1 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
To which of vthe holy ones will you turn?
2 Surely vexation kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the simple.
3 wI have seen the fool taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
4 His children are xfar from safety;
they are crushed in ythe gate,
and there is no one to deliver them.
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
and he takes it even out of thorns,1
and the thirsty pant2 after his3 wealth.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 but man is zborn to trouble
as the sparks fly upward.
8 “As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
9 who adoes great things and bunsearchable,
cmarvelous things without number:
10 he gives drain on the earth
and sends waters on the fields;
11 he esets on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He ffrustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He gcatches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime
and hgrope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he isaves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor have hope,
and jinjustice shuts her mouth.
17 “Behold, kblessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore ldespise not the discipline of the mAlmighty.
18 For he wounds, but he nbinds up;
he oshatters, but his hands heal.
19 He will pdeliver you from six troubles;
in seven no qevil4 shall touch you.
20 rIn famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be shidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear tthe beasts of the earth.
23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your utent is at peace,
and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
25 You shall know also that your voffspring shall be many,
and your descendants as wthe grass of the earth.
26 You shall come to your grave in xripe old age,
like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
27 Behold, this we have ysearched out; it is true.
Hear, and know it for your good.”5
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For then it would be heavier than zthe sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
4 For athe arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?6
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me.7
8 “Oh that I might have my request,
and that God would fulfill my hope,
9 that it would bplease God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
10 This would be my comfort;
I would even exult8 in pain cunsparing,
for I have not denied the words of dthe Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
13 Have I any help in me,
when resource is driven from me?
14 “He who ewithholds9 kindness from a ffriend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My gbrothers are htreacherous as a torrent-bed,
as torrential istreams that pass away,
16 which are dark with ice,
and where the snow hides itself.
17 When they melt, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The caravans turn aside from their course;
they go up into jthe waste and perish.
19 The caravans of kTema look,
the travelers of lSheba hope.
20 They are mashamed because they were confident;
they come there and are mdisappointed.
21 For you have now become nothing;
you see my calamity and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of nthe ruthless’?
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is owind?
27 You would even pcast lots over the fatherless,
and bargain over your friend.
28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 qPlease turn; let no injustice be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
Your Throne, O God, Is Forever
To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil1 of vthe Sons of Korah; a love song.
1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of wa ready scribe.
2 You are xthe most handsome of the sons of men;
ygrace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 zGird your asword on your thigh, O bmighty one,
in cyour splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty dride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you eawesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6 fYour throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The gscepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 hyou have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore iGod, your God, has janointed you
with the oil of kgladness lbeyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with mmyrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces nstringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your qlord, rbow to him.
13 All glorious is vthe princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14 wIn many-colored robes xshe is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
you will make them yprinces in all the earth.
17 zI will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
1 mAnd he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 nand he sent them out to oproclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 pAnd he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, qno staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.1 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town rshake off the dust from your feet sas a testimony tagainst them.” 6 uAnd they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Herod Is Perplexed by Jesus
7 vNow wHerod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that xJohn had been raised from the dead, 8 xby some that Elijah had appeared, and xby others that one of the prophets of old had risen. 9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And yhe sought to see him.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
10 On their return zthe apostles told him all that they had done. aAnd he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he bwelcomed them and cspoke to them of the kingdom of God and ccured those who had need of healing. 12 Now dthe day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, e“Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” 13 But he said to them, f“You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than gfive loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, hhe looked up to heaven and isaid a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
18 jNow it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, k“John the Baptist. But others say, lElijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, m“The Christ of God.”
Jesus Foretells His Death
21 nAnd he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 osaying, p“The Son of Man must qsuffer many things and rbe rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on sthe third day be raised.”
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him tdeny himself and utake up his cross vdaily and follow me. 24 For uwhoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 wFor what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For xwhoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed ywhen he comes in zhis glory and the glory of the Father and of athe holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not btaste death cuntil they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
28 dNow about eight days after these sayings he took with him ePeter and John and James and fwent up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was galtered, and hhis clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,2 which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him iwere heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake jthey saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three ktents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—lnot knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, ma cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And ma voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, nmy Chosen One;3 olisten to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. pAnd they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
37 qOn the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for rhe is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but sthey could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O tfaithless and twisted generation, uhow long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus vrebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and wgave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at xthe majesty of God.
Jesus Again Foretells His Death
yBut while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus4 said zto his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: zThe Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 aBut they did not understand this saying, and bit was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Who Is the Greatest?
46 cAn argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, d“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and dwhoever receives me receives him who sent me. For ehe who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us
49 fJohn answered, “Master, we saw someone gcasting out demons in your name, and hwe tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, ifor the one who is not against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus
51 When the days drew near for jhim to be taken up, khe set his face lto go to Jerusalem. 52 And mhe sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of nthe Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But othe people did not receive him, because phis face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell qfire to come down from heaven and consume them?”5 55 But he turned and rebuked them.6 56 And they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were going ralong the road, ssomeone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus7 said to him, “Leave tthe dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and uproclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, vbut let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, w“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
