Day 241 of 365

¹Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

²"Dominion and fear are with him. He makes peace in his high places.

³Can his armies be counted? On whom does his light not arise?

⁴How then can man be just with God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean?

⁵Behold, even the moon has no brightness, and the stars are not pure in his sight;

⁶How much less man, who is a worm, the son of man, who is a worm!"

¹Then Job answered,

²"How have you helped him who is without power! How have you saved the arm that has no strength!

³How have you counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!

⁴To whom have you uttered words? Whose spirit came forth from you?

⁵"Those who are deceased tremble, those beneath the waters and all that live in them.

⁶Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.

⁷He stretches out the north over empty space, and hangs the earth on nothing.

⁸He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not burst under them.

⁹He encloses the face of his throne, and spreads his cloud on it.

¹⁰He has described a boundary on the surface of the waters, and to the confines of light and darkness.

¹¹The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his rebuke.

¹²He stirs up the sea with his power, and by his understanding he strikes through Rahab.

¹³By his Spirit the heavens are garnished. His hand has pierced the swift serpent.

¹⁴Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?"

¹Job again took up his parable, and said,

²"As God lives, who has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter.

³(For the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);

⁴surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, neither shall my tongue utter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

⁷"Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

⁹Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?

¹⁰Will he delight himself in the Almighty, and call on God at all times?

¹¹I will teach you about the hand of God. That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

¹²Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?

¹³"This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.

¹⁴If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵Those who remain of him shall be buried in death. His widows shall make no lamentation.

¹⁶Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;

¹⁷he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

¹⁸He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.

¹⁹He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like waters. A storm steals him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carries him away, and he departs. It sweeps him out of his place.

²²For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

¹He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

²I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."

³For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

⁵You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day;

⁶nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.

⁸You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹Because you have made Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,

¹⁰no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

¹¹For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.

¹²They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won't dash your foot against a stone.

¹³You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.

¹⁴"Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name.

¹⁵He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.

¹⁶I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation."

¹Do not be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:

²for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about mischief.

³Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;

⁶for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.

⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool: he doesn't open his mouth in the gate.

⁸One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.

⁹The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.

¹⁰If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.

¹¹Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!

¹²If you say, "Behold, we did not know this;" doesn't he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn't he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good; the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

¹⁴so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Do not destroy his resting place:

¹⁶for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;

¹⁸lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

¹⁹Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; neither be envious of the wicked:

²⁰for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.

²¹My son, fear the Lord and the king. Do not join those who are rebellious:

²²for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both-who knows?

²³These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²⁴He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous;" peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him-

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.

²⁸Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause. Do not deceive with your lips.

²⁹Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

³¹Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

³²Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep;

³⁴so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.