out of the depths

and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 LORD my God, I called to you for help,

and you healed me.

3 You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;

you spared me from going down to the pit.

4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;

praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,

“I will never be shaken.”

7 LORD, when you favored me,

you made my royal mountain stand firm;

but when you hid your face,

I was dismayed.

8 To you, LORD, I called;

to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 “What is gained if I am silenced,

if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;

LORD, be my help.”

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

Psalm 31

For the director of music.

A psalm of David.

1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,

for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;

deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;

as for me, I trust in the LORD.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,

for you saw my affliction

and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy

but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

my soul and body with grief.

10 My life is consumed by anguish

and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction, 

and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,

I am the utter contempt of my neighbors

and an object of dread to my closest friends—

those who see me on the street flee from me.

12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;

I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear many whispering,

“Terror on every side!”

They conspire against me

and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, LORD;

I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in your hands;

deliver me from the hands of my enemies,

from those who pursue me.

16 Let your face shine on your servant;

save me in your unfailing love.

17 Let me not be put to shame, LORD,

for I have cried out to you;

but let the wicked be put to shame

and be silent in the realm of the dead.

18 Let their lying lips be silenced,

for with pride and contempt

they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How abundant are the good things

that you have stored up for those who fear you,

that you bestow in the sight of all,

on those who take refuge in you.

20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them

from all human intrigues;

you keep them safe in your dwelling

from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the LORD,

for he showed me the wonders of his love

when I was in a city under siege.

22 In my alarm I said,

“I am cut off from your sight!”

Yet you heard my cry for mercy

when I called to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!

The LORD preserves those who are true to him,

but the proud he pays back in full.

24 Be strong and take heart,

all you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.

1 Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the one

whose sin the LORD does not count against them

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night

your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not cover up my iniquity.

 I said, “I will confess

my transgressions to the LORD.”

And you forgave

the guilt of my sin.

6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you

while you may be found;

surely the rising of the mighty waters

will not reach them.

7 You are my hiding place;

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the LORD’s unfailing love

surrounds the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

2 Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

3 Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;

he is faithful in all he does.

5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars ;

he puts the deep into storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all the people of the world revere him.

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;

he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the LORD looks down

and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth—

15 he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love be with us,

LORD, even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 34

Of David.

When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

1 I will extol the LORD at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.

2 I will glory in the LORD;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;

he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them.

 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;

 blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12 Whoever of you loves life

and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from telling lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,

and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;

he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,

but the LORD delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;

the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The LORD will rescue his servants;

no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 20

1 May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary

and grant you support from Zion.

3 May he remember all your sacrifices

and accept your burnt offerings.

4 May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

5 May we shout for joy over your victory

and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the LORD grant all your requests.

6 Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

with the victorious power of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

8 They are brought to their knees and fall,

 but we rise up and stand firm.

9 LORD, give victory to the king!

Answer us when we call!

Psalm 21

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.

How great is his joy in the victories you give!

2 You have granted him his heart’s desire

and have not withheld the request of his lips.

3 You came to greet him with rich blessings

and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—

length of days, for ever and ever.

5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;

you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings

and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

7 For the king trusts in the LORD;

through the unfailing love of the Most High

he will not be shaken.

8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;

your right hand will seize your foes.

9 When you appear for battle,

you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.

The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,

and his fire will consume them.

10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,

their posterity from mankind.

11 Though they plot evil against you

and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.

12 You will make them turn their backs

when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13 Be exalted in your strength, LORD;

we will sing and praise your might.

Psalm 22

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.”

A psalm of David.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the one Israel praises.

4 In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

5 To you they cried out and were saved;

 in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say,

“let the LORD rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

since he delights in him.”

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you,

even at my mother’s breast.

10 From birth I was cast on you;

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions that tear their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted within me.

15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs surround me,

a pack of villains encircles me;

they pierce my hands and my feet.

17 All my bones are on display;

people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.

19 But you, LORD, do not be far from me.

You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver me from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;

save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my people;

in the assembly I will praise you.

23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or scorned

the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him

but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.

26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek the LORD will praise him—

may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the LORD,

and all the families of the nations

will bow down before him,

28 for dominion belongs to the LORD

and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—

those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30 Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

31 They will proclaim his righteousness,

declaring to a people yet unborn:

He has done it!

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.

5 They will receive blessing from the LORD

and vindication from God their Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, God of Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?

The LORD Almighty—

he is the King of glory.

Psalm 25

Of David.

1 In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.

2 I trust in you;

do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one who hopes in you

will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those

who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, LORD,

teach me your paths.

5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,

for they are from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you, LORD, are good.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful

toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, LORD,

forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?

He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

13 They will spend their days in prosperity,

and their descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;

he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,

for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 Relieve the troubles of my heart

and free me from my anguish.

18 Look on my affliction and my distress

and take away all my sins.

19 See how numerous are my enemies

and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;

do not let me be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,

because my hope, LORD, is in you.

22 Deliver Israel, O God,

from all their troubles!

Psalm 26

Of David.

1 Vindicate me, LORD,

for I have led a blameless life;

I have trusted in the LORD

and have not faltered.

2 Test me, LORD, and try me,

examine my heart and my mind;

3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love

and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

4 I do not sit with the deceitful,

nor do I associate with hypocrites.

5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands in innocence,

and go about your altar, LORD,

7 proclaiming aloud your praise

and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

8 LORD, I love the house where you live,

the place where your glory dwells.

9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with those who are bloodthirsty,

10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 I lead a blameless life;

deliver me and be merciful to me.

12 My feet stand on level ground;

in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.

Psalm 14

For the director of music. Of David.

1 The fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no one who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven

on all mankind

to see if there are any who understand,

any who seek God.

3 All have turned away,

all have become corrupt;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.

4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;

they never call on the LORD.

5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is present in the company of the righteous.

6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,

but the LORD is their refuge.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD restores his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The one whose walk is blameless,

who does what is righteous,

 who speaks the truth from their heart;

3 whose tongue utters no slander,

who does no wrong to a neighbor,

and casts no slur on others;

4 who despises a vile person

 but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath

even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;

5 who lends money to the poor without interest;

who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will never be shaken.

Psalm 16

A miktam of David.

1 Keep me safe, my God,

for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing.”

3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,

“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

4 Those who run after other gods

will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood

to such gods or take up their names on my lips.

5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.

With him at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

11 You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

1 Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;

listen to my cry.

Hear my prayer—

it does not rise from deceitful lips.    

2 Let my vindication come from you;

may your eyes see what is right.

3 Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night

and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil;

my mouth has not transgressed.

4 Though people tried to bribe me,

I have kept myself

from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

5 My steps have held to your paths;

my feet have not stumbled.

6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;

turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

7 Show me the wonders of your great love,

you who save by your right hand

those who take refuge in you from their foes.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10 They close up their callous hearts,

and their mouths speak with arrogance.

11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,

with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,

like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down;

with your sword rescue me from the wicked.

14 By your hand save me from such people, LORD,

from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;

may their children gorge themselves on it,

and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

Psalm 18

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD.

He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

 He said:

1 I love you, LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,

and the foundations of the mountains shook;

they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;

consuming fire came from his mouth,

burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;

dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;

he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—

 the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,

with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD,

at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;

I am not guilty of turning from my God.

22 All his laws are before me;

I have not turned away from his decrees.

23 I have been blameless before him

and have kept myself from sin.

24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26 to the pure you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

27 You save the humble

but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

28 You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.

29 With your help I can advance against a troop;

with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect:

The LORD’s word is flawless; he shield all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength

and keeps my way secure.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

he causes me to stand on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You make your saving help my shield,

and your right hand sustains me;

your help has made me great.

36 You provide a broad path for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;

they fell beneath my feet.

39 You armed me with strength for battle;

you humbled my adversaries before me.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,

and I destroyed my foes.

41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—

to the LORD, but he did not answer.

42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;

I trampled them like mud in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;

you have made me the head of nations.

People I did not know now serve me,

44 foreigners cower before me;

as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.

45 They all lose heart;

they come trembling from their strongholds.

46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!

Exalted be God my Savior!

47 He is the God who avenges me,

who subdues nations under me,

48who saves me from my enemies.

You exalted me above my foes;

from a violent man you rescued me.

49 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;

I will sing the praises of your name.

50 He gives his king great victories;

he shows unfailing love to his anointed,

to David and to his descendants forever.

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,

refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The decrees of the LORD are firm,

and all of them are righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the honeycomb.

11 By them your servant is warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

12 But who can discern their own errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 4

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

1 Answer me when I call to you,

my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress;

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods

3 Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;

the LORD hears when I call to him.

4 Tremble and do not sin;

when you are on your beds,

search your hearts and be silent.

5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous

and trust in the LORD.

6 Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”

Let the light of your face shine on us.

7 Fill my heart with joy

when their grain and new wine abound.

8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, LORD,

make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 5

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

1 Listen to my words, LORD,

consider my lament.  

2 Hear my cry for help,

my King and my God,

for to you I pray.          

3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.

4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;

with you, evil people are not welcome.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.

You hate all who do wrong;

6 you destroy those who tell lies.

The bloodthirsty and deceitful you,

LORD, detest.

7 But I, by your great love,

can come into your house;

in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness

because of my enemies—

make your way straight before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;

Their heart is filled with malice.

Their throat is an open grave;

with their tongues they tell lies.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!

Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Banish them for their many sins,

for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;

you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 6

For the director of music. With stringed instruments.

According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;

heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.

3 My soul is in deep anguish.

How long, LORD, how long?

4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

8 Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the LORD has heard my weeping.

9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

the LORD accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Psalm 7

A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

1 LORD my God, I take refuge in you;

save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

2 or they will tear me apart like a lion

and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3 LORD my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my hands—

4 if I have repaid my ally with evil

or without cause have robbed my foe—

5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground

and make me sleep in the dust.

6 Arise, LORD, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.

Awake, my God; decree justice.

7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

while you sit enthroned over them on high.

8 Let the LORD judge the peoples.

Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness,

according to my integrity, O Most High.

9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure—

you, the righteous God

who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shield is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge,

a God who displays his wrath every day.

12 If he does not relent,

he will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil

conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.

15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out

falls into the pit they have made.

16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;

their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;

I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 8

For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.

1 LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

2 Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold

against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

5 You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet:

7 all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

8 the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 9

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

1 I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

3 My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,

sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.

5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;

even the memory of them has perished.

7 The LORD reigns forever;

he has established his throne for judgment.

8 He rules the world in righteousness

and judges the peoples with equity.

9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10 Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion;

proclaim among the nations what he has done.

12 For he who avenges blood remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

13 LORD, see how my enemies persecute me!

Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

14 that I may declare your praises

in the gates of Daughter Zion,

and there rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

16 The LORD is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,

all the nations that forget God.

18 But God will never forget the needy;

the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

19 Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph;

let the nations be judged in your presence.

20 Strike them with terror, LORD;

let the nations know they are only mortal.

Psalm 10

1 Why, LORD, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;

 he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

5 His ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected by him;

he sneers at all his enemies.

6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”

He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”

7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;

trouble and evil are under his tongue.

8 He lies in wait near the villages;

from ambush he murders the innocent.

His eyes watch in secret for his victims;

9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.

He lies in wait to catch the helpless;

he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;

they fall under his strength.

11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;

he covers his face and never sees.”

12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.

Do not forget the helpless.

13 Why does the wicked man revile God?

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?

14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

     The victims commit themselves to you;

you are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked man;

call the evildoer to account for his wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

16 The LORD is King for ever and ever;

the nations will perish from his land.

17 You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

1 In the LORD I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

“Flee like a bird to your mountain.

2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;

they set their arrows against the strings

to shoot from the shadows

at the upright in heart.

3 When the foundations are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

4 The LORD is in his holy temple;

the LORD is on his heavenly throne.

He observes everyone on earth;

his eyes examine them.

5 The LORD examines the righteous,

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.

6 On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulfur;

a scorching wind will be their lot.

7 For the LORD is righteous,

he loves justice;

the upright will see his face.

Psalm 12

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore;

those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;

they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.

3 May the LORD silence all flattering lips

and every boastful tongue—

4 those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail;

our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

5 “Because the poor are plundered

and the needy groan,

I will now arise,” says the LORD.

“I will protect them from those who malign them.”

6 And the words of the LORD are flawless,

like silver purified in a crucible,

like gold refined seven times.

7 You, LORD, will keep the needy safe

and will protect us forever from the wicked,

8 who freely strut about

when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

 5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6  I will sing the LORD’s praise,

for he has been good to me.

Job 40

1 The LORD said to Job:

2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Let him who accuses God answer him!”

3 Then Job answered the LORD:         

4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—

twice, but I will say no more.”

6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:

7 “Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

8 “Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

9 Do you have an arm like God’s,

 and can your voice thunder like his?

10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,

and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,

look at all who are proud and bring them low,

12 look at all who are proud and humble them,

crush the wicked where they stand.

13 Bury them all in the dust together;

shroud their faces in the grave.

14 Then I myself will admit to you

that your own right hand can save you.

15 “Look at Behemoth,

which I made along with you

and which feeds on grass like an ox.

16 What strength it has in its loins,

what power in the muscles of its belly!

17 Its tail sways like a cedar;

the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.

18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,

its limbs like rods of iron.

19 It ranks first among the works of God,

yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.

20 The hills bring it their produce,

and all the wild animals play nearby.

21 Under the lotus plants it lies,

hidden among the reeds in the marsh.

22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;

the poplars by the stream surround it.

23 A raging river does not alarm it;

it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.

24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,

or trap it and pierce its nose?

Job 41

1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook

or tie down its tongue with a rope?

2 Can you put a cord through its nose

or pierce its jaw with a hook?

3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?

Will it speak to you with gentle words?

4 Will it make an agreement with you

for you to take it as your slave for life?

5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird or

put it on a leash for the young women in your house?

6 Will traders barter for it?

Will they divide it up among the merchants?

7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons

or its head with fishing spears?

8 If you lay a hand on it,

you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

9 Any hope of subduing it is false;

the mere sight of it is overpowering.

10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.

Who then is able to stand against me?

11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?

Everything under heaven belongs to me.

12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,

its strength and its graceful form.

13 Who can strip off its outer coat?

Who can penetrate its double coat of armor ?

14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,

ringed about with fearsome teeth?

15 Its back has rows of shields

tightly sealed together;

16 each is so close to the next

that no air can pass between.

17 They are joined fast to one another;

they cling together and cannot be parted.

18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;

its eyes are like the rays of dawn.

19 Flames stream from its mouth;

sparks of fire shoot out.

20 Smoke pours from its nostrils

as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.

21 Its breath sets coals ablaze,

and flames dart from its mouth.

22 Strength resides in its neck;

dismay goes before it.

23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;

 they are firm and immovable.

24 Its chest is hard as rock,

hard as a lower millstone.

25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;

they retreat before its thrashing.

26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,

nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.

27 Iron it treats like straw

and bronze like rotten wood.

28 Arrows do not make it flee;

slingstones are like chaff to it.

29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;

it laughs at the rattling of the lance.

30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,

leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron

and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;

one would think the deep had white hair.

33 Nothing on earth is its equal—

a creature without fear.

34 It looks down on all that are haughty;

it is king over all that are proud.”

Job 42

Job

1 Then Job replied to the LORD:

2 “I know that you can do all things;

no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me to know.

4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.’

5 My ears had heard of you

but now my eyes have seen you.

6 Therefore I despise myself

and repent in dust and ashes.”

Epilogue

7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.  

Psalms

Psalm 1

BOOK I

Psalms 1–41

1 Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

    against the LORD

and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;

today I have become your father.

8 Ask me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron ;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear

and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry

and your way will lead to your destruction,

    for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

 Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 LORD, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

4 I call out to the LORD,

and he answers me from his holy mountain.

 5 I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands

assail me on every side.

7 Arise, LORD!

Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

 break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the LORD comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people.

Job 35

1 Then Elihu said:

2 “Do you think this is just?

You say, ‘I am in the right, not God.’

3 Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,

and what do I gain by not sinning?’

4 “I would like to reply to you

and to your friends with you.

5 Look up at the heavens and see;

gaze at the clouds so high above you.

6 If you sin, how does that affect him?

If your sins are many, what does that 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 only affects humans like yourself,

and your righteousness only other people.

9 “People cry out under a load of oppression;

they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.

10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,

who gives songs in the night,

11 who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth

and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’

12 He does not answer when people cry out

because of the arrogance of the wicked.

13 Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;

the Almighty pays no attention to it.

14 How much less, then, will he listen

when you say that you do not see him,

that your case is before him

and you must wait for him,

15 and further, that his anger never punishes

and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.

16 So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;

without knowledge he multiplies words.”

Job 36

1 Elihu continued:

2 “Bear with me a little longer

and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.

3 I get my knowledge from afar;

I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

4 Be assured that my words are not false;

one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

5 “God is mighty, but despises no one;

he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

6 He does not keep the wicked alive

but gives the afflicted their rights.

7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous;

he enthrones them with kings

and exalts them forever.

8 But if people are bound in chains,

held fast by cords of affliction,

 9 he tells them what they have done—

 that they have sinned arrogantly.

10 He makes them listen to correction

and commands them to repent of their evil.

11 If they obey and serve him,

they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity

and their years in contentment.

12 But if they do not listen,

they will perish by the sword

and die without knowledge.

13 “The godless in heart harbor resentment;

even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

14 They die in their youth,

among male prostitutes of the shrines.

15 But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;

he speaks to them in their affliction.

16 “He is wooing you from the jaws of distress

to a spacious place free from restriction,

 to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;

judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches;

do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

19 Would your wealth

or even all your mighty efforts

sustain you so you would not be in distress?

20 Do not long for the night,

to drag people away from their homes.

21 Beware of turning to evil,

which you seem to prefer to affliction.

22 “God is exalted in his power.

Who is a teacher like him?

23 Who has prescribed his ways for him,

or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

24 Remember to extol his work,

which people have praised in song.

25 All humanity has seen it;

mortals gaze on it from afar.

26 How great is God—beyond our understanding!

The number of his years is past finding out.

27 “He draws up the drops of water,

which distill as rain to the streams;

28 the clouds pour down their moisture

and abundant showers fall on mankind.

29 Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,

how he thunders from his pavilion?

30 See how he scatters his lightning about him,

bathing the depths of the sea.

31 This is the way he governs the nations

and provides food in abundance.

32 He fills his hands with lightning

and commands it to strike its mark.

33 His thunder announces the coming storm;

even the cattle make known its approach.

Job 37

1 “At this my heart pounds

and leaps from its place.

2 Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,

to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

3 He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

4 After that comes the sound of his roar;

he thunders with his majestic voice.

When his voice resounds,

he holds nothing back.

5 God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;

he does great things beyond our understanding.

6 He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’

and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

7 So that everyone he has made may know his work,

he stops all people from their labor.

8 The animals take cover;

they remain in their dens.

9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,

the cold from the driving winds.

10 The breath of God produces ice,

and the broad waters become frozen.

11 He loads the clouds with moisture;

he scatters his lightning through them.

12 At his direction they swirl around

over the face of the whole earth

to do whatever he commands them.

13 He brings the clouds to punish people,

or to water his earth and show his love.

14 “Listen to this, Job;

stop and consider God’s wonders.

15 Do you know how God controls the clouds

and makes his lightning flash?

16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,

those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?

17 You who swelter in your clothes

when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,

hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

19 “Tell us what we should say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

20 Should he be told that I want to speak?

Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?

21 Now no one can look at the sun,

bright as it is in the skies

after the wind has swept them clean.

22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;

God comes in awesome majesty.

23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;

in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24 Therefore, people revere him,

for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”

Job 38

The LORD Speaks

1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

2 “Who is this that obscures my plans

with words without knowledge?

3 Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

7 while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?

8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors

when it burst forth from the womb,

9 when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10 when I fixed limits for it

and set its doors and bars in place,

11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;

here is where your proud waves halt’?

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,

or shown the dawn its place,

13 that it might take the earth by the edges

and shake the wicked out of it?

14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;

its features stand out like those of a garment.

15 The wicked are denied their light,

and their upraised arm is broken.

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?

Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?

18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

Tell me, if you know all this.

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?

And where does darkness reside?

20 Can you take them to their places?

Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

21 Surely you know, for you were already born!

You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow

or seen the storehouses of the hail,

23 which I reserve for times of trouble,

for days of war and battle?

24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,

or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,

and a path for the thunderstorm,

26 to water a land where no one lives,

an uninhabited desert,

27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland

and make it sprout with grass?

28 Does the rain have a father?

Who fathers the drops of dew?

29 From whose womb comes the ice?

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

30 when the waters become hard as stone,

when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?

Can you loosen Orion’s belt?

32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons

or lead out the Bear with its cubs?

33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?

Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds

and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?

Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36 Who gives the heart wisdom

or gives the rooster understanding?

37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?

Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

38 when the dust becomes hard

and the clods of earth stick together?

39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness

and satisfy the hunger of the lions

40 when they crouch in their dens

 or lie in wait in a thicket?

41 Who provides food for the raven

when its young cry out to God

and wander about for lack of food?

Job 39

1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?

Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?

2 Do you count the months till they bear?

Do you know the time they give birth?

3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;

their labor pains are ended.

4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;

they leave and do not return.

5 “Who let the wild donkey go free?

Who untied its ropes?

6 I gave it the wasteland as its home,

the salt flats as its habitat.

 7 It laughs at the commotion in the town;

it does not hear a driver’s shout.

8 It ranges the hills for its pasture

and searches for any green thing.

9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you?

Will it stay by your manger at night?

10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?

Will it till the valleys behind you?

11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?

 Will you leave your heavy work to it?

12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain

and bring it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,

though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork.

14 She lays her eggs on the ground

 and lets them warm in the sand,

15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,

that some wild animal may trample them.

16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;

she cares not that her labor was in vain,

17 for God did not endow her with wisdom

or give her a share of good sense.

18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,

she laughs at horse and rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its strength

or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?

20 Do you make it leap like a locust,

striking terror with its proud snorting?

21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,

and charges into the fray.

22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;

it does not shy away from the sword.

23 The quiver rattles against its side,

along with the flashing spear and lance.

24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;

it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.

25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’

It catches the scent of battle from afar,

the shout of commanders and the battle cry.

26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom

and spread its wings toward the south?

27 Does the eagle soar at your command

and build its nest on high?

28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;

a rocky crag is its stronghold.

29 From there it looks for food;

 its eyes detect it from afar.

30 Its young ones feast on blood,

and where the slain are, there it is.”

Job 30

1 “But now they mock me,

men younger than I,

whose fathers I would have disdained

 to put with my sheep dogs.

2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,

since their vigor had gone from them?

3 Haggard from want and hunger,

they roamed the parched land

in desolate wastelands at night.

4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,

and their food was the root of the broom bush.

5 They were banished from human society,

shouted at as if they were thieves.

6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,

among the rocks and in holes in the ground.

7 They brayed among the bushes

and huddled in the undergrowth.

8 A base and nameless brood,

they were driven out of the land.

9 “And now those young men mock me in song;

I have become a byword among them.

10 They detest me and keep their distance;

they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

11 Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me,

they throw off restraint in my presence.

12 On my right the tribe attacks;

they lay snares for my feet,

they build their siege ramps against me.

13 They break up my road;

they succeed in destroying me.

‘No one can help him,’ they say.

14 They advance as through a gaping breach;

amid the ruins they come rolling in.

15 Terrors overwhelm me;

my dignity is driven away as by the wind,

my safety vanishes like a cloud.

16 “And now my life ebbs away;

days of suffering grip me.

17 Night pierces my bones;

my gnawing pains never rest.

18 In his great power God becomes like clothing to me ;

he binds me like the neck of my garment.

19 He throws me into the mud,

and I am reduced to dust and ashes.

20 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer;

I stand up, but you merely look at me.

21 You turn on me ruthlessly;

with the might of your hand you attack me.

22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;

 you toss me about in the storm.

23 I know you will bring me down to death,

to the place appointed for all the living.

24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man

when he cries for help in his distress.

5 Have I not wept for those in trouble?

Has not my soul grieved for the poor?

26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;

when I looked for light, then came darkness.

27 The churning inside me never stops;

days of suffering confront me.

28 I go about blackened, but not by the sun;

 I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

29 I have become a brother of jackals,

a companion of owls.

30 My skin grows black and peels;

my body burns with fever.

31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,

and my pipe to the sound of wailing.

Job 31

1 “I made a covenant with my eyes

not to look lustfully at a young woman.

2 For what is our lot from God above,

our heritage from the Almighty on high?

3 Is it not ruin for the wicked,

disaster for those who do wrong?

4 Does he not see my ways

and count my every step?

5 “If I have walked with falsehood

or my foot has hurried after deceit—

6 let God weigh me in honest scales

and he will know that I am blameless—

7 if my steps have turned from the path,

 if my heart has been led by my eyes,

or if my hands have been defiled,

8 then may others eat what I have sown,

and may my crops be uprooted.

9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

10 then may my wife grind another man’s grain,

and may other men sleep with her.

11 For that would have been wicked,

a sin to be judged.

12 It is a fire that burns to Destruction ;

it would have uprooted my harvest.

13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female,

when they had a grievance against me,

14 what will I do when God confronts me?

What will I answer when called to account?

15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?

Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor

or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

17 if I have kept my bread to myself,

not sharing it with the fatherless—

18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,

and from my birth I guided the widow—

19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,

 or the needy without garments,

20 and their hearts did not bless me

for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,

21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,

knowing that I had influence in court,

 22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,

let it be broken off at the joint.

23 For I dreaded destruction from God,

and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

24 “If I have put my trust in gold

or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’

25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,

the fortune my hands had gained,

26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance

 or the moon moving in splendor,

27 so that my heart was secretly enticed

and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

28 then these also would be sins to be judged,

for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune

or gloated over the trouble that came to him—

30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin

by invoking a curse against their life—

31 if those of my household have never said,

‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’—

32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,

for my door was always open to the traveler—

33 if I have concealed my sin as people do,

by hiding my guilt in my heart

34 because I so feared the crowd

and so dreaded the contempt of the clans

that I kept silent and would not go outside—

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!

I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;

let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,

I would put it on like a crown.

37 I would give him an account of my every step;

I would present it to him as to a ruler.)—

38 “if my land cries out against me

and all its furrows are wet with tears,

39 if I have devoured its yield without payment

or broken the spirit of its tenants,

40 then let briers come up instead of wheat

and stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Job 32

Elihu

1 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him. 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years, and you are old;

that is why I was fearful,

not daring to tell you what I know.

7 I thought, ‘Age should speak;

advanced years should teach wisdom.’

8 But it is the spirit in a person,

the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.

9 It is not only the old who are wise,

not only the aged who understand what is right.

10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me;

I too will tell you what I know.

11 I waited while you spoke,

I listened to your reasoning;

while you were searching for words,

12 I gave you my full attention.

But not one of you has proved Job wrong;

none of you has answered his arguments.

13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;

let God, not a man, refute him.’

14 But Job has not marshaled his words against me,

and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say;

words have failed them.

16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,

now that they stand there with no reply?

17 I too will have my say;

I too will tell what I know.

18 For I am full of words,

and the spirit within me compels me;

19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,

like new wineskins ready to burst.

20 I must speak and find relief;

I must open my lips and reply.

21 I will show no partiality,

 nor will I flatter anyone;

22 for if I were skilled in flattery,

my Maker would soon take me away.

Job 33

1 “But now, Job, listen to my words;

pay attention to everything I say.

2 I am about to open my mouth;

my words are on the tip of my tongue.

3 My words come from an upright heart;

my lips sincerely speak what I know.

4 The Spirit of God has made me;

the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

5 Answer me then, if you can;

stand up and argue your case before me.

6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;

I too am a piece of clay.

7 No fear of me should alarm you,

nor should my hand be heavy on you.

8 “But you have said in my hearing—

I heard the very words—

9 ‘I am pure, I have done no wrong;

I am clean and free from sin.

10 Yet God has found fault with me;

he considers me his enemy.

11 He fastens my feet in shackles;

he keeps close watch on all my paths.’

12 “But I tell you, in this you are not right,

for God is greater than any mortal.

13 Why do you complain to him

that he responds to no one’s words ?

14 For God does speak—now one way, now another—

 though no one perceives it.

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls on people

as they slumber in their beds,

16 he may speak in their ears

and terrify them with warnings,

17 to turn them from wrongdoing

 and keep them from pride,

18 to preserve them from the pit,

their lives from perishing by the sword.

19 “Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain

with constant distress in their bones,

20 so that their body finds food repulsive

and their soul loathes the choicest meal.

21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,

and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.

22 They draw near to the pit,

and their life to the messengers of death.

23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,

a messenger, one out of a thousand,

sent to tell them how to be upright,

24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,

‘Spare them from going down to the pit;

I have found a ransom for them—

25 let their flesh be renewed like a child’s;

let them be restored as in the days of their youth’—

26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,

 they will see God’s face and shout for joy;

 he will restore them to full well-being.

27 And they will go to others and say,

‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right,

 but I did not get what I deserved.

28 God has delivered me from going down to the pit,

and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’

29 “God does all these things to a person—

twice, even three times—

30 to turn them back from the pit,

that the light of life may shine on them.

31 “Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

32 If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak up, for I want to vindicate you.

33 But if not, then listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Job 34

1 Then Elihu said:

2 “Hear my words, you wise men;

listen to me, you men of learning.

3 For the ear tests words

as the tongue tastes food.

4 Let us discern for ourselves what is right;

let us learn together what is good.

5 “Job says, ‘I am innocent,

but God denies me justice.

6 Although I am right, I am considered a liar;

although I am guiltless,

his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’

7 Is there anyone like Job,

who drinks scorn like water?

8 He keeps company with evildoers;

he associates with the wicked.

9 For he says, ‘There is no profit

in trying to please God.’

10 “So listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be it from God to do evil,

from the Almighty to do wrong.

11 He repays everyone for what they have done;

he brings on them what their conduct deserves.

12 It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,

that the Almighty would pervert justice.

13 Who appointed him over the earth?

Who put him in charge of the whole world?

14 If it were his intention

and he withdrew his spirit and breath,

15 all humanity would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

16 “If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17 Can someone who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

18 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’

and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

19 who shows no partiality to princes

and does not favor the rich over the poor,

 for they are all the work of his hands?

20 They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;

the people are shaken and they pass away;

the mighty are removed without human hand.

21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals;

he sees their every step.

22 There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness,

where evildoers can hide.

23 God has no need to examine people further,

that they should come before him for judgment.

24 Without inquiry he shatters the mighty

and sets up others in their place.

25 Because he takes note of their deeds,

he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.

26 He punishes them for their wickedness

where everyone can see them,

27 because they turned from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways.

28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,

so that he heard the cry of the needy.

29 But if he remains silent, who can condemn him?

If he hides his face, who can see him?

Yet he is over individual and nation alike,

30 to keep the godless from ruling,

from laying snares for the people.

31 “Suppose someone says to God,

 ‘I am guilty but will offend no more.

32 Teach me what I cannot see;

if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’

33 Should God then reward you on your terms,

when you refuse to repent?

You must decide, not I;

so tell me what you know.

34 “Men of understanding declare,

wise men who hear me say to me,

35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;

his words lack insight.’

36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost

for answering like a wicked man!

37 To his sin he adds rebellion;

scornfully he claps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”

Job 24

1 “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment?

Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?  

2 There are those who move boundary stones;

they pasture flocks they have stolen.

3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey

and take the widow’s ox in pledge.

4 They thrust the needy from the path and force all the poor of the land

into hiding.

5 Like wild donkeys in the desert,

the poor go about their labor of foraging food;

the wasteland provides food for their children.

6 They gather fodder in the fields

and glean in the vineyards of the wicked.

7 Lacking clothes, they spend the night naked;

they have nothing to cover themselves in the cold.

8 They are drenched by mountain rains

and hug the rocks for lack of shelter.

9 The fatherless child is snatched from the breast;

the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

10 Lacking clothes, they go about naked;

they carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.

11 They crush olives among the terraces ;

they tread the winepresses, yet suffer thirst.

12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,

and the souls of the wounded cry out for help.

But God charges no one with wrongdoing.

13 “There are those who rebel against the light,

who do not know its ways or stay in its paths.

14 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up,

kills the poor and needy,

and in the night steals forth like a thief.

15 The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk;

he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’

and he keeps his face concealed.

16 In the dark, thieves break into houses,

 but by day they shut themselves in;

they want nothing to do with the light.

17 For all of them, midnight is their morning;

they make friends with the terrors of darkness.

18 “Yet they are foam on the surface of the water;

their portion of the land is cursed,

so that no one goes to the vineyards.

19 As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow,

so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.

20 The womb forgets them,

the worm feasts on them;

the wicked are no longer remembered

but are broken like a tree.

21 They prey on the barren and childless woman,

and to the widow they show no kindness.

22 But God drags away the mighty by his power;

though they become established, they have no assurance of life.

23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security,

but his eyes are on their ways.

24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone;

they are brought low and gathered up like all others;

they are cut off like heads of grain.

25 “If this is not so, who can prove me false

and reduce my words to nothing?”

Job 25

Bildad

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;

he establishes order in the heights of heaven.

3 Can his forces be numbered?

On whom does his light not rise?

4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?

How can one born of woman be pure?

5 If even the moon is not bright

and the stars are not pure in his eyes,

6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—

a human being, who is only a worm!”

Job 26

Job

1 Then Job replied:

 2 “How you have helped the powerless!

How you have saved the arm that is feeble!

3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!

And what great insight you have displayed!

4 Who has helped you utter these words?

And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?

5 “The dead are in deep anguish,

those beneath the waters and all that live in them.

6 The realm of the dead is naked before God;

Destruction lies uncovered.

7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;

he suspends the earth over nothing.

8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,

yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.

9 He covers the face of the full moon,

spreading his clouds over it.

10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters

for a boundary between light and darkness.

11 The pillars of the heavens quake,

aghast at his rebuke.

12 By his power he churned up the sea;

by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.

13 By his breath the skies became fair;

his hand pierced the gliding serpent.

14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;

how faint the whisper we hear of him!

Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”

Job 27

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

1 And Job continued his discourse:

2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,

the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,

3 as long as I have life within me,

the breath of God in my nostrils,

4 my lips will not say anything wicked,

and my tongue will not utter lies.

5 I will never admit you are in the right;

till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;

my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,

my adversary like the unjust!

8 For what hope have the godless when they are cut off,

when God takes away their life?

9 Does God listen to their cry

when distress comes upon them?

10 Will they find delight in the Almighty?

Will they call on God at all times?

11 “I will teach you about the power of God;

the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.

12 You have all seen this yourselves.

Why then this meaningless talk?

13 “Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,

 the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:

14 However many his children, their fate is the sword;

his offspring will never have enough to eat.

15 The plague will bury those who survive him,

and their widows will not weep for them.

16 Though he heaps up silver like dust

and clothes like piles of clay,

17 what he lays up the righteous will wear,

and the innocent will divide his silver.

18 The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,

like a hut made by a watchman.

19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;

when he opens his eyes, all is gone.

20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;

a tempest snatches him away in the night.

21 The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;

it sweeps him out of his place.

22 It hurls itself against him without mercy

as he flees headlong from its power.

23 It claps its hands in derision

and hisses him out of his place.”

Job 28

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found

1 There is a mine for silver

and a place where gold is refined.

 2 Iron is taken from the earth,

and copper is smelted from ore.

3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;

 they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.

 4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,

 in places untouched by human feet;

far from other people they dangle and sway.

5 The earth, from which food comes,

is transformed below as by fire;

6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,

and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,

no falcon’s eye has seen it.

8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,

 and no lion prowls there.

9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands

 and lay bare the roots of the mountains.

10 They tunnel through the rock;

their eyes see all its treasures.

11 They search the sources of the rivers

and bring hidden things to light.

12 But where can wisdom be found?

Where does understanding dwell?

13 No mortal comprehends its worth;

it cannot be found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, “It is not in me”;

the sea says, “It is not with me.”

15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,

nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,

with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,

nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;

the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;

it cannot be bought with pure gold.

20 Where then does wisdom come from?

Where does understanding dwell?

21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,

concealed even from the birds in the sky.

22 Destruction and Death say,

“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”

23 God understands the way to it

and he alone knows where it dwells,

24 for he views the ends of the earth

and sees everything under the heavens.

25 When he established the force of the wind

and measured out the waters,

26 when he made a decree for the rain

and a path for the thunderstorm,

 27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;

he confirmed it and tested it.

28 And he said to the human race,

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,

and to shun evil is understanding.”

Job 29

Job’s Final Defense

1 Job continued his discourse:

2 “How I long for the months gone by,

for the days when God watched over me,

3 when his lamp shone on my head

and by his light I walked through darkness!

4 Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,

when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house,

5 when the Almighty was still with me

and my children were around me,

6 when my path was drenched with cream

and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.

7 “When I went to the gate of the city

and took my seat in the public square,

8 the young men saw me and stepped aside

and the old men rose to their feet;

9 the chief men refrained from speaking

and covered their mouths with their hands;

10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,

and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,

and those who saw me commended me,

12 because I rescued the poor who cried for help,

and the fatherless who had none to assist them.

13 The one who was dying blessed me;

I made the widow’s heart sing.

14 I put on righteousness as my clothing;

 justice was my robe and my turban.

15 I was eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame.

16 I was a father to the needy;

I took up the case of the stranger.

17 I broke the fangs of the wicked

and snatched the victims from their teeth.

18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,

my days as numerous as the grains of sand.

19 My roots will reach to the water,

and the dew will lie all night on my branches.

20 My glory will not fade;

the bow will be ever new in my hand.’

21 “People listened to me expectantly,

waiting in silence for my counsel.

22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;

my words fell gently on their ears.

23 They waited for me as for showers

and drank in my words as the spring rain.

24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;

the light of my face was precious to them.

25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;

I dwelt as a king among his troops;

I was like one who comforts mourners.

Job 19

Job

1 Then Job replied:

2 “How long will you torment me

and crush me with words?

3 Ten times now you have reproached me;

shamelessly you attack me.

4 If it is true that I have gone astray,

my error remains my concern alone.

5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me

and use my humiliation against me,

6 then know that God has wronged me

and drawn his net around me.

7 “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response;

though I call for help, there is no justice.

8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;

he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

9 He has stripped me of my honor

and removed the crown from my head.

10 He tears me down on every side till I am gone;

he uproots my hope like a tree.

11 His anger burns against me;

he counts me among his enemies.

12 His troops advance in force;

they build a siege ramp against me

and encamp around my tent.

13 “He has alienated my family from me;

my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14 My relatives have gone away;

my closest friends have forgotten me.

15 My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner;

they look on me as on a stranger.

16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,

though I beg him with my own mouth.

17 My breath is offensive to my wife;

I am loathsome to my own family.

18 Even the little boys scorn me;

when I appear, they ridicule me.

19 All my intimate friends detest me;

those I love have turned against me.

20 I am nothing but skin and bones;

I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.

21 “Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,

for the hand of God has struck me.

22 Why do you pursue me as God does?

Will you never get enough of my flesh?

23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,

that they were written on a scroll,

24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,

or engraved in rock forever!

25 I know that my redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

26 And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

27 I myself will see him

with my own eyes—I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How we will hound him,

since the root of the trouble lies in him, ’

29 you should fear the sword yourselves;

for wrath will bring punishment by the sword,

and then you will know that there is judgment. ”

Job 20

Zophar

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2 “My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer

because I am greatly disturbed.

3 I hear a rebuke that dishonors me,

and my understanding inspires me to reply.

4 “Surely you know how it has been from of old,

ever since mankind was placed on the earth,

5 that the mirth of the wicked is brief,

the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

6 Though the pride of the godless person reaches to the heavens

and his head touches the clouds,

7 he will perish forever, like his own dung;

those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8 Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found,

banished like a vision of the night.

9 The eye that saw him will not see him again;

his place will look on him no more.

10 His children must make amends to the poor;

his own hands must give back his wealth.

11 The youthful vigor that fills his bones

will lie with him in the dust.

12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth

and he hides it under his tongue,

13 though he cannot bear to let it go

and lets it linger in his mouth,

14 yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;

it will become the venom of serpents within him.

15 He will spit out the riches he swallowed;

                                           God will make his stomach vomit them up.

16 He will suck the poison of serpents;

the fangs of an adder will kill him.

17 He will not enjoy the streams,

the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;

he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.

19 For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;

he has seized houses he did not build.

20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;

he cannot save himself by his treasure.

21 Nothing is left for him to devour;

his prosperity will not endure.

22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;

the full force of misery will come upon him.

23 When he has filled his belly,

God will vent his burning anger against him

and rain down his blows on him.

24 Though he flees from an iron weapon,

a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.

25 He pulls it out of his back,

the gleaming point out of his liver.

Terrors will come over him;

26 total darkness lies in wait for his treasures.

A fire unfanned will consume him

and devour what is left in his tent.

27 The heavens will expose his guilt;

the earth will rise up against him.

28 A flood will carry off his house,

rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.

29 Such is the fate God allots the wicked,

the heritage appointed for them by God.”

Job 21

Job

1 Then Job replied:

2 “Listen carefully to my words;

let this be the consolation you give me.

3 Bear with me while I speak,

and after I have spoken, mock on.

 4 “Is my complaint directed to a human being?

 Why should I not be impatient?

5 Look at me and be appalled;

clap your hand over your mouth.

 6 When I think about this, I am terrified;

trembling seizes my body.

7 Why do the wicked live on,

growing old and increasing in power?

8 They see their children established around them,

their offspring before their eyes.

9 Their homes are safe and free from fear;

the rod of God is not on them.

10 Their bulls never fail to breed;

their cows calve and do not miscarry.

11 They send forth their children as a flock;

 their little ones dance about.

12 They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;

they make merry to the sound of the pipe.

13 They spend their years in prosperity

and go down to the grave in peace.

14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!

We have no desire to know your ways.

15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?

What would we gain by praying to him?’

16 But their prosperity is not in their own hands,

so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.

17 “Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?

How often does calamity come upon them,

the fate God allots in his anger?

18 How often are they like straw before the wind,

like chaff swept away by a gale?

19 It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’

Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!

20 Let their own eyes see their destruction;

let them drink the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.

21 For what do they care about the families they leave behind

when their allotted months come to an end?

22 “Can anyone teach knowledge to God,

since he judges even the highest?

23 One person dies in full vigor,

completely secure and at ease,

24 well nourished in body,

bones rich with marrow.

25 Another dies in bitterness of soul,

never having enjoyed anything good.

26 Side by side they lie in the dust,

and worms cover them both.

27 “I know full well what you are thinking,

the schemes by which you would wrong me.

28 You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,

the tents where the wicked lived?’

29 Have you never questioned those who travel?

 Have you paid no regard to their accounts—

30 that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,

that they are delivered from the day of wrath?

31 Who denounces their conduct to their face?

Who repays them for what they have done?

32 They are carried to the grave,

and watch is kept over their tombs.

33 The soil in the valley is sweet to them;

everyone follows after them,

and a countless throng goes before them.

34 “So how can you console me with your nonsense?

 Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”

Job 22

Eliphaz

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2 “Can a man be of benefit to God?

Can even a wise person benefit him?

3 What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?

What would he gain if your ways were blameless?

4 “Is it for your piety that he rebukes you

and brings charges against you?

5 Is not your wickedness great?

Are not your sins endless?

6 You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;

you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.

7 You gave no water to the weary

and you withheld food from the hungry,

8 though you were a powerful man, owning land—

an honored man, living on it.

9 And you sent widows away empty-handed

and broke the strength of the fatherless.

10 That is why snares are all around you,

why sudden peril terrifies you,

11 why it is so dark you cannot see,

and why a flood of water covers you.

12 “Is not God in the heights of heaven?

And see how lofty are the highest stars!

13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?

Does he judge through such darkness?

14 Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us

as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’

15 Will you keep to the old path

that the wicked have trod?

16 They were carried off before their time,

their foundations washed away by a flood.

17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!

 What can the Almighty do to us?’

18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,

so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.

19 The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;

the innocent mock them, saying,

20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,

and fire devours their wealth.’

21 “Submit to God and be at peace with him;

in this way prosperity will come to you.

22 Accept instruction from his mouth

and lay up his words in your heart.

23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:

If you remove wickedness far from your tent

24 and assign your nuggets to the dust,

your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,

25 then the Almighty will be your gold,

 the choicest silver for you.

26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty

and will lift up your face to God.

27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,

and you will fulfill your vows.

28 What you decide on will be done,

and light will shine on your ways.

29 When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’

then he will save the downcast.

30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,

who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Job 23

Job

1 Then Job replied:

2 “Even today my complaint is bitter;

his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

3 If only I knew where to find him;

if only I could go to his dwelling!

 4 I would state my case before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

5 I would find out what he would answer me,

and consider what he would say to me.

6 Would he vigorously oppose me?

No, he would not press charges against me.

7 There the upright can establish their innocence before him,

and there I would be delivered forever from my judge.

8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;

if I go to the west, I do not find him.

9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;

when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

10 But he knows the way that I take;

when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

11 My feet have closely followed his steps;

I have kept to his way without turning aside.

12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

 I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?

He does whatever he pleases.

14 He carries out his decree against me,

and many such plans he still has in store.

15 That is why I am terrified before him;

when I think of all this, I fear him.

16 God has made my heart faint;

the Almighty has terrified me.

17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,

by the thick darkness that covers my face.

Job 14

1 “Mortals, born of woman,

are of few days and full of trouble.    

2 They spring up like flowers and wither away;

like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.

3 Do you fix your eye on them?

Will you bring them before you for judgment?

4 Who can bring what is pure from the impure?

No one!

5 A person’s days are determined;

you have decreed the number of his months

and have set limits he cannot exceed.

6 So look away from him and let him alone,

till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.

7 “At least there is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,

and its new shoots will not fail.

8 Its roots may grow old in the ground

and its stump die in the soil,

9 yet at the scent of water it will bud

and put forth shoots like a plant.

10 But a man dies and is laid low;

he breathes his last and is no more.

11 As the water of a lake dries up

or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,

12 so he lies down and does not rise;

till the heavens are no more, people will not awake

or be roused from their sleep.

13 “If only you would hide me in the grave

and conceal me till your anger has passed!

If only you would set me a time

and then remember me!

14 If someone dies, will they live again?

All the days of my hard service

I will wait for my renewal to come.

15 You will call and I will answer you;

you will long for the creature your hands have made.

16 Surely then you will count my steps

but not keep track of my sin.

17 My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;

you will cover over my sin.

18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles

and as a rock is moved from its place,

19 as water wears away stones

and torrents wash away the soil,

so you destroy a person’s hope.

20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;

you change their countenance and send them away.

21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;

if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.

22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies

and mourn only for themselves.”

Job 15

Eliphaz

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions

or fill their belly with the hot east wind?

3 Would they argue with useless words,

with speeches that have no value?

4 But you even undermine piety

and hinder devotion to God.

5 Your sin prompts your mouth;

you adopt the tongue of the crafty.

6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;

your own lips testify against you.

7 “Are you the first man ever born?

Were you brought forth before the hills?

8 Do you listen in on God’s council?

Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

9 What do you know that we do not know?

What insights do you have that we do not have?

10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side,

men even older than your father.

11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you,

words spoken gently to you?

12 Why has your heart carried you away,

and why do your eyes flash,

13 so that you vent your rage against God

and pour out such words from your mouth?

14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,

or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?

15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,

if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,

16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,

who drink up evil like water!

17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;

let me tell you what I have seen,

18 what the wise have declared,

hiding nothing received from their ancestors

19 (to whom alone the land was given

when no foreigners moved among them):

20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,

the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.

21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;

when all seems well, marauders attack him.

22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;

he is marked for the sword.

23 He wanders about for food like a vulture;

he knows the day of darkness is at hand.

24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror;

troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,

25 because he shakes his fist at God

and vaunts himself against the Almighty,

26 defiantly charging against him

with a thick, strong shield.

27 “Though his face is covered with fat

and his waist bulges with flesh,

28 he will inhabit ruined towns

and houses where no one lives,

houses crumbling to rubble.

29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,

nor will his possessions spread over the land.

30 He will not escape the darkness;

a flame will wither his shoots,

and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless,

for he will get nothing in return.

32 Before his time he will wither,

and his branches will not flourish.

33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,

like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.

34 For the company of the godless will be barren,

and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.

35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil;

their womb fashions deceit.”

Job 16

Job

1 Then Job replied:

2 “I have heard many things like these;

you are miserable comforters, all of you!

3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?

What ails you that you keep on arguing?

4 I also could speak like you,

if you were in my place;

I could make fine speeches against you

and shake my head at you.

5 But my mouth would encourage you;

comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;

and if I refrain, it does not go away.

7 Surely, God, you have worn me out;

you have devastated my entire household.

8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;

my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.

9 God assails me and tears me in his anger

and gnashes his teeth at me;

my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.

10 People open their mouths to jeer at me;

they strike my cheek in scorn

and unite together against me.

11 God has turned me over to the ungodly

and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.

12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;

he seized me by the neck and crushed me.

He has made me his target;

13 his archers surround me.

Without pity, he pierces my kidneys

and spills my gall on the ground.

14 Again and again he bursts upon me;

he rushes at me like a warrior.

15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin

and buried my brow in the dust.

16 My face is red with weeping,

dark shadows ring my eyes;

17 yet my hands have been free of violence

and my prayer is pure.

18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;

may my cry never be laid to rest!

19 Even now my witness is in heaven;

my advocate is on high.

20 My intercessor is my friend

as my eyes pour out tears to God;

21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God

as one pleads for a friend.

22 “Only a few years will pass

before I take the path of no return.

Job 17

1 My spirit is broken,

my days are cut short,

the grave awaits me.

2 Surely mockers surround me;

my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand.

Who else will put up security for me?

4 You have closed their minds to understanding;

therefore you will not let them triumph.

5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward,

the eyes of their children will fail.

6 “God has made me a byword to everyone,

a man in whose face people spit.

7 My eyes have grown dim with grief;

my whole frame is but a shadow.

8 The upright are appalled at this;

the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways,

and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

10 “But come on, all of you, try again!

I will not find a wise man among you.

11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered.

Yet the desires of my heart

12 turn night into day;

in the face of the darkness light is near.

13 If the only home I hope for is the grave,

if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,

14 if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’

and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’

15 where then is my hope—

who can see any hope for me?

16 Will it go down to the gates of death?

Will we descend together into the dust?”

Job 18

Bildad

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2 “When will you end these speeches?

Be sensible, and then we can talk.

3 Why are we regarded as cattle

and considered stupid in your sight?

4 You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,

is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?

Or must the rocks be moved from their place?

5 “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;

the flame of his fire stops burning.

6 The light in his tent becomes dark;

the lamp beside him goes out.

7 The vigor of his step is weakened;

his own schemes throw him down.

8 His feet thrust him into a net;

he wanders into its mesh.

9 A trap seizes him by the heel;

a snare holds him fast.

10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground;

a trap lies in his path.

11 Terrors startle him on every side

and dog his every step.

12 Calamity is hungry for him;

disaster is ready for him when he falls.

13 It eats away parts of his skin;

death’s firstborn devours his limbs.

14 He is torn from the security of his tent

and marched off to the king of terrors.

15 Fire resides in his tent;

burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.

16 His roots dry up below

and his branches wither above.

17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;

he has no name in the land.

18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness

and is banished from the world.

19 He has no offspring or descendants among his people,

 no survivor where once he lived.

20 People of the west are appalled at his fate;

those of the east are seized with horror.

21 Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;

such is the place of one who does not know God.”