Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for the Lord holds him up with his hand. Psalm 37:24
Job 1-3
Job 1
Job’s Character and Wealth
1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright and one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
4 His sons used to hold a feast in the house of each one on his birthday, and they invited and sent for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of all of them. For Job said,’ “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.”
Job did this continually.
Satan’s First Attack
6 Now on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going back and forth on the earth and from walking up and down in it.”
8 God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”
9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Haven’t you made a hedge around him and around his house and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face.”
12 The Lord said to Satan, “All that he has is in your power, except on Job himself, do not lay a hand.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job Loses his Children and Property
13 It fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 that there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was still speaking, there also came another, who said, “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, there came also another, who said, “The Chaldeans made three bands and swept down on the camels and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, there came also another, who said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and there came a great wind from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell down on the ground and worshiped.
21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing.
Job 2
Job Loses his Health
1 Again, on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered God and said, “From going back and forth in the earth and from walking up and down in it.”
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
4 Satan answered God and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”
6 The Lord said to Satan, “He is in your hand. Only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the Lord’s presence and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head. 8 Scraping himself with broken pottery, Job sat among the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God and die.”
10 But he said to her, “You speak like one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive trouble?”
In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Job’s Three Friends
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this trouble that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. 12 When they looked up from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept, and they each tore his robe and sprinkled dust toward the sky, over their heads.
13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
Job 3
Job Laments his Birth
1 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job said:
3 “Let the day perish in which I was born,
the night which said, ‘There is a boy conceived.’
4 Let that day be darkness.
Do not let God from above seek for it,
nor let the light shine on it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own.
Let a cloud dwell on it.
Let everything that makes the day black terrify it.
6 As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it.
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year.
Let it not be entered into the number of the months.
7 Let that night be barren.
Let no joyful voice come therein.
8 Let them curse it who curse the day,
who are ready to rouse up the leviathan.
9 Let the stars of its twilight be dark.
Let it look for light, but have none,
nor let it see the eyelids of the morning,
10 because it did not shut up the doors of my mother’s womb,
nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not die from the womb?
Why did I not give up the spirit when my mother bore me?
12 Why did knees receive me?
Or why breast, that I should nurse?
13 For now should I have lain down and been quiet.
I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built up wastelands for themselves;
15 or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver;
16 or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been,
as infants who never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling.
There the weary are at rest.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together.
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there.
The servant is free from his master.
20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery,
life to the bitter in soul;
21 who long for death, but it does not come,
and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 who rejoice exceedingly,
and are glad when they can find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing comes before I eat.
My groanings are poured out like water.
25 For the thing which I fear comes on me.
That which I am afraid of comes to me.
26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, nor have I rest;
but trouble comes.”
1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Prophecy and Tongues
1 Follow after love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God, for no one understands, but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation. 4 He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 Now I desire to have all of you speak in other languages, but prefer that you would prophesy. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks in other languages, unless he interprets, that the church may be built up.
6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, what would I profit you, unless I speak to you either through revelation, or knowledge, or prophesying, or teaching? 7 Even things without life, given a voice, whether pipe or harp, if they did not give a distinction in the sounds, how would it be known what is pipe or harp? 8 For if the trumpet gave an uncertain sound, who would prepare himself for war?
9 So also you, unless your tongue uttered words easy to understand, how would it be known what is spoken? For you would be speaking into the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of sounds in the world, and none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not know the meaning of the sound, I would be like a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks would be a foreigner to me. 12 So you also, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the church.
13 Therefore let him who speaks in another language pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What is it then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with understanding also. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with understanding also. 16 Otherwise if you bless with the Spirit, how will he who fills the place of the unlearned say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, seeing he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you most certainly give thanks well, but the other person is not built up. 18 I thank my God, I speak with other languages more than all of you. 19 However in the assembly I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than 10,000 words in another language.
20 Brothers, do not be childish in your thoughts, except in malice be babies, but in thought be mature. 21 In the law it is written, “Through men of other languages and through the lips of foreigners, I will speak to these people. Still, they will not hear me this way, says the Lord.”
22 Therefore other languages are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to the unbelieving; but prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to those who believe. 23 If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and everyone is speaking in other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy? 24 But if all prophesy, and someone unbelieving or unlearned comes in, he is reproved by all, and he is judged by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.
Psalm 37:20-29
20 But the wicked shall perish.
The enemies of the Lord shall be like the beauty of the fields.
They will vanish—
vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous give generously.
22 For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.
Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 A man’s steps are established by the Lord.
He delights in his way.
24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall,
for the Lord holds him up with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his children begging for bread.
26 All day long he deals graciously and lends.
His offspring is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good.
Live securely forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
and does not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
Proverbs 21:25-26
25 The desires of the sluggard kill him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 There are those who covet greedily all day long,
but the righteous give and do not withhold.