1 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond,
Even because of my inward agitation.
3 I listened to the reprimand which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4 Do you know this from ancient times,
From the establishment of mankind on earth,
5 That the rejoicing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless momentary?
6 Though his arrogance reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
7 He perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;
Like a vision of the night he is chased away.
9 The eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And his place no longer beholds him.
10 His sons favor the poor,
And his hands give back his wealth.
11 His bones are full of his youthful strength,
But it lies down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it in his mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows riches,
But will vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
16 He sucks the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
17 He does not look at the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 For he has oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.
20 “Because he knew no quiet within him,
He does not retain anything he desires.
21 Nothing remains for him to devour,
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
23 When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And rain it on him while he is eating.
24 He may flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
25 It is drawn and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from his gallbladder;
Terrors come upon him,
26 Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27 The heavens will reveal his guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away on the day of His anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”
1 Then Job responded,
2 “Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be your way of consolation.
3 Bear with me that I may speak;
Then after I have spoken, you may mock me.
4 As for me, is my complaint to a mortal?
Or why should I not be impatient?
5 Look at me, and be astonished,
And put your hand over your mouth.
6 Even when I remember, I am disturbed,
And horror takes hold of my flesh.
7 Why do the wicked still live,
Grow old, and also become very powerful?
8 Their descendants endure with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
9 Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
10 His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11 They send out their boys like the flock,
And their children dance.
12 They sing with the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Go away from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’
16 Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The advice of the wicked is far from me.
17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their disaster fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
18 Are they as straw before the wind,
And like chaff which the storm carries away?
19 You say, ‘God saves up a person’s wrongdoing for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 For what does he care about his household after him,
When the number of his months is at an end?
22 Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
23 One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
24 His sides are filled with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is wet,
25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
And maggots cover them.
27 “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots you devise against me.
28 For you say, ‘Where is the house of the nobleman,
And where is the tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
29 Have you not asked travelers,
And do you not examine their evidence?
30 For the wicked person is spared a day of disaster;
They are led away from a day of fury.
31 Who confronts him with his actions,
And who repays him for what he has done?
32 When he is carried to the grave,
People will keep watch over his tomb.
33 The clods of the valley will gently cover him;
Moreover, all mankind will follow after him,
While countless others go before him.
34 So how dare you give me empty comfort?
For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “Can a strong man be of use to God,
Or a wise one be useful to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or gain if you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it because of your reverence that He punishes you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
5 Is your wickedness not abundant,
And is there no end to your guilty deeds?
6 For you have seized pledges from your brothers without cause,
And stripped people naked.
7 You have given the weary no water to drink,
And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But the earth belongs to the powerful man,
And the one who is honorable dwells on it.
9 You have sent widows away empty,
And the strength of orphans has been crushed.
10 Therefore traps surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is God not in the height of heaven?
Look also at the highest stars, how high they are!
13 But you say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the ancient path
Which wicked people have walked,
16 Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were washed away by a river?
17 They said to God, ‘Go away from us!’
And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
18 Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the advice of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them, saying,
20 ‘Truly our enemies are eliminated,
And fire has consumed their abundance.’
21 “Be reconciled with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 Please receive instruction from His mouth,
And put His words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove injustice far from your tent,
24 And put your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then the Almighty will be your gold
And abundant silver to you.
26 For then you will take pleasure in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also decide something, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
29 When they have brought you low, you will speak with confidence,
And He will save the humble person.
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent,
And he will be rescued due to the cleanness of your hands.”
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Timothy,
To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are partners in our sufferings, so also you are in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, 10 who rescued us from so great a danger of death, and will rescue us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 11 if you also join in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.
11 You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.
13 Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
Hurry, Lord, to help me.
14 May those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
15 May those be appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
17 But I am afflicted and needy;
May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.
2 The rich and the poor have a common bond,
The Lord is the Maker of them all.
3 A prudent person sees evil and hides himself,
But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.
4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor, and life.
