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Esther and Job: Greatest Verses Of The Bible.
--Sermon by Dr. Bob Benchoff January 17, 2004
User friendly: to find a phrase just click "Edit" and "Find". The following are Bible verses or portions of verses.
Esther and Job
Esther Chapter 1:
1 ¶ And it came to pass, in the days of Ahasuerus,-the same, Ahasuerus that reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces:
2 in those days,-when King Ahasuerus was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shusan the palace;
3 in the third year of his reign, he made a banquet unto all his rulers, and his servants,-the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and the rulers being before him;
4 when he showed the riches of the glory of his kingdom, and the splendour of his excellent majesty, many days, a hundred and eighty days;
5 that, when these days were fulfilled, the king made-for all the people that were present in Shusan the palace, both for great and small-a banquet, seven days,-in the court of the garden of the palace of the king:
6 white stuff, cotton and blue, being held fast with cords of fine linen and purple, upon rods of silver, and pillars of white marble,-the couches being of gold and silver, upon a pavement of alabaster and white marble, and pearl and black marble.
7 And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, vessels, from vessels, being diverse,-even the wine of the kingdom in abundance, by the bounty of the king.
8 And, the drinking, was according to the law, no one compelling,-for, so, had the king appointed unto every chief of his household, that every man, should do according to his pleasure.
9 Also Vashti the queen, made a banquet for the women,-in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.
10 ¶ On the seventh day, when merry was the heart of the king with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who were waiting before King Ahasuerus,-
11 to bring in Vashti the queen, with the royal crown,-to show the peoples and the rulers her beauty, for, of pleasing appearance, was she.
12 But Queen Vashti refused to come in at the command of the king, which was given through the eunuchs,-and the king was exceeding wroth, and, his anger, burned within him.
13 Then said the king unto the wise men having knowledge of the times,-for, so, was the manner of the king before all having knowledge of law and judgment;
14 and, near unto him, were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan,-the seven rulers of Persia and Media, who used to behold the face of the king, who sat first, in the kingdom-
15 According to law, what ought to be done, with Queen Vashti,-for that she hath not performed the command of King Ahasuerus, through the eunuchs?
16 Then said Memucan before the king and the rulers, Not against the king alone, hath Vashti the queen acted perversely,-but against all the rulers, and against all the peoples, who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
17 For the report of the queen, will go forth, unto all women, so putting contempt upon their lords, in their eyes,-when it is reported to them, King Ahasuerus, commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
18 And, this day, shall the ladies of Persia and Media, who have heard the report of the queen, tell it, unto all the lords of the king,-with enough of contempt and wrath.
19 If, unto the king, it seem good, let there go forth a royal declaration from before him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media, so that it shall not pass away,-That Vashti, is not to come in, before King Ahasuerus, and, her royal estate, let the king give unto her neighbour, who is better than she.
20 When the edict of the king which he shall make, is published throughout all his kingdom, for, great, it is, then, all wives, will give honour unto their lords, both great and small.
21 And the thing seemed good in the eyes of the king, and the rulers,-and the king did according to the word of Memucan.
22 So he sent letters, into all the provinces of the king, into every province according to she writing thereof, and unto every people according to their tongue,-That every man should he ruler in his own house, and issue his commands, according to the tongue of his people.
Esther Chapter 2:
1 ¶ After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
2 Then said the young men of the king, who waited upon him,-Let them seek out for the king young virgins, of pleasing appearance;
3 and let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather together every young virgin of pleasing appearance unto Shusan the palace, unto the house of the women, into the custody of Hegai eunuch of the king, keeper of the women, and let there be given the things needed for their purification;
4 and, the maiden that is pleasing in the eyes of the king, let her be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing seemed good in the eyes of the king, and he did so.
5 A certain Jew, there was, in Shusan the palace,-whose, name, was Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a man of Benjamin;
6 who had been exiled from Jerusalem, with the exiles who were carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah,-whom, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, exiled.
7 And it came to pass, that he was bringing up Hadassah, the same, was Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother,-and, the maiden, was of beautiful form and pleasing appearance, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
8 So it came to pass, when the king’s command and decree was heard, and there had been gathered together many maidens unto Shusan the palace, unto the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken into the house of the king, unto the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women;
9 and the maiden was pleasing in his eyes, and she received lovingkindness before him, and he hastened to give her, the things needed for her purification, and things apportioned her, and to give her, seven select maidens, out of the house of the king,-and he removed her and her maidens to the best place in the house of the women.
10 Esther had not told of her people, nor of her kindred,-for, Mordecai, had laid charge upon her, that she should not tell.
11 And, throughout every day, Mordecai, used to walk to and fro, before the court of the house of the women,-to get to know the welfare of Esther, and what would be done with her.
12 Now, when the turn of each maiden came, to go in unto King Ahasuerus, after it had been done to her according to the law of the women for twelve months, for, so, were filled the days of their purification,-six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes, and with things for the purification of the women,
13 then, indeed, the maiden came in unto the king,-whatsoever she might mention, was given her, to go with her, out of the house of the women up to the house of the king:
14 in the evening, she went in, and, in the morning, she returned-unto the second house of the women, unto the custody of Shaashgaz the king’s eunuch, who kept the concubines,-she went not in again unto the king, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name.
15 But, when the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai-who had taken her as his own daughter-to go in unto the king, she requested nothing, save what Hegai the king’s eunuch who kept the women might direct,-but so it was, that Esther obtained favour in the eyes of all who beheld her.
16 So then Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus, into his royal house, in the tenth month, the same, was the month Tebeth,-in the seventh year of his reign.
17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favour and lovingkindness before him, above all the virgins,-so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen, instead of Vashti.
18 Then the king made a great banquet, for all his rulers and his servants, the banquet of Esther,-and, a remission, for all the provinces, made he, and gave a present, according to the bounty of a king.
19 Now, when virgins were gathered together second time, then, Mordecai, was sitting in the gate of the king.
20 Esther had not told of her kindred, nor her people, as, Mordecai, had laid charge upon her,-and, the command of Mordecai, Esther performed, like as when she was being brought up with him.
21 ¶ In those days, when, Mordecai, was sitting in the gate of the king, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the eunuchs of the king who guarded the threshold, were wroth, and sought to thrust a hand upon King Ahasuerus;
22 but the thing became known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen,-and Esther told it unto the king, in the name of Mordecai.
23 And, when the thing was searched into and found true, then were they two hanged upon the gallows, and it was written, in the book of the chronicles, before the king.
Esther Chapter 3:
1 ¶ After these things, did King Ahasuerus promote to power Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and exalted him,-and placed his seat above all the rulers who were with him.
2 And, all the kings servants who were in the kings gate, used to bend and bow themselves down unto Haman, for, so, had the king given command concerning him,-but, Mordecai, bent not nor bowed himself down.
3 Then said the king’s servants who were in the king’s gate unto Mordecai,-
4 Wherefore art, thou, transgressing the command of the king? And it came to pass, when they had spoken unto him day by day, and he had not hearkened unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether the account of Mordecai would stand, for he had told them, that, he, was a Jew.
5 And, when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bend nor bow down unto him, then was Haman filled with wrath;
6 but, it was contemptible in his eyes, to thrust forth a hand on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai,-and Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout all the kingdom of Ahasuerus, the people of Mordecai.
7 ¶ In the first month-the same, was the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, was Pur cast-the same, is the Lot, before Haman, from day to day, and from month to month,-and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar.
8 Then said Haman unto King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people, scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples, throughout all the provinces of thy kingdom,-whose laws, are diverse from every people, and, the laws of the king, they observe not, for the king, therefore, it is not fit, to suffer them.
9 If, unto the king, it seem good, let it be written, to destroy them,-and, ten thousand talents of silver, will I weigh out upon the hands of them who are doing the business, to bring it into the treasuries of the king.
10 So then the king took his signet-ring from off his hand, and gave it unto Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the adversary of the Jews;
11 and the king said unto Haman, The silver, is granted thee,-and the people, to do with them, as may seem good in thine eyes.
12 Then were called the scribes of the king, in the first month, on the thirteenth day therein, and it was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the satraps of the king, and unto the pashas, who were over every province, and unto the rulers of every people, every province according to the writing thereof, and every people according to the tongue thereof,-in the name of King Ahasuerus, was it written, and sealed with the signet- ring of the king.
13 Then were sent letters, by the hand of the runners, into all the provinces of the king, To destroy, to slay and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little ones and women, in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar,-and the spoil of them to be a prey.
14 A copy of the writing, to be delivered as an edict throughout every province, was published to all the peoples,-that they should be ready against this day.
15 The runners, went forth, urged on by the word of the king, and, the edict, was given in Shusan the palace,-and, the king and Haman, sat down to drink, but, the city of Shusan, was perplexed.
Esther Chapter 4:
1 ¶ When, Mordecai, came to know all that had been done, Mordecai rent his garments, and put on sackcloth, and ashes,-and went forth into the midst of the city, and cried out with an outcry loud and bitter;
2 and went in as far as before the gate of the king,-for, none, might enter into the gate of the king, clothed with sackcloth.
3 And, throughout every province, whithersoever the word of the king and his edict came, was great mourning to the Jews, and fasting and weeping, and lamentation,-sackcloth and ashes, were spread out for many.
4 So the maidens of Esther and her eunuchs went in and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish,-and sent garments to clothe Mordecai, and to remove his sackcloth from off him, but he accepted them not.
5 ¶ Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the eunuchs of the king whom he had stationed before her, and charged him, concerning Mordecai,-to get to know what this was, and why this was.
6 So Hathach went forth unto Mordecai,-in the broadway of the city, which was before the gate of the king.
7 And Mordecai told him all that had befallen him,-and an exact statement of the silver, that Haman had promised to weigh out unto the treasuries of the king, for the Jews, to destroy them.
8 Also, a copy of the writing of the edict which had been given in Shusan to destroy them, gave he unto him, to shew unto Esther, and to tell her,-and to lay charge upon her, to go in unto the king-to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people.
9 And Hathach came in and told Esther, the words of Mordecai.
10 Then spake Esther unto Hathach,-and gave him charge, unto Mordecai:-
11 All the servants of the king, and the people of the provinces of the king, do know, that, whatsoever man or woman shall go in unto the king-into the inter court-who hath not been called, one, is his law, to put him to death, saving any to whom the king may hold out the golden sceptre, who then shall live,-but, I, have not been called to go in unto the king, these thirty days.
12 And they told Mordecai, the words of Esther.
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther,-Do not think in thine own soul, to escape in the house of the king from among all the Jews.
14 But, if thou, do indeed hold thy peace, at this time, respite and deliverance, will be appointed for the Jews, from another place, but, thou, and thy father’s house, will perish,-and who knoweth whether, for a time such as this, thou hast attained unto the royal estate?
15 Then Esther commanded, to answer Mordecai:-
16 Go! gather ye together all the Jews who are to be found in Shusan, and fast ye for me-and neither eat nor drink-three days, night nor day, and, I and my maidens, will fast so,-and, in this manner, will I go in unto the king, though it is not according to the law, and, when I have perished, I have perished!
17 So Mordecai departed,-and did according to all that Esther had charged upon him.
Esther Chapter 5:
1 ¶ And it came to pass, on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the house of the king, over against the house of the king,-and, the king, was sitting upon his royal seat, in the royal house, over against the opening of the house.
2 And it came to pass, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his eyes,-and the king held out to Esther, the golden sceptre which was in his hand, so Esther drew near, an
3 Then said the king unto her, What aileth thee, Queen Esther? and what is thy request? Unto the half of the kingdom, shall it be given thee.
4 Then said Esther, If, unto the king, it seem good, let the king with Haman come in this day, unto the banquet which I have prepared for him.
5 And the king said, Hasten ye Haman, to perform the word of Esther. So the king with Haman came in, unto the banquet which Esther had prepared,
6 Then said the king unto Esther, during the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, that it may be granted thee?-and what is thy request--unto the half of the kingdom-that it may be performed?
7 Then answered Esther, and said,-As touching my petition and my request,
8 If I have found favour in the eyes of the king, and if, unto the king, it seem good, to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king with Haman come in unto the banquet which I will prepare for them, and, to-morrow, I will do according to the word of the king.
9 ¶ Then went Haman forth on that day, joyful and of a merry heart,-but, when Haman saw Mordecai in the gate of the king, that he rose not up nor moved because of him, then was Haman filled with wrath against Mordecai.
10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and came into his own house,-and sent and brought in his friends, and Zeresh his wife;
11 and Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children,-and all the things wherein the king had promoted him to power, and how he had advanced him, above the rulers and the servants of the king.
12 And Haman said, Moreover Esther the queen did bring in no one with the king into the banquet which she had prepared, saving myself,-yea moreover, even for to-morrow, I, am invited unto her, with the king.
13 Yet, all this, sufficeth me not,-so long as, I, see Mordecai the Jew, sitting in the gate of the king.
14 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let them make ready a gallows, of the height of fifty cubits, and, in the morning, speak thou unto the king, that they hang Mordecai thereon, then go with the king into the banquet joyfully. And the thing seemed good before Haman, and he made ready the gallows.
Esther Chapter 6:
1 ¶ During that night, the sleep of the king fled,-and he commanded to bring in the book of remembrance, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
2 And it was found written, how that Mordecai had told concerning Bigthana and Teresh, the two eunuchs of the king guarding the threshold,-who had sought to thrust forth a hand upon King Ahasuerus.
3 Then said the king, What honour and dignity hath been done unto Mordecai, for this? Then said the king’s young men, who were ministering unto him, Nothing hath been done for him.
4 ¶ Then said the king, Who is in the court? Now, Haman, had come into the outer court of the kings house, to speak unto the king, to hang Mordecai, upon the gallows which he had prepared for him.
5 So the king’s young men said unto him, Lo! Haman, standing in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
6 So Haman came in, and the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man in whose honour, the king delighteth? Then said Haman, in his own heart, Unto whom will the king delight to do honour, more than unto me?
7 So Haman said unto the king,-As touching the man in whose honour, the king, delighteth,
8 let them bring in royal apparel wherewith the king hath clothed himself,-and the horse whereon the king hath ridden, and the royal crown which hath been set upon his own head;
9 and let the apparel and the horse be delivered unto the hand of one of the king’s rulers, one of the nobles, and so let them array the man, in whose honour, the king, delighteth,-and cause him to ride upon the horse through the broadway of the city, and let them proclaim before him, Thus and thus, shall it be done unto the man in whose honour, the king, delighteth!
10 Then said the king unto Haman, Haste, take the apparel and the horse, just as thou hast said, and do even so unto Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting in the kings gate,-do not let fail a thing, of all which thou hast spoken!
11 So Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai,-and caused him to ride through the broadway of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus and thus, shall it be done unto the man in whoso honour, the king, delighteth!
12 ¶ Then Mordecai returned unto the gate of the king,-but, Haman, hurried unto his own house, mourning, and with covered head.
13 And Haman recounted unto Zeresh his wife, and unto all his friends, everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men, and Zeresh his wife, unto him, If, of the seed of the Jews, is Mordecai before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt, utterly fall, before him.
14 While yet they were speaking with him, the eunuchs of the king, had come,-and they hastened to bring Haman, unto the banquet which Esther had prepared.
Esther Chapter 7:
1 ¶ So the king and Haman came in, to banquet with Esther the queen.
2 Then said the king unto Esther, on the second day also, during the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, Queen Esther, that it may be granted thee? and what is thy request-unto the half of the kingdom-that it may be performed?
3 Then answered Esther the queen, and said, If I have found favour in thine eyes, O king, and if, unto the king, it seem good, let my life be granted me, as my petition, and my people, as my request;
4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to be caused to perish. If indeed, for bondmen and for bondwomen, we had been sold, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have made good the damage to the king.
5 Then spake King Ahasuerus, and said unto Esther the queen,-Who is he now, and where is he, whose heart is set to act thus?
6 And Esther said, A man who is an adversary and enemy, this wicked Haman. And, Haman, was terrified, before the king and the queen.
7 ¶ Now, the king, arising in his wrath from the banquet of wine, and going into the palace garden, Haman, stood to make request for his life from Esther the queen, for he saw that ruin, was determined against him, by the king.
8 When, the king, returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine, Haman, was lying prostrate upon the couch whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he, even dare to force the queen, while I am in the house? No sooner had the word gone forth out of the mouth of the king, than, the face of Haman, they had covered.
9 Then said Harbonah-one of the eunuchs before the king-Yea lo! the gallows that Haman made ready for Mordecai, who had spoken well for the king, is standing in Haman’s house, of a height of fifty cubits. Then said the king, Hang him thereon.
10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai,-and, the wrath of the king, was appeased.
Esther Chapter 8:
1 ¶ On that day, did King Ahasuerus give unto Esther the queen, the house of Haman, the adversary of the Jews,-and, Mordecai, came in before the king, for Esther had told, what he was to her.
2 And the king took off his signet-ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai,-and Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3 ¶ Yet again, spake Esther before the king, and fell down at his feet,-and wept and made supplication unto him, to cause the mischief of Haman the Agagite to pass away, even the plot which he had plotted against the Jews.
4 And the king held out unto Esther, the golden sceptre,-so Esther arose, and stood before the king;
5 and said-If, unto the king, it seem good, and if I have found favour before him, and the thing be approved before the king, and, I myself, be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written, to reverse the letters plotted by Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy thee Jews, who are in all the provinces of the king.
6 For how can I endure to see the ruin that shall overtake my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
7 Then said King Ahasuerus unto Esther the queen, and unto Mordecai the Jew,-Lo! the house of Haman, have I given unto Esther, and, him, have they hanged upon the gallows, because he thrust forth his hand against the Jews.
8 Ye, therefore, write concerning the Jews as may seem good in your own eyes, in the name of the king, and seal it with the kings signet-ring,-for a writing which hath been written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s signet-ring, none can reverse.
9 Then were called the kings scribes at that time-in the third month, the same, is the month Siwan, on the twenty-third thereof, and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and unto the satraps and pashas and rulers of the provinces, which are from India even unto Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, every province according to the writing thereof, and every people according to their tongue,-and unto the Jews, according to their writing, and according to their tongue;
10 and he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s signet-ring,-and sent letters by the hand of runners on horses, riding the swift steeds used in the kings service, bred of the stud:
11 That the king had granted unto the Jews who were in every city, to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish-all the force of the people and province who should distress them, their little ones and women,-and to take the spoil of them as a prey:
12 upon one day, throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus,-upon the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar:
13 A copy of the writing to be given, as an edict, throughout every province, was published to all the peoples,-and that the Jews be ready against that day, to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The runners that rode on the swift steeds used in the king’s service, went forth, being urged forward and pressed on, by the word of the king,-and, the edict, was given in Shusan the palace.
15 ¶ And, Mordecai, went forth from the presence of the king, in royal apparel, of blue and white, with a large diadem of gold, and a mantle of fine linen and purple,-and, the city Shusan, was bright and joyful.
16 To the Jews, had come light, and joy,-and gladness and honour.
17 And, in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the word of the king and his edict did reach, joy and gladness, had the Jews,-a banquet and a happy day,-and, many from among the peoples of the land, were becoming Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Esther Chapter 9:
1 ¶ And, in the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day thereof, when the word of the king and his edict arrived to be put in execution,-on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, though it, was changed, so that the Jews themselves should have power over them who hated them,
2 the Jews assembled themselves together in their cities, throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to thrust forth a hand against them who were seeking their hurt, and, no man, stood before them, for the dread of them had fallen upon all the peoples.
3 And, all the rulers of the provinces, and the satraps and the pashas, and the doers of business that pertained to the king, were extolling the Jews,-for the dread of Mordecai, had fallen upon them;
4 since great was Mordecai, in the house of the king, and, his fame, was going forth throughout all the provinces,-for, the man Mordecai, went on waxing great.
5 So then the Jews smote all their enemies, with the smiting of the sword and slaughter, and destruction,-and they dealt with them who hated them according to their pleasure.
6 Yea, in Shusan the palace, did the Jews slay and destroy five hundred men.
10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the adversary of the Jews, slew they,-but, on the spoil, thrust they not forth their hand.
11 On that day, came in the number of the slain into Shusan the palace, before the king.
12 Then said the king unto Esther the queen, In Shusan the palace, have the Jews slain and caused to perish five hundred men, and the ten sons of Haman,-in the rest of the provinces of the king, what have they done? What, then, is thy petition, that it may be granted thee? and what is thy request further, that it may he performed?
13 Then said Esther, If, unto the king, it seem good, let it be granted, to-morrow also, unto the Jews who are in Shusan, to do according to the edict of to-day,-and that, the ten sons of Haman, be hanged upon the gallows.
14 And the king commanded it to be done so, and there was given an edict, in Shusan,-and, the ten sons of Haman, they hanged.
15 So the Jews who were in Shusan assembled themselves together, on the fourteenth day also, of the month Adar, and slew in Shusan three hundred men,-but, on the spoil, thrust they not forth their hand.
16 And, the remainder of the Jews who were in the provinces of the king, assembled themselves together and stood for their life, and then had rest from their enemies, having slain of them that hated them seventy-five thousand,-but, on the spoil, thrust they not forth their hand:
17 on the thirteenth day of the month Adar,-and then had rest on the fourteenth day thereof, and made it a day of banqueting and rejoicing.
18 But, the Jews who were in Shusan, assembled themselves together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth day thereof,-and then had rest on the fifteenth day thereof, and made it a day of banqueting and rejoicing.
19 For this cause, the country Jews, who dwelt in the country towns, were making the fourteenth day of the month Adar one of rejoicing and banqueting, and a day of happiness,-and of sending portions every one to his neighbour.
20 ¶ And Mordecai wrote these things,-and sent letters unto all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, near, and far off;
21 to establish for them, that they should continue to observe the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day thereof,-always year by year;
22 according to the days wherein the Jews found rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned for them, from sorrow to joy, and from mourning to a happy day,-that they should make them days of banqueting and rejoicing, and of sending portions, every one to his neighbour, and gifts, unto the needy.
23 And the Jews took upon them that which they had begun to do,-and that which Mordecai had written unto them;
24 because, Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews, to cause them to perish,-and had cast Pur, the same, is the Lot, to terrify them, and to destroy them;
25 but, by Esther’s going in before the king, he commanded by letter, that his wicked plot which he had plotted against the Jews, should return, upon his own head,-and that he and his sons should be hanged upon the gallows.
26 For this cause, called they these days Purim, after the name Pur, for this cause,-for all the words of this epistle,-and what they had seen concerning such a matter, and what had reached unto them.
27 The Jews established and took upon themselves-and upon their seed, and upon all who should join themselves unto them, that it might not pass away, that they would continue to keep these two days, according to the writing concerning them and at their set time,-always year by year.
28 And, these days, were to be remembered and to be kept, always from generation to generation, by every family, every province, and every city,-that, these days of Purim, should not pass away, out of the midst of the Jews, and, the memorial of them, not cease from their seed.
29 Then wrote Esther the queen daughter of Abihail and Mordecai the Jew, with all authority,-to confirm this second epistle concerning the Purim;
30 and he sent letters unto all the Jews, throughout the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus,-words of peace and stability:
31 to establish these days of the Purim, in their set times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined upon them, and according as they had enjoined upon their own soul, and upon their seed,-the story of the fastings and of their outcry.
32 And, the command of Esther, confirmed the story of these Purim,-and it was written in a book.
Esther Chapter 10:
1 ¶ And King Ahasuerus laid tribute upon the land, and upon the shores of the sea.
2 But, all the acts of his authority, and his might, and the clear story of the promotion of Mordecai, wherewith the king promoted him, are, they, not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?
3 For, Mordecai the Jew, was next unto King Ahasuerus, and became great among the Jews, and accepted by the multitude of his brethren,-seeking happiness for his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
Job Chapter 1:
1 ¶ A man, there was-in the land of Uz, Job, his name,-and that man was blameless and upright, and one who revered God, and avoided evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 And his substance was-seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a body of servants exceeding large,-thus was that man the greatest of all the sons of the East.
4 ¶ Now his sons were wont to go, and make a banquet, at the house of each one upon his day,-and to send and call their three sisters, to eat and to drink with them.
5 And so it was, when the days of the banquet came round, that Job sent and hallowed them, and rising early in the morning offered ascending-sacrifices according to the number of them all; for Job said, Peradventure my sons have sinned, and have cursed God in their hearts. Thus and thus, was Job wont to do all the days.
6 ¶ Now there came a certain day, when the sons of God entered in to present themselves unto Yahweh,-so the accuser also entered, in their midst.
7 And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Whence comest thou? And the accuser answered Yahweh, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and wandering about therein.
8 And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Hast thou applied thy heart unto my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, one revering God and avoiding evil?
9 And the accuser answered Yahweh, and said, Is it, for nought, that Job revereth God?
10 Hast not, thou thyself, made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? The work of his hands, thou hast blessed, and, his substance, hath broken forth in the land.
11 But, in very deed, put forth, I pray thee, thy hand, and smite all that he hath,-verily, unto thy face, will he curse thee.
12 And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Lo! all that he hath, is in thy hand, only, against himself, do not put forth thy hand. So the accuser went forth from the presence of Yahweh.
13 ¶ And there came a certain day,-when his sons and his daughters were eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their eldest brother.14 And, a messenger, came in unto Job, and said,-The oxen, were plowing, and, the asses, feeding beside them;
15 when the Sabeans swooped down, and took them, and, the young men, smote they with the edge of the sword,-and escaped am, only I alone, too tell thee.
16 Yet was this one speaking, when, another, came in and said,-A fire of God, fell out of the heavens, and burned up the sheep and the young men, and consumed them; and escaped am, only I alone, to tell thee.
17 Yet was this one speaking, when, another, came in and said, The Chaldeans, appointed three chiefs, and spread out against the camels, and took them, and, the young men, smote they with the edge of the sword; and escaped am, only I alone, to tell thee.
18 Yet was this one speaking, when, another, came in and said,-Thy sons and thy daughters, were eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their eldest brother;
19 when lo! a great wind, came from over the desert, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they died,-and escaped am, only I alone, to tell thee.
20 ¶ Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell to the earth and worshipped;
21 and said-Naked came I forth from the womb of my mother, and naked must I return thither, Yahweh, gave, and, Yahweh, hath taken away,-The name of Yahweh be blessed!
22 In all this, Job sinned not, nor imputed folly unto God.
Job Chapter 2:
1 ¶ And there came a certain day when the sons of God entered in, to present themselves unto Yahweh-so the accuser also entered in their midst, to present himself unto Yahweh.
2 And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Whence comest thou? And the accuser answered Yahweh, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from wandering about therein.
3 And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Hast thou applied thy heart unto my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, one who revereth God, and avoideth evil; and still he is holding fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause.
4 Then the accuser answered Yahweh, and said, Skin for skin, and so, all that a man hath, will he give for his life.
5 In very deed, put forth, I pray thee thy hand, and smite unto his bone, and unto his flesh,-verily, unto thy face, will he curse thee.
6 And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Behold him! in thy hand,-only, his life, preserve thou!
7 ¶ So the accuser went forth from the presence of Yahweh,-and smote Job with a sore boil, from the sole of his foot, unto his crown.
8 And he took him a potsherd, to scrape himself therewith; he being seated in the midst of ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Art thou still holding fast thine integrity? Curse God, and die!
10 And he said unto her, As one of the base women speaketh, speakest thou? Blessing, shall we accept from God, and, misfortune, shall we not accept? In all this, Job sinned not with his lips.
11 ¶ Now when the three friends of Job heard of all this misfortune which had befallen him,-they came, every man from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite,-for they had by appointment met together to come to shew sympathy with him, and to comfort him.
12 And, when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept-and rent, every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads, toward the heavens.
13 And they sat with him upon the ground, seven days and seven nights,-and none was speaking unto him a word, for they saw that, exceeding great, was the stinging pain.
Job Chapter 3:
1 ¶ After this, opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 So then Job began, and said:
3 Perish, the day wherein I was born, and the night it was said, Lo! a manchild!
4 That day, be it darkness,-Let not God enquire after it from above, May there shine upon it no clear beam:
5 Let darkness and death-shade buy it back, May there settle down upon it a cloud, Let a day’s dark eclipse cause it terror:
6 That night, darkness take it,-May it not rejoice among the days of the year, Into the number of months, let it not enter.
7 Lo! that night, be it barren, Let no joyous shouting enter therein:
8 Let day-cursers denounce it, Those skilled in rousing the dragon of the sky:
9 Darkened be the stars of its twilight,-Let it wait for light, and there be none, neither let it see the eyelashes of the dawn:
10 Because it closed not the doors of the womb wherein I was, and so hid trouble from mine eyes.
11 ¶ Wherefore, in the womb, did I not die? From the womb, come forth and cease to breathe?
12 For what reason, were there prepared for me-knees? and why-breasts, that I might suck?
13 Surely, at once, had I lain down, and been quiet, I had fallen asleep, then, had I been at rest:
14 With kings, and counselors of the earth, who had built them pyramids:
15 Or with rulers possessing, gold,-Who had filled their houses with silver:
16 Or that, like an untimely birth hidden away, I had not come into being, like infants that never saw light:
17 There, the lawless, cease from raging, and there the toil-worn are at rest:
18 At once are prisoners at peace, they hear not the voice of a driver:
19 Small and great, there, they are, and, the slave, is free from his master.
20 ¶ Wherefore give, to the wretched, light? Or, life, to the embittered in soul?-
21 Who long for death, and it is not, And have digged for it, beyond hid treasures:
22 Who rejoice unto exultation, Are glad, when they can find the grave:
23 To a man, whose way is concealed, And GOD hath straitly enclosed him?
24 For, in the face of my food, my sighing, cometh in, and, poured out like the water, are my groans:
25 For, a dread, I dreaded, and it hath come upon me, and, that from which I shrank, hath overtaken me.
26 I was not careless, nor was I secure, nor had I settled down,-when there came-consternation!
Job Chapter 4:
1 ¶ Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:-
2 If one attempt a word unto thee, wilt thou be impatient? But, to restrain speech, who, can endure?
3 Lo! thou hast admonished many, and, slack hands, hast thou been wont to uphold:
4 Him that was stumbling, have thy words raised up, and, sinking knees, hast thou strengthened.
5 But, now, it cometh upon thee, and thou despairest, It smiteth even thee, and thou art dismayed.
6 Is not, thy reverence, thy confidence? And is not, thy hope, the very integrity of thy ways?
7 ¶ Remember, I pray thee, who, being innocent, hath perished, or when, the upright, have been cut off.
8 So far as I have seen, They who plow for iniquity and sow misery, reap the same:
9 By the blast of GOD, they perish, And, by the breath of his nostrils, are they consumed:
10 Notwithstanding the roaring of the lion, and the noise of the howling lion, yet, the teeth of the fierce lions, are broken:
11 The strong lion perishing for lack of prey, Even the whelps of the lioness, are scattered.
12 ¶ But, unto me, something was brought by stealth,-and mine ear caught a whispering of the same:
13 When there were thoughts, from visions of the night,-When deep sleep falleth upon men,
14 Dread, came upon me, and trembling, The multitude of my bones, it put in dread:
15 Then, a spirit, over my face, floated along, The hair of my flesh bristled-up:
16 It stood still, but I could not distinguish its appearance, I looked, but there was no form before mine eyes,-A whispering voice, I heard:--
17 Shall, mortal man, be more just than GOD? Or a man be more pure than, his Maker?
18 Lo! in his own servants, he trusteth not, and, his own messengers, he chargeth with error:
19 How much more the dwellers in houses of clay, which, in the dust, have their foundation, which are crushed sooner than a moth:
20 Betwixt morning and evening, are they broken in pieces, With none to save, they utterly perish:
21 Is not their tent-rope within them, torn away? They die, disrobed of wisdom!
Job Chapter 5:
1 ¶ Call, I pray thee-is there one to answer thee? Or, to which of the holy ones, wilt thou turn?
2 For, to the foolish man, death is caused by vexation, and, the simple one, is slain by jealousy.
3 I, have seen the foolish taking root, and then hath his home decayed, in a moment:
4 His children are far removed from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is none to deliver:
5 Whose harvest, the hungry, eateth up, and, even out of thorn hedges, he taketh it, and the snare gapeth for their substance.
6 ¶ For sorrow, cometh not forth out of the dust,-nor, out of the ground, sprouteth trouble.
7 Though, man, to trouble, were born, as, sparks, on high, do soar,
8 Yet indeed, I, would seek unto El, and, unto Elohim, would I set forth any cause:-
9 Who doeth great things, beyond all search,-Wondrous things, till they cannot be recounted;
10 Who giveth rain, upon the face of the earth, and sendeth forth waters, over the face of the open fields;
11 Setting the lowly on high, and, mourners, are uplifted to safety;
12 Who doth frustrate the schemes of the crafty, that their hands cannot achieve abiding success;
13 Who captureth the wise in their own craftiness, yea the headlong counsel of the crooked:
14 By day, they encounter darkness, and, as though it were night, they grope at high noon.
15 But he saveth from the sword, out of their mouth, and, out of the hand of the strong, the needy.
16 Thus to the poor hath come hope, and, perversity, hath shut her mouth.
17 ¶ Lo! how happy is the man whom God correcteth! Therefore, the chastening of the Almighty, do not thou refuse;
18 For, he, woundeth that he may bind up, He smiteth through, that, his own hands, may heal.
19 In six troubles, he will rescue thee, and, in seven, there shall smite thee no misfortune:
20 In famine, he will ransom thee from death, and in battle from the power of the sword;
21 During the scourge of the tongue, shalt thou be hid, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh;
22 At destruction and at hunger, shalt thou laugh, and, of the wild beast of the earth, be not thou afraid;
23 For, with the stones of the field, shall be thy covenant, and, the wild beast of the field, hath been made thy friend;
24 And thou shalt know that, at peace, is thy tent, and shalt visit thy fold, and miss nothing;
25 And thou shalt know, that numerous is thy seed, and, thine offspring, like the young shoots of the field.
26 Thou shalt come, yet robust, to the grave, as a stack of sheaves mounteth up in its season.
27 Lo! as for this, we have searched it out-so, it is, Hear it, and know, thou, for thyself.
Job Chapter 6:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 Oh that, weighed, were my vexation, and, my engulfing ruin-into the balances, they would lift up all at once!
3 For, now, beyond the sand of the seas, would it be heavy, On this account, my words, have wandered.
4 For, the arrows of the Almighty, are in me, The heat whereof, my spirit is drinking up, The, terrors of GOD, array themselves against me.
5 Doth the wild ass bray over grass? Or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6 Can that which hath no savour be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 My soul hath refused to touch, Those things, are like disease in my food.
8 ¶ Oh that my request would come! and, my hope, oh that GOD would grant!
9 That it would please GOD to crush me, That he would set free his hand, and cut me off!
10 So might it still be my comfort, And I might exult in the anguish he would not spare,-That I had not concealed the sayings of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should hope? Or what mine end, that I should prolong my desire?
12 Is my strength, the strength of stones? Or is, my flesh, of bronze?
13 Is there any help at all in me? Is not, abiding success, driven from me?
14 ¶ The despairing, from his friend, should have lovingkindness, or, the reverence of the Almighty, he may forsake.
15 Mine own brethren, have proved treacherous like a torrent, like a channel of torrents which disappear:
16 Which darken by reason of the cold, over them, is a covering made by the snow:
17 By the time they begin to thaw, they are dried up, as soon as it is warm, they have vanished out of their place.
18 Caravans turn aside by their course, they go up into a waste, and are lost:
19 The caravans of Tema looked about, the travelling companies of Sheba, hoped for them:
20 They are ashamed that they had trusted, They have come up to one of them, and are confounded.
21 For, now, ye have come to him, ye see something fearful, and fear.
22 ¶ Is it that I said, Make me a gift, or, out of your abundance, offer a bribe on my behalf;
23 And deliver me from the hand of the adversary? And, out of the hand of tyrants, ransom me?
24 Show me, and, I, will hold my peace, And, wherein I have erred, cause me to understand.
25 How pleasant are the sayings that are right! But what can a decision from you, decide?
26 To decide words, do ye intend, When, to the wind, are spoken the sayings of one in despair?
27 Surely, the fatherless, ye would assail, and make merchandise of your friend!
28 But, now, be pleased to turn to me, that it may be, to your faces, if I speak falsehood,
29 Reply, I pray you, let there be no perversity, Yea reply even yet, my vindication is in it!
30 Is there, in my tongue, perversity? Or can, my sense, not discern, engulfing ruin?
Job Chapter 7:
1 ¶ Is there not a warfare to a mortal, upon earth? And, as the days of a hireling, are not his days?
2 As, a bondman, panteth for the shadow, and as, a hireling, longeth for his wage,
3 So, have I been made to inherit months of calamity, and, nights of weariness, have been appointed me.
4 As soon as I lie down, I say, When shall I arise? yet he lengtheneth out the evening, and I am wearied with tossings until the breeze of twilight.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and a coating of dust, My skin, hath hardened, and then run afresh:
6 My days, are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they are spent, without hope.
7 ¶ Remember thou, that, a wind, is my life, not again shall mine eye see blessing:
8 Nor shall see me-the eye that used to behold me, Thine eyes, are upon me, and I am not.
9 A cloud faileth, and is gone, So, he that descendeth to hades, shall not come up: (Note: See Chapter 22.2 Note below).
10 He shall not return again to his house, and his own place shall be acquainted with him no more.
11 I also, cannot restrain my mouth,-I must speak, in the anguish of my spirit, I must find utterance, in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am, I, a sea, or a sea-monster,-That thou shouldst set over me a watch?
13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall help to carry my complaint,
14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and, by visions, dost thou terrify me:
15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, Death, rather than these my bones!
16 I am wasted away, Not, to times age-abiding, can I live, Let me alone, for, a breath, are my days.
17 ¶ What is a mortal, that thou shouldst nurture him? Or that thou shouldst fix upon him thy mind?
18 That thou shouldst inspect him morning by morning, moment by moment, shouldst test him?
19 How long wilt thou not look away from me? Wilt thou not let me alone, till I can swallow my spittle?
20 I have sinned, What can I do for thee, thou watcher of men? Wherefore hast thou set me as thine object of attack, or have I become, unto thee, a burden?
21 And why wilt thou not remove my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For, now, in the dust, should I lie down, and thou shouldst seek me diligently, and I should not be.
Job Chapter 8:
1 ¶ Then responded Bildad the Shuhite, and said:-
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? Or, as a mighty wind, shall be the sayings of thy mouth?
3 Should, GOD, pervert justice? Or, the Almighty, pervert righteousness?
4 Though, thy children, sinned against him, and he delivered them into the hand of their transgression,
5 Yet, if, thou thyself, wilt diligently seek unto GOD,-and, unto the Almighty, wilt make supplication;
6 If, pure and upright, thou thyself, art, surely, now, will he answer thy prayer, and will prosper thy righteous habitation:
7 So shall thy beginning appear small,-when, thy latter end, he shall greatly increase!
8 ¶ For inquire, I pray thee, of a former generation, and prepare thyself for the research of their fathers;-
9 For, of yesterday, are, we, and cannot know, for, a shadow, are our days upon earth:
10 Shall, they, not teach thee-tell thee, and, out of their memory, bring forth words?
11 Can the paper-reed grow up, without a marsh? Or the rush grow up, without water?
12 Though while still, in its freshness, it be not plucked off, yet, before any kind of grass, it doth wither:
13 So, shall be the latter end of all who forget GOD, and, the hope of the impious, shall perish:
14 Whose trust shall be contemptible,-and, a spider’s web, his confidence:
15 He leaneth upon his house, and it will not stand, he holdeth it fast, and it will not remain erect.
16 Full of moisture he is, before the sun, and, over his garden, his shoot goeth forth:
17 Over a heap, his roots are entwined, a place of stones, he descrieth;
18 If one destroy him out of his place, then will it disown him saying-I have not seen thee.
19 Lo! that, is the joy of his way,-and, out of the dust, shall others spring up.
20 ¶ Lo! GOD, will not reject a blameless man, neither will he grasp the hand of evil-doers:
21 At length he shall fill with laughter thy mouth, and thy lips, with a shout of triumph:
22 They who hate thee, shall be clothed with shame, but, the tent of the lawless, shall not be!
Job Chapter 9:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said-
2 Of a truth, I know that so it is, But how can a mortal be just with GOD?
3 If he choose to contend with him, he cannot answer him, one of a thousand:
4 Wise in heart, and alert in vigour, What man hath hardened himself against him, and prospered!
5 Who removeth mountains, unawares, Who overturneth them in his anger;
6 Who shaketh the earth, out of its place, and, the pillars thereof, shudder;
7 Who commandeth the sun, and it breaketh not forth, and, about the stars, he putteth a seal;
8 Who spreadeth out fire heavens, by himself alone! and marcheth along, on the heights of the sea;
9 Who made the Bear, the Giant and the Cluster, and the chambers of the south; (Note: Rothrham "Bear, the Giant and the Cluster" = "Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades" AKJV).
10 Who doeth great things, past finding out, and marvels, beyond number.
11 Lo! he cometh upon me, yet can I not see him, Yea he passeth on, yet can I not discern him.
12 Lo! he snatcheth away, who can bring it back? Who shall say unto him, What wouldst thou do?
13 As for GOD, if he withdraw not his anger, under him, will have submitted themselves-the proud helpers.
14 ¶ How much less that, I, should answer him, should choose my words with him?
15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, to be absolved, I would make supplication.
16 Though I had called, and he had answered me, I could not believe, that he would lend an ear to my voice.
17 For, with a tempest, would he fall upon me, and would multiply my wounds without need;
18 He would not suffer me to recover my breath, for he would surfeit me with bitter things.
19 If it regardeth vigour, bold is he! If justice, who could summon him?
20 If I should justify myself, mine own mouth, would condemn me,-I blameless? then had it shewn me perverse.
21 I blameless? I should not know my own soul, I should despise my own life!
22 ¶ One thing, there is, for which cause, I have said it, The blameless and the lawless, he bringeth to an end.
23 If, a scourge, slay suddenly, at the despair of innocent ones, he mocketh.
24 The earth, hath been given into the hand of a lawless one, The faces of her judges, he covereth, If not, then who is it?
25 ¶ My days, therefore, are swifter than a runner, They have fled, they have seen no good.
26 They have passed away with boats of paper-reed, like a vulture which rusheth upon food.
27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will lay aside my sad countenance, and brighten up,
28 I am afraid of all my pains, I know, that thou wilt not pronounce me innocent.
29 I, shall be held guilty,-Wherefore then, in vain, should I toil?
30 Though I bathe myself in snow water, and cleanse, in cleanness itself, my hands,
31 Then, in a ditch, wouldst thou plunge me, and mine own clothes should abhor me:
32 For he is not a man like myself, whom I might answer, nor could we come together into judgment:
33 There is not, between us, a mediator, who might lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let him take from off me his rod, and, his terror, let it not startle me:
35 I could speak, and not be afraid of him, although, not so, am, I, in myself!
Job Chapter 10:
1 ¶ My soul doth loathe my life,-I let loose my complaint, I speak, in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I say unto GOD, Do not hold me guilty, Let me know, on what account thou contendest with me!
3 Is it seemly in thee, that thou shouldst oppress? that thou shouldst despise the labour of thine own hand, when, upon the counsel of the lawless, thou hast shone?
4 Eyes of flesh, hast thou? or, as a mortal seeth, seest thou?
5 As the days of a mortal, are thy days? or, thy years, as the days of a man?
6 That thou shouldst seek for mine iniquity, and, for my sin, shouldst make search:
7 Though it is, within thine own knowledge, that I would not be lawless, and, none, out of thy hand, can deliver?
8 ¶ Thine own hands, shaped me, and made me, all in unison round about, and yet thou hast confounded me.
9 Remember, I pray thee, that, as clay, thou didst make me, and, unto dust, thou wilt cause me to return.
10 Didst thou not, like milk, pour me forth? and, as cheese, curdle me?
11 With skin and flesh, clothe me? and, with bones and sinews, interweave me?
12 Life and lovingkindness, thou didst bestow upon me,-and, thy watchful care, preserved my breath.
13 Yet, these things, thou didst hide in thy heart, I know that, this, hath been with thee!
14 ¶ If I have sinned, then couldst thou watch me, and, from mine iniquity, thou wouldst not acquit me:
15 If I have been lawless, alas for me! Or, if I am righteous, I will not lift up my head, Surfeited with shame, look thou then on my humiliation.
16 When it is lifted up, like a howling lion, thou dost hunt me, Then again thou dost shew thyself marvellous against me.
17 Thou renewest thy witnesses before me, and dost increase thy vexation with me, Relays-yea an army, is with me.
18 Wherefore then, from the womb, didst thou bring me forth? I might have breathed my last, and, no eye, have seen me.
19 As though I had not been, should I have become,-from the womb to the grave, might I have been borne.
20 Are not my days, few?-then forbear, and set me aside, that I may brighten up for a little;
21 Before I go, and not return, unto a land of darkness and death-shade:
22 A land of obscurity, like thick darkness, of death-shade and disorder, and which shineth like thick darkness.
Job Chapter 11:
1 ¶ Then responded Zophar the Naamathite, and said:-
2 Should, the multitude of words, not be answered? Or should, a man full of talk, be justified?
3 Shall, thy pratings, cause men to hold their peace? When thou hast mocked, shall there be none to put thee to shame?
4 Since thou hast said, Right is my doctrine, and pure am I in his eyes.
5 But, in very deed, oh that GOD would speak, that he would open his lips with thee:
6 That he would declare to thee the secrets of wisdom, for they are double to that which actually is,--Know then that GOD could bring into forgetfulness for thee, a portion of thine iniquity.
7 ¶ The hidden depth of GOD canst thou discover? Or, unto the furthest limit of the Almighty, canst thou attain?
8 The heights of the heavens, what canst thou do? Depths deeper than hades, what canst thou know?
9 Longer than the earth, is the measure thereof, and broader than the sea.
10 If he sweep on, or shut up, or call together, Who then shall hinder him?
11 For, he, knoweth men of falsity, and seeth iniquity, and him that doth not diligently consider.
12 But, an empty person, will get sense, when, a wild ass’s colt, is born a man! (Note: Herein is another great truth being revealed in our 21st Century, with genetic engineering we understand the making of a colt, and of similar genetic engineering understanding, the making of smartness.).
13 ¶ If, thou, hast prepared thy heart, and wilt spread forth, unto him, thy hands-
14 If, iniquity, be in thy hand, Put it far away, and let there not dwell in thy tents perversity,
15 Surely, then, shalt thou lift up thy face free from blemish, and shalt be established, and not fear.
16 For, now, shalt thou forget, sorrow, Like waters passed away, shalt thou remember it.
17 Above high noon, shall rise life’s continuance, Darkness, like a morning, shall appear,
18 And thou shalt he confident, that there is hope, and, when thou hast searched, securely shalt thou lie down; (Note: correction to Rothrham: "he" = "be" AKJV).
19 And shalt rest, with none to put thee in terror,-and many shall entreat thy favour.
20 But, the eyes of the lawless, shall fail,-and, place of refuge, shall have vanished from them, and, their hope, be a breathing out of life.
Job Chapter 12:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 Of a truth, ye, are the people, and, with you, wisdom, will die.
3 I also, have a mind like you, I, fall not short, of you, But who hath not such things as these?
4 A laughing-stock to one’s neighbour, do I become, one who hath called upon GOD and he hath answered him! A laughing-stock-a righteous man without blame!
5 For ruin, there is contempt, in the thought of the man at ease,-ready, for such as are of faltering foot!
6 ¶ At peace are the tents that belong to the spoilers, and there is security to them who provoke GOD, To him who bringeth a god in his hand.
7 But, in very deed, ask, I pray thee, the beasts, and they will teach thee, and the bird of the heavens, and it will tell thee;
8 Or address the earth, and it will teach thee, and the fishes of the sea, will recount it to thee:
9 Who knoweth not, among all these, that, the hand of Yahweh, hath done this?
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all the flesh of men.
11 Doth not, the ear, try, words? even as, the palate, tasteth for itself, food?
12 ¶ In the Ancient, is wisdom, and in Length of Days, understanding:
13 With Him, are wisdom and strength, to Him, pertain counsel and understanding.
14 Lo! He pulleth down, and it cannot be built, He closeth up over a man, and it cannot be opened:
15 Lo! He holdeth back the waters, and they dry up, or sendeth them out, and they transform the earth:
16 With Him, is strength and effective wisdom, to Him, belong he that erreth, and he that causeth to err.
17 Who leadeth away counsellors as a spoil, and, judges, He befooleth:
18 The fetters of kings, He looseth, or hath bound a slave’s waistcloth about their loins:
19 Who leadeth away priests as a spoil, and, men firmly seated, He overturneth:
20 Setting aside the speech of the trusty, and, the discernment of elders, He taketh away:
21 Pouring contempt upon nobles, and, the girdle of the mighty, hath He loosed:
22 Laying open deep things, out of darkness, and bringing out to light, the death-shade:
23 Who giveth greatness to nations, or destroyeth them, Who spreadeth out nations, or leadeth them into exile:
24 Who taketh away the sense of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and hath caused them to wander in a pathless waste:
25 They grope about in the dark, having no light, and He hath made them to reel, like a drunken man.
Job Chapter 13:
1 ¶ Lo! all this, hath mine own eye seen,-Mine ear hath heard and understood it:
2 Just as ye know, I too, know, I, fall not short, of you.
3 But indeed, I, unto the Almighty, would speak, and, to direct my argument unto GOD, would I be well pleased.
4 For, in truth, ye, do besmear with falsehood, Worthless physicians, all of you!
5 Oh that ye would, altogether held your peace, and it should serve you for wisdom!
6 Hear, I pray you, the argument of my mouth, and, to the pleadings of my lips, give heed:-
7 Is it, for God, ye would speak perversely? And, for him, would ye speak deceit:
8 Even, for him, would ye be partial? Or, for GOD, would ye so plead?
9 Would it be well, when he searched you out? Or, as one might jest with a mortal, would ye jest, with him?
10 He will, severely rebuke, you, if ye are secretly partial.
11 Shall not, his majesty, overwhelm you? and, the dread of him, fall upon you?
12 Are not your memorable sayings, proverbs of ashes? Breastworks of clay, your breastworks?
13 ¶ Quietly let me alone, that, I, may speak out, then let come on me, what may.
14 In any case, I will take up my flesh in my teeth, and, my life, will I put in my hand:
15 Lo! he may slay me, yet, for him, will I wait,-Nevertheless, my ways-unto his face, will I show to be right:
16 Even he, will be on my side-unto salvation, For, not before his face, shall any impious person come.
17 Hear ye patiently my speech, and be my declaration in your ears.
18 Lo! I pray you, I have set forth in order a plea, I know that, I, shall be found right.
19 Who is it that shall contend with me? For, now, if I should hold my peace, why! I should breathe my last!
20 Only, two things, do thou not with me, then, from thy face, will I not hide me:-
21 Thy hand-from off me, take thou far away, and, thy terror, let it not startle me!
22 Then call thou, and, I, will answer, Or I will speak, and reply thou unto me.
23 ¶ How many are mine iniquities and sins? My transgression and my sin, let me know!
24 Wherefore, thy face, shouldst thou hide? Or count me, as an enemy to thee?
25 A driven leaf, wilt thou cause to tremble? Or, dry stubble, wilt thou pursue?
26 For thou writest, against me, bitter things, and dost make me inherit the iniquities of my youth;
27 And thou dost put-in the stocks-my feet, and observest all my paths, Against the roots of my feet, thou dost cut out a bound;
28 And, a man himself, as a rotten thing, weareth out, as a garment which the moth hath eaten.
Job Chapter 14:
1 ¶ Man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble:
2 As a flower, he cometh forth-and fadeth, He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
3 And yet upon such a one as this, hast thou opened thine eye? And, him, wouldst thou bring into judgment with thee?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one!
5 If determined am his days, the number of his months, is with thee, Fixed times for him, thou hast appointed and he cannot go beyond.
6 Look sway from him, that he may rest, Till he shall pay off, as a hireling, his day.
7 ¶ Though there is-for a tree-hope,-if it should be cut down, that, again, it will grow, and, the tender branch thereof, will not cease;
8 If its root, should become old in the earth, and, in the dust, its stock should die:
9 Through the scent of water, it may break forth, and produce branches like a sapling,
10 Yet, man, dieth, and is prostrate, Yea the son of earth doth cease to breathe, and where is he?
11 Waters, have failed from, the sea, and, a river, may waste and dry up;
12 So, a man, hath lain down, and shall not arise, until there are no heavens, they shall not awake, nor be roused up out of their sleep. (Note: See Chapter 22.2 Note below).
13 Oh that, in hades, thou wouldst hide me! that thou wouldst keep me secret, until the turn of thine anger, that thou wouldst set for me a fixed time, and remember me:
14 If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my warfare, would I wait, until my relief should come:-
15 Thou shouldst call, and, I, would answer thee,-For the work of thine own hand, thou shouldst long.
16 ¶ For, now, my steps, thou countest, Thou wilt not pass over my sin:
17 Sealed up in a bag, is my transgression, and thou hast glued over mine iniquity.
18 But, in very deed, a mountain falling, will lie prostrate, or, a rock moved out of its place:
19 Stones, have been hollowed out by waters, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth, and, the hope of mortal man, thou hast destroyed:
20 Thou dost overpower him utterly, and he departeth, Disfiguring his face, so, hast thou sent him away.
21 His sons, come to honour, and he knoweth it not, Or they are brought low, and he perceiveth it not of them.
22 But, his flesh, for himself, is in pain, and, his soul, for himself, doth mourn.
Job Chapter 15:
1 ¶ Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
2 Should, a wise man, answer unreal knowledge? or fill, with the east wind, his inner man?
3 Disputing with discourse that doth no good, or with speech, wherein is no profit?
4 But, thou, wouldst take away reverence, and wouldst attain unto meditation before GOD.
5 For thine own mouth would teach thine iniquity, and thou wouldst choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth shall condemn thee, and, not I, And, thine own lips, shall testify against thee.
7 The first of mankind, wast thou born? Or, before the hills, wast thou brought forth?
8 In the secret council of GOD, hast thou been wont to hearken? Or canst thou attain for thyself unto wisdom?
9 What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, and the same, is not with us?
10 Both hoary and venerable, are among us, one mightier than thy father in days!
11 Too small for thee, are the consolations of GOD? or a word spoken gently with thee?
12 How doth thine own heart carry thee away, and how thine eyes do roll!
13 For thy spirit, replieth against GOD, and thou bringest forth-out of thy mouth-words!
14 What is a mortal, that he should be pure? or that righteous should be one born of a woman?
15 Lo! in his holy ones, he putteth not confidence, and, the heavens, are not pure in his eyes:
16 How much less when one is detested and corrupt, a man who drinketh in-like water-perversity.
17 ¶ I will tell thee-hear me, Since this I have seen, I must needs declare it.
18 Which, wise men, tell, and deny not that which is from their fathers.
19 To them alone, was the earth given, and no alien passed through their midst:
20 All the days of the lawless man, he, doth writhe with pain, and, the number of years, is hidden from the tyrant;
21 A noise of dreadful things, is in his ears, In prosperity, the destroyer cometh upon him;
22 He hath no confidence to come back out of darkness, he, being destined to the power oft the sword;
23 A wanderer, he, for bread, saying Where is it? He knoweth that, prepared by his own hand, is the day of darkness;
24 Distress and anguish shall startle him, It shall overpower him, like a king ready for the onset:
25 Because he had stretched out-against GOD-his hand, and, against the Almighty, had been wont to behave himself proudly;
26 He used to run against him with uplifted neck, with the stout bosses of his bucklers;
27 For he had covered his face with his fatness, and had gathered a superabundance on his loins;
28 And had inhabited demolished cities, houses, wherein men would not dwell, that were destined to become heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, nor shall his substance continue, neither shall their shadow stretch along on the earth;
30 He shall not depart out of darkness, his young branch, shall the flame dry up, and he shall depart, by the breath of his own mouth!
31 Let no one trust in him that-by vanity-is deceived, for, vanity, shall be his recompense;
32 Before his day, shall it be accomplished, with, his palm-top, not covered with leaves;
33 He shall wrong-like a vine-his sour grapes, and shall cast off-as an olive-tree-his blossom.
34 For, the family of the impious, is unfruitful, and, a fire, hath devoured the tents of bribery;
35 Conceiving mischief, and bringing forth iniquity, yea, their inmost soul, prepareth deceit.
Job Chapter 16:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 I have heard many such things, Wearisome comforters, are ye all!
3 Is there to be an end to windy words? Or what so strongly exciteth thee, that thou must respond?
4 I also, like you, could speak,-If your soul were in the place of my soul, I could string together words against you, and could therewith shake over you my head.
5 I could make you determined, by my mouth, and then my lip-solace should restrain you.
6 ¶ Though I do speak, unassuaged is my stinging pain,-And, if I forbear, of what am I relieved?
7 But, now, hath he wearied me, thou hast destroyed all my family;
8 And, having captured me, it hath served, as a witness; and so my wasting away hath risen up against me, in my face, it answereth.
9 His anger, hath torn and persecuted me, He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth, Mine adversary, hath sharpened his eyes for me.
10 They have gaped upon me with their mouth, With reproach, have they smitten my cheek, Together, against me, have they closed their ranks.
11 GOD doth abandon me to him that is perverse, and, into the hands of the lawless, he throweth me headlong.
12 At ease, was I when he shattered me, Yea he seized me by my neck, and dashed me in pieces, then set me up for himself as a mark:
13 His archers came round against me, He clave asunder my reins, and spared not, He poured out, on the earth, my gall:
14 He made a breach in me, breach upon breach, He ran upon me, like a mighty man.
15 Sackcloth, sewed I on my skin, and rolled-in the dust-my horn:
16 My face, is reddened from weeping, and, upon mine eyelashes, is the death-shade:-
17 ¶ Though no violence was in my hands, and, my prayer, was pure.
18 O earth! do not cover my blood, and let there be no place for mine outcry.
19 Even now, lo! in the heavens, is my witness,
20 And, he that voucheth for me is on high. My friends are, they who scorn me, Unto GOD, hath mine eye shed tears:-
21 That one might plead, for a man, with GOD,-Even a son of man, for his friend!
22 When, a few years, come, then, by a path by which I shall not return, shall I depart.
Job Chapter 17:
1 ¶ My spirit, is broken, My days, are extinguished, Graves, are left me.
2 Verily there are mockers, with me! And, on their insults, mine eye doth rest.
3 Appoint it, I pray thee-be thou surety for me with thyself, Who is there that, on my side, can pledge himself?
4 For, their heart, hast thou kept back from understanding, On this account, thou wilt not exalt them.
5 He that, for a share, denounceth friends, even, the eyes of his children, shall be dim.
6 But he hath set me, as the byword of peoples, And, one to be spit on in the face, do I become.
7 Therefore hath mine eye become dim from vexation, and, my members, are like a shadow, all of them.
8 Upright men shall be astounded over this, and, the innocent, against the impious, shall rouse themselves.
9 That the righteous may hold on his way, and, the clean of hands, increase in strength.
10 ¶ But indeed, as for them all, will ye bethink yourselves and enter into it, I pray you? Or shall I not find, among you, one who is wise?
11 My days, are past, my purposes, are broken off, the possessions of my heart!
12 Night for day, they appoint, Light, is near, by reason of darkness!
13 If I wait for hades as my house, in darkness, have spread out my couch;
14 To corruption, have exclaimed, My father, thou! My mother! and My sister! to the worm.
15 Where then would be my hope? And, as for my blessedness, who should see it!
16 With me to hades, would they go down, If, wholly-into the dust, is the descent!
Job Chapter 18:
1 ¶ Then responded Bildad the Shuhite, and said:-
2 How long will ye make a perversion of words? Ye should understand, and, afterwards, we could speak.
3 Wherefore are we accounted like beasts? or appear stupid, in thine eyes?
4 One tearing in pieces his own soul in his anger,-For thy sake, shall the earth be forsaken? or the rock be moved out of its place?
5 ¶ Even the light of the lawless, shall go out,-Neither shall shine the flame of his fire;
6 The light, hath darkened in his tent, Yea, his lamp above him, goeth out;
7 The steppings of his strength are hemmed in, and his own counsel casteth him down;
8 For he is thrust into a net by his own feet, and, upon a trap, he marcheth;
9 There catcheth him-by the heel-a gin, there holdeth him fast-a noose:
10 Concealed in the ground is a cord for him,-and a snare for him, on the path.
11 ¶ Round about, terrors have startled him, and have driven him to his feet.
12 Let his strength be famished, and, calamity, be ready at his side;
13 Let it devour the members of his body, Let the firstborn of death devour his members;
14 Uprooted, out of his tent, be his confidence, and let it drive him down to the king of terrors;
15 There shall dwell in his tent, what is naught-of-his, Let brimstone be strewed over his dwelling;
16 Beneath, let his roots be dried up, and, above, be cut off his branch;
17 His memorial, have perished out of the land, and let him have no name over the face of the open field;
18 Let them thrust him out of light into darkness, Yea, out of the world, let them chase him;
19 Let him have neither scion nor seed among his people, neither any survivor in his place of sojourn:
20 Over his day, have they been astounded who come behind, and, them who are in advance, a shudder hath seized.
21 Surely, these, are the dwellings of him that is perverse, and, this, is the place of him that knoweth not GOD.
Job Chapter 19:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 How long will ye grieve my soul? or crush me with words?
3 These ten times, have ye reviled me, Shameless ye wrong me.
4 And even if indeed I have erred, with myself lodgeth mine error.
5 If indeed, against me, ye must needs magnify yourselves, and plead, against me, my reproach.
6 Know, then, that, God, hath overthrown me, and, within his net, enclosed me.
7 Lo! I cry-out: Violence! but receive no answer, I cry aloud, but there is no vindication;
8 ¶ My way, hath he walled up, that I cannot pass, and, upon my paths, hath he made darkness rest;
9 My glory-from off me, hath he stripped, and hath removed the crown of my head;
10 He hath ruined me on every side, and I am gone, and he hath taken away-like a tree-my hope;
11 Yea he hath kindled against me his anger, and accounted me towards him like unto his adversaries;
12 Together, enter his troops and have cast up, against me, their mound, and have encamped all around my tent;
13 My Brethren-from beside me, hath he moved far away, and, mine acquaintance, are wholly estranged from me;
14 Failed me, have my near of kin, and, mine intimate acquaintances, have forgotten me;
15 Ye guests of my house and my maidens, A stranger, have ye accounted me, An alien, have I become in their eyes;
16 To mine own servant, I called, and he would not answer, With mine own mouth, I kept entreating him;
17 My breath, is strange to my wife, and I am loathsome to the sons of my own mother;
18 Even young children, despise me, I rise up, and they speak against me;
19 All the men of mine intimate circle abhor me, and, these whom I loved, have turned against me;
20 Unto my skin and unto my flesh, have my bones cleaved, and I have escaped with the akin of my teeth.
21 Pity me! pity me! ye, my friends, for, the hand of GOD, hath stricken me!
22 Wherefore should ye persecute me as GOD? and, with my flesh, should not he satisfied?
23 ¶ Oh, then, that my words, could be written, Oh that, in a record, they could be inscribed:
24 That, with a stylus of iron and with lead, for all time-in the rock, they could be graven!
25 But, I, know that, my redeemer, liveth, and, as the Last over my dust, will he arise;
26 And, though, after my skin is struck off, this follow, yet, apart from my flesh, shall I see GOD:
27 Whom, I myself, shall see, on my side, and, mine own eyes, shall have looked upon, and not those of a stranger. Exhausted are my deepest desires in my bosom!
28 Surely ye should say-Why should we persecute him? seeing, the root of the matter, is found in me.
29 Be ye afraid-on your part-of the face of the sword, because, wrath, brings the punishments of the sword, to the end ye may know the Almighty.
Job Chapter 20:
1 ¶ Then responded Zophar the Naamathite, and said:-
2 Not so, do my thoughts answer me, and to this end, is my haste within me:
3 The correction meant to confound me, I must hear, but, the spirit-out of my understanding, will give me a reply.
4 Knowest thou, this-from antiquity, from the placing of man upon earth:-
5 That, the joy-shout of the lawless, is short, and, the rejoicing of the impious, for a moment?
6 Though his elevation mount up to the heavens, and, his head, to the clouds, doth reach,
7 Like his own stubble, shall he utterly perish, They who had seen him, shall say, Where is he?
8 Like a dream, shall he fly away, and they shall not find him, yea he shall be chased away, as a vision of the night.
9 The eye that hath scanned him, shall not do it again, neither, any more, shall his place behold him:
10 ¶ His children, shall seek the favour of the poor, and, his own hand, shall give back his wealth.
11 His bones, are full of youthful vigour, yet, with him-in the dust, shall it lie down.
12 Though, a sweet taste in his mouth, be given by vice, though he hide it under his tongue;
13 Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but retain it in the midst of his mouth,
14 His food, in his stomach, is changed, the gall of adders, within him!
15 Wealth, hath he swallowed, and hath vomited the same, Out of his belly, shall, GOD, drive it forth:
16 The poison of adders, shall he suck, The tongue of the viper shall slay him;
17 Let him not see in the channels the flowings of torrents of honey and milk.
18 In vain, he toiled, he shall not swallow, like wealth to be restored, in which he cannot exult!
19 For he hath oppressed-hath forsaken the poor, A house, hath he seized, which he cannot rebuild.
20 Surely he hath known no peace in his inmost mind,-With his dearest thing, shall he not get away:
21 Nothing escaped his devouring greed,-For this cause, shall his prosperity not continue: (Note: see verse 25 Note below).
22 When his abundance is gone, he shall be in straits, All the power of distress, shall come upon him.
23 ¶ It shall be that, to fill his belly, he will thrust at him the glow of his anger, and rain it upon him for his punishment.
24 He shall flee from the armour of iron,-There shall pierce him, a bow of bronze!
25 He hath drawn it out, and it hath come forth out of his back,-yea the flashing arrow-head, out of his gall, There shall march on him-terrors: (Note: From a Biblical perspective, one might logically conclude terrorism against the World Trade Center cause was as noted in verse 21 above.).
26 Every misfortune, is laid up for his treasures,-There shall consume, a fire, not blown up,-it shall destroy what remaineth in his tent:
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and, the earth, be rising up against him:
28 The increase of his house shall vanish, melting away in the day of his anger.
29 This, is the portion of the lawless man, from God, and the inheritance decreed him from the Mighty One.
Job Chapter 21:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 Hear ye patiently my words, and let this be your consolation: (Note: see Chapter 22 verse 2 below).
3 Suffer me, that, I, may speak, and, after I have spoken, thou canst mock!
4 Did, I, unto man, make my complaint? Wherefore, then, should my spirit not be impatient?
5 Turn round to me, and be astonished, and lay hand on mouth!
6 When I call to mind, then am I dismayed, and there seizeth my flesh a shuddering:-
7 ¶ Wherefore do, lawless men, live, advance in years, even wax mighty in power?
8 Their seed, is established in their sight, along with them, yea their offspring, before their eyes;
9 Their houses, are at peace, without dread, neither is, the rod of GOD, upon them;
10 His bull, covereth, and causeth not aversion, His cow safely calveth, and casteth not her young;
11 They send forth-like a flock-their young ones, and, their children, skip about for joy;
12 They rejoice aloud as with timbrel and lyre, and make merry to the sound of the pipe;
13 They complete, in prosperity, their days, and, in a moment to hades, they sink down.
14 Yet they said unto GOD, Depart from us, and, In the knowledge of thy ways, find we no pleasure.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? Or what shall we profit, that we should urge him?
16 Lo! not in their own hand, is their welfare, The counsel of lawless men, is far from me!
17 ¶ How oft, the lamp of the lawless, goeth out, and their calamity, cometh upon them, Sorrows, apportioneth he in his anger;
18 They become as straw before the wind, and as chaff, which the storm stealeth away.
19 Shall, GOD, reserve, for his children, his sorrow? Let him recompense him so that he may know it;
20 His own eyes, shall see his misfortune, and, the wrath of the Almighty, shall he drink.
21 For what shall be his pleasure in his house after him, when, the number of his months, is cut in twain?
22 Is it, to GOD, one can teach knowledge, seeing that, he, shall judge, them who are on high?
23 This, man dieth, in the very perfection of his prosperity, wholly tranquil and secure;
24 His veins, are filled with nourishment, and, the marrow of his bones, is fresh;
25 Whereas, this other man, dieth, in bitterness of soul, and hath never tasted good fortune:
26 Together, in the dust, they lie down, and, the worm, spreadeth a covering over them.
27 ¶ Lo! I know your plans, and the devices, wherewith ye would do me violence!
28 For ye say, Where is the house of the noble-minded? And where the dwelling-tent of the lawless?
29 Have ye not asked the passers-by in the way? And, their signs, can ye not recognise?
30 That, to the day of calamity, is the wicked reserved, to the day of indignant visitation, are they led.
31 Who can declare-to his face-his way? And, what, he, hath done, who shall recompense to him?
32 Yet, he, to the graves, is borne, and, over the tomb, one keepeth watch;
33 Pleasant to him are the mounds of the torrent-bed,-and, after him, doth every man march, as, before him, there were without number.
34 How then should ye comfort me with vanity, since, as for your replies, there lurketh, in them treachery?
Job Chapter 22:
1 ¶ Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:-
2 Unto GOD, can a man act as friend? Surely a discreet man befriendeth himself! (Note: "befriendeth" Rothrham = "consolation" RSV. Job sought the righteousness of Enoch (before Jesus Christ was begotten of Mother Mary), see Job 27.6 below, and sought immortality there (For Job to love Enoch is good, see the new commandment in John 13.34, but God logically and faithfully respects the one God of logic and faith and none other, Exodus 20.2.). Reference The Problem of Consolation Immortality Chapter page 146, published by The Methodist Book Concern, New York City; with the author and 1912 copyrighter Reverend Henry Richard Bender,
Reverend Henry Richard Bender.
Job Chapter 23:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 Even to-day, is my complaint rebellion? His hand, is heavier than my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! I would come even unto his dwelling-place;
4 I would set out, before him, a plea, and, my mouth, would I fill with arguments;
5 I would note the words wherewith he would respond to me, and would mark what he would say to me.
6 Would he, with fulness of might, contend with me? Nay, surely, he, would give heed to me!
7 There an upright man, might reason with him, so should I deliver myself completely from my judge.
8 ¶ Behold! eastward, I go, but he is not there, and, westward, but I perceive him not;
9 On the north, where he worketh, but I get no vision, He hideth himself on the south that I cannot see him.
10 But, he, knoweth the way that I choose, Having tried me, as gold, I shall come forth.
11 Of his steps, my foot taketh hold, His way, have I kept, and not swerved;
12 The command of his lips, and would not go back, and, in my bosom, have I treasured the words of his lips.
13 ¶ But, he, is one, and who can turn him? What his soul desired, he hath done.
14 Surely he will accomplish what is decreed for me, and, many such things, hath he in store.
15 For this cause, from his presence, am I driven in fear, I diligently consider and am kept back from him in dread:
16 Yea, GOD, hath made timid my heart, and, the Almighty, hath put me in terror.
17 Because I was not cut off before the darkness, nor, before my face, did the gloom form a shroud.
Job Chapter 24:
1 ¶ Wherefore, since from the Almighty times are not hid, have, his knowing ones, no vision of his days?
2 Boundaries, men move back, flocks, they seize and consume;
3 The ass of the fatherless, they drive off, they take in pledge the ox of the widow;
4 They turn aside the needy out of the way, at once, are the humbled of the land made to hide themselves.
5 Lo! as wild asses in the wilderness, they go forth with their work, eager seekers for prey, the waste plain, yieldeth them food for their young;
6 In the field--a man’s fodder, they cut down, and, the vineyard of the lawless, they strip of its late berries;
7 Ill-clad, they are left to lodge without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;
8 With the sweeping rain of the mountains, are they wet, and, through having no shelter, they embrace a rock.
9 Men tear, from the breast, the fatherless, and, over the poor, they take a pledge;
10 Naked, they go about without clothing, and, famished, they carry the sheaves;
11 Between their walls, are they exposed to the sun, Wine-presses, they tread, and yet are thirsty;
12 Out of the city-out of the houses, they make outcry. and, the soul of the wounded, calleth for help, and, GOD, doth not regard it as foolish.
13 ¶ They, have become rebels against the light,-they are not acquainted with the ways thereof, neither abide they in the paths thereof.
14 With the light, riseth the murderer, He slayeth the poor and needy, And, in the night, he becometh like a thief.
15 And, the eye of the adulterer, watcheth for the evening twilight, saying, Not an eye will see me! A covering for the face, he putteth on;
16 He breaketh, in the dark, into houses,-By day, they lock themselves in, They know not the light;
17 For, in the case of all such, morning to them is the death-shade, For, to be recognised, is a death-shade terror.
18 ¶ Swift is he on the face of the waters, Speedily vanished their share in the land, He turneth not to the way of the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat, steal away snow water, Hades, them who have sinned.
20 Maternal love shall forget him, the worm shall find him sweet, No more shall he be remembered, but perversity shall be shivered like a tree.
21 He oppresseth the barren who beareth not, and, to the widow, he doeth not good;
22 Yea he draggeth along the mighty by his strength, He riseth up, and none hath assurance of life;
23 It is given him to be secure, and confident, yet, his eyes, are upon their ways.
24 They are exalted a little, and are not, Yea having been laid low, like all men, are they gathered, Even as the top of an ear of corn, do they hang down.
25 But, if not, who then can convict me of falsehood? or make of no account my words?
Job Chapter 25:
1 ¶ Then responded Bildad the Shuhite, and said:-
2 Dominion and dread, are with him, who causeth prosperity among his lofty ones;
3 Is there any number to his troops? And upon whom ariseth not his light?
4 How then shall, a mortal, be just with GOD? Or how shall he be pure who is born of a woman?
5 Look as far as the moon, and it is not clear, and, the stars, are not bright in his eyes!
6 How much less a mortal who is a creeping thing? Or a son of the earth-born who is a worm?
Job Chapter 26:
1 ¶ Then responded Job, and said:-
2 How hast thou given help to one of no-strength? given victory to an arm of no-power?
3 How hast thou given counsel to one of no-wisdom? or, effective wisdom, abundantly made known?
4 Whom hast thou taught speech? Whose inspiration hath come from thee?
5 ¶ The shades, tremble, beneath the waters and their inhabitants;
6 Naked is hades before him, and there is no covering to destruction;
7 Who stretcheth out the north over emptiness, hangeth the earth upon nothingness;
8 Who bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent beneath them;
9 Who shutteth-in the face of the throne, he spreadeth over it his cloud;
10 A, boundary, hath he encircled on the face of the waters, as far as where light ends in darkness;
11 The pillars of the heavens, are shaken, and are terrified at his rebuke:
12 By his strength, hath he excited the sea, and, by his skill, hath he shattered the Crocodile:
13 By his spirit, hath he arched the heavens, His hand hath pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Lo! these, are the fringes of his way, and what a whisper of a word hath been heard of him! But, the thunder of his might, who could understand?
Job Chapter 27:
1 ¶ And Job again took up his measure, and said:-
2 As GOD liveth who hath taken away my right, even the Almighty, who hath embittered my soul;
3 All the while my inspiration is in me, and the spirit of GOD is in my nostrils,
4 Verily my lips shall not speak perversity, nor shall, my tongue, utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me! that I should justify, you,-Even until I breathe my last, will I not let go mine integrity from me:
6 On my righteousness, have I taken fast hold, and will not give it up, My heart shall not reproach any of my days. (Note: "my righteousness" of Enoch, Genesis 5.24 and Hebrews 11.5: see above Job Chapter 22.2 Note).
7 ¶ Let mine enemy be a veritably lawless one! And, he that lifteth himself up against me, one veritably perverse!
8 For what shall be the hope of the impious, though he graspeth with greed, when GOD shall draw forth his soul?
9 His outcry, will GOD hear, when there cometh upon him distress?
10 Verily, in the Almighty, he will not find delight, nor call on GOD continually!
11 ¶ I would teach you, by the hand of GOD, That which is with the Almighty, will I not conceal.
12 Lo! ye, have, all of you, seen, Wherefore, then, is it, that ye are utterly without purpose?
13 This, is the portion of a lawless man with GOD, That, the heritage of tyrants-from the Almighty, he shall receive.
14 If his children be multiplied, for them, there is the sword, and, his offspring, shall not be filled with bread;
15 His survivors, by pestilence, shall come to the grave, and, his widows, shall not weep;
16 Though he heap up silver like, dust, and, like a pile, he prepare clothing,
17 He may prepare, but, the righteous, shall put on, and, the silver, shall the innocent apportion. (Note: By great reasoning we see here not that the "innocent" shall amass sums for themselves, yet that the "innocent" shall "apportion".).
18 He hath built, like a moth, his house,-like a hut, which a watcher hath made.
19 The rich man, shall lie down, and not do it again, his eyes, hath he opened, and then is not.
20 There shall reach him-like waters-terrors, By night, a storm-wind hath stolen him away;
21 An east wind shall lift him up, and he shall depart, and it shall sweep him away out of his place;
22 And He will cast upon him and not spare, Out of his hand, shall he, swiftly flee;
23 He shall clap over him his hands, and shall hiss him forth out of his place.
Job Chapter 28:
1 ¶ Though there is, for silver, a vein, and a place for the gold they refine;
2 Iron, out of the ore, is taken, and, stone, poureth out copper;
3 An end, hath one set to the darkness, and, into every extremity, is, he, making search, for the stone of darkness and death-shade;
4 He hath sunken a shaft, away from the inhabitants; Places forsaken by the foot, they hang down, away from men, sway to and fro;
5 As for the earth, out of it, cometh forth bread, and, under it, is upturned, as it were fire;
6 The place of sapphires, are the stones thereof, and it hath, nuggets of gold:-
7 A path, the vulture hath not discerned, nor hath the eye of the hawk scanned it;
8 Ravenous beasts have not made a track thereof, neither hath the lion marched thereon:
9 Upon the flint, hath he thrust forth his hand, He hath turned up mountains by the roots;
10 Among the rocks, hath he cut open streams, and, every precious thing, hath his eye seen:
11 From trickling, he restraineth, rivers, and, some hidden thing, is he bringing out to light.
12 Yet where can, Wisdom, be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 Mortal knoweth not the way thereof, neither can it be found in the land of the living;
14 ¶ The resounding deep, hath said, It is not in me! And, the sea, hath said, It is not with me!
15 Pure gold cannot be given in its stead, neither can silver he weighed as the value thereof;
16 It cannot be put into the scales against the gold of Ophir, with costly onyx, or sapphire;
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can, the exchange thereof, be a vessel of pure gold,
18 Coral or crystal, cannot be mentioned, Yea, a possession, is wisdom, above red coral;
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, Against purest gold, can it not be weighed.
20 ¶ Whence then cometh, wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21 Seeing it hath been hid from the eyes of every living thing, and, from the bird of the heavens, hath it been concealed?
22 Destruction and death, have said, With our ears, have we heard the report thereof!
23 GOD, understandeth the way thereof, and, he, discerneth the place thereof;
24 For, he, unto the ends of the earth, directeth his look, under all the heavens, he seeth;
25 Making, for the wind, a weight, and, the waters, he proved by measure,
26 When he made, for the rain, a decree, and a way for the lightning of thunders,
27 Then, saw he it, and declared it, He settled it, yea also he searched it out;
28 And said to the son of earth, Lo! the reverence of the Lord, that, is wisdom, and, to avoid evil, is understanding.
Job Chapter 29:
1 ¶ And Job again took up his measure, and said,
2 Oh that it were with me as in the months of old, as in the days, when, GOD, used to watch over me;
3 When his lamp shone over my head, by whose light, I could go through darkness;
4 As I was, in the days of my prime, when, the intimacy of GOD, was over my tent;
5 While yet the Almighty was with me, round about me, were my young men;
6 When my steps were bathed in milk, and, the rock, poured out beside me, rivulets of oil:
7 ¶ When I went out to the gate unto the city, in the open place, made ready my seat,
8 Young men saw me, and hid themselves, and, the aged, arose-they stood;
9 Rulers, restrained speech, and, a hand, laid they on their mouth;
10 The voice of nobles, was hushed, and their tongue to their palate, did cleave;
11 When, the ear, heard, then it pronounced me happy, When, the eye, saw, then it bare me witness;
12 Because I used to deliver the oppressed who was crying out for aid, the fatherless also, and him that had no helper;
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish, upon me was wont to descend, and, the heart of the widow, caused I to sing for joy;
14 Righteousness, I put on, and it clothed me, Like a robe and turban, was my, justice;
15 Eyes, became I to the, blind, and, feet to the lame, was, I!
16 A father, was, I, to the needy, and, as for the cause which I knew not, I used to search it out;
17 And I shivered the fangs of the perverse,-and, out of his teeth, I tare the prey.
18 ¶ Then said I, Like a stem, shall I grow old, yea, as the sand, shall I multiply days:
19 My root, is laid open to the waters, and, the dew, shall lodge for the night in my boughs;
20 Mine honour, shall be young again with me, and, my bow, in my hand, be renewed.
21 To me, men hearkened, and waited, and kept silence for my counsel;
22 After I had spoken, they spake not again, and, upon them, used my speech to drop;
23 And they waited, as for rain, for me, and, their mouths, they opened wide for the spring-rain;
24 I laughed at them-they lost confidence, and, the light of my countenance, they suffered not to fail;
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief,-and abode, as king, in an army, as one who, to mourners, giveth comfort.
Job Chapter 30:
1 ¶ But, now, they who are of fewer days than I, have poured derision upon me; whose fathers I refused-to set with the dogs of my flock.
2 Even the strength of their hands, wherefore was it mine? Upon them, vigour was lost;
3 In want and hunger, they were lean,-who used to gnaw the dry ground, a dark night of desolation!
4 Who used to pluck off the mallow by the bushes, with the root of the broom for their food;
5 Out of the midst, were they driven, men shouted after them, as after a thief;
6 In the fissures, of the ravines had they to dwell, in holes of dust and crags;
7 Among the bushes, used they to shriek, Under the bramble, were they huddled together:
8 Sons of the base, yea sons of the nameless, they were scourged out of the land.
9 But, now, their song, have I become, Yea I serve them for a byword;
10 They abhor me-have put themselves far from me, and, from my face, have not withheld-spittle!
11 Because, my girdle, he had loosened and had humbled me, therefore, the bridle-in my presence, cast they off;
12 On my right hand, the young brood rose up,-My feet, they thrust aside, and cast up against me their earthworks of destruction;
13 They brake up my path,-My engulfing ruin, they helped forward, unaided;
14 As through a wide breach, came they on, with a crashing noise, they rolled themselves along.
15 ¶ There are turned upon me terrors,-Chased away as with a wind, is mine abundance, and, as a cloud, hath passed away my prosperity.
16 Now, therefore, over myself, my soul poureth itself out, There seize me days of affliction:
17 Night, boreth, my bones, all over me,-and, my sinews, find no rest;
18 Most effectually, is my skin disfigured,-Like the collar of my tunic, it girdeth me about:
19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry out for help unto thee, and thou dost not answer, I stand still, and thou dost gaze at me;
21 Thou art turned to become a cruel one unto me, With the might of thy hand, thou assailest me;
22 Thou liftest up me to the wind, thou carriest me away, and the storm maketh me faint;
23 For I know that, unto death, thou wilt bring me back, even unto the house of meeting for every one living.
24 Only, against a heap of ruins, will one not thrust a hand! Surely, when one is in calamity-for that very reason, is there an outcry for help.
25 Verily I wept, for him whose lot was hard, Grieved was my soul, for the needy.
26 Surely, for good, I looked, but there came in evil, And I waited for light, but there came in darkness;
27 I boiled within me, and rested not, There confronted me-days of affliction;
28 In gloom, I walked along, without sun, I arose-in the convocation, I cried out for help;
29 A brother, became I to the brutes that howl, and a companion to the birds that screech:
30 My skin, turned black, and peeled off me, and, my bones, burned with heat:
31 Thus is attuned to mourning-my lyre, and my flute, to the noise of them who weep.
Job Chapter 31:
1 ¶ A covenant, I solemnised for mine eyes,-How then could I gaze upon a virgin?
2 Or what would have been my portion of GOD from above? Or what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is there not calamity, for the perverse? and misfortune, for the workers of iniquity?
4 Would, he, not see my ways? and of all my steps, take account?
5 Verily I walked not in falsity, nor did my foot haste unto deceit:-
6 Let him weigh me in balances of righteousness,-and let GOD take note of mine integrity!
7 If my goings have swerved from the way,-and, after mine eyes, hath gone my heart, and, to my hands, hath adhered any stain,
8 Let me sow but, another, eat. And let, what I have springing up, be uprooted!
9 ¶ If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, or, by the door of my neighbour, I have lien in wait,
10 Let my wife, grind to another, and, over her, let others bend!
11 Surely that had been a shameful thing! and that an iniquity for the judges!
12 Surely, a fire, had that been, which, unto destruction, would have consumed, and, of all mine increase, had it torn up the root.
13 If I refused the right of my servant, or my handmaid, when they contended with me,
14 What then could I have done when GOD rose up? And, when he visited, what could I have answered him?
15 Did not he who, in the womb, made me, make him? And is not he who formed us in the body one?
16 ¶ If I withheld-from pleasure-the poor, or, the eyes of the widow, I dimmed;
17 Or, used to eat my morsel alone, so that the fatherless did not eat thereof;
18 Surely, from my youth, he grew up to me, as to a father, and, from my birth, I acted as guide to her:
19 If I saw one perishing for lack of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
20 If his loins did not bless me, or if, with the fleece of my lambs, he did not warm himself;
21 If I shook-against the fatherless-my hand, when I saw, in the gate, his need of my help,
22 Let, my shoulder, from the shoulder-blade, fall, and, my arm, from the upper bone, be broken;
23 For, a dread unto me, was calamity from GOD, and, from his majesty, I could not escape.
24 ¶ If I made gold my stay, and, to precious metal, said, My confidence! (Note: In 2003 USA President George W. Bush switched the USA economy standard from "gold" to "confidence".).
25 If I rejoiced because great was my substance, and, an abundance, my hand had discovered;
26 If I looked at the sun, when it flashed forth light, or at the moon, majestically marching along;
27 And befooled secretly was my heart, so that my hand kissed my mouth,
28 That too, had been a judicial iniquity, For I should have been false to GOD, above.
29 If rejoiced in the misfortune of him that hated me, or exulted when calamity found him;-
30 Neither did I suffer my palate to sin, by asking, with a curse, for his life:
31 If the men of my household have not said, Oh for some of his flesh-we cannot get filled,
32 Outside, the sojourner lodged not for the night, My doors-to the wayfarer, I threw open.
33 ¶ If I covered, like Adam, my transgressions, by hiding in my bosom mine iniquity,
34 Then let me be made to tremble at a great throng, yea let, the contempt of families, terrify me, so that, keeping silence, I shall not go out of the door!
35 Oh that I had one to hear me, Lo! my crossmark, May, the Almighty, answer me! And would that, a book, mine opponent had written!
36 Oh! would I not, upon my shoulder, lift it, or bind it as a crown upon me;
37 The number of my footsteps, I would declare to him, Like a noble, would I draw near to him.
38 If, against me, my ground used to cry out, and, together, my ridges did weep;
39 If, the strength thereof, I used to eat, without payment, and, the soul of the holders thereof, I made groan;
40 Instead of wheat, let there come forth bramble, and, instead of barley, a bad-smelling weed! Ended are the words of Job.
Job Chapter 32:
1 ¶ So these three men ceased to respond to Job, because, he, was righteous in their eyes.
2 Then was kindled the anger of Elihu, son of Barachel the Buzite of the family of Ram,-against Job, was kindled his anger, because he justified his own soul rather than God;
3 and, against his three friends, was kindled his anger,-because that they found not a response, and condemned God.
4 But, Elihu, had waited for Job with words, because the others were older than he.
5 Howbeit, when Elihu saw that there was no response in the mouth of the three men, then was kindled his anger.
6 ¶ So then Elihu, son of Barachel, the Buzite, responded and said:-Young, am I, whereas, ye, are aged, For this cause, I faltered, and feared-to shew my knowledge unto you:
7 I said, Days, should speak,-and, the multitude of years, should make known wisdom.
8 Yet surely, there is a spirit in men, and, the inspiration of the Almighty, giveth them understanding;
9 Great men, may not be wise, nor, elders, understand justice.
10 Therefore, I said, Hearken unto me, I will show my knowledge-even I.
11 Lo! I waited for your words, I kept giving ear for your reasons, until ye should search out what to say;
12 Yea, unto you, gave I diligent heed,-But lo! there was, for Job, nothing to convince, nor could you of you answer his speeches.
13 Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom. GOD, must put him to flight, not man.
14 Since he directed not to me discourse, therefore, with your speeches, will I not reply to him.
15 ¶ They were dismayed, they responded no more, they suffered speech to forsake them;
16 Though I waited, yet could they not speak, Surely they came to a stand, they responded no more.
17 I will respond, even I-on my part, I will shew my knowledge, even I!
18 For I am full of discourse, The spirit in my bosom, presseth me on.
19 Lo! my bosom, is like wine not opened, Like new wine-skins, it will burst.
20 I will speak, that I may freely breathe, I will open my lips and respond.
21 Let me be partial to no man, and, unto no son of earth, give flattering titles,
22 Surely I know not how to give flattering titles, How soon might my Maker take me away!
Job Chapter 33:
1 ¶ But, in very deed, hear, I pray thee, Job, my discourse, and, to all my words, give thou ear.
2 Lo! I pray thee, I have opened my mouth, My tongue, with my palate, hath spoken,
3 Mine utterances come straight from mine own heart, and, what I know, my lips have truly spoken;
4 The spirit of GOD, hath made me, and, the inspiration of the Almighty, giveth me life.
5 If thou art able to answer me, Set in order before me-take thy stand!
6 Lo! I am like thyself toward GOD, From clay, have I been nipped off, even I!
7 Lo! my terror, will not startle thee, nor, my hand, upon thee, be heavy.
8 ¶ But thou hast spoken in mine ears, and, the sound of words, I heard:-
9 Pure am, I, without transgression,-Clean am, I, and have no iniquity;
10 Lo! occasions of hostility, would he find against me, He counteth me an enemy to him;
11 He putteth-in the stocks-my feet, He watcheth all my paths.
12 Lo! in this, thou hast not been right-let me answer thee, For, GOD, is greater than, man.
13 Wherefore, against him, hast thou contended? For, with none of his reasons, will he respond.
14 ¶ For, in one way, GOD may speak,-and, in a second way, one may not heed it:-
15 In a dream, a vision of the night, when a deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed,
16 Then, uncovereth he the ear of men, and, on their correction, affixeth a seal;
17 To turn a son of earth from his deed, while yet, pride, from man he concealeth:
18 He keepeth back his said from the pit, and his life from passing away by a weapon.
19 ¶ Or he is chastised with pain, upon his bed, and, the strife of his bones, is unceasing!
20 So that his life maketh loathsome his food, and his soul, dainty meat;
21 His flesh wasteth away out of sight, and bared are the bones once unseen;
22 So doth his soul draw near to the pit, and his life to the inflicters of death:
23 If there hath been near him a messenger who could interpret-one of a thousand, to declare to the son of earth His uprightness, (Note: "messenger" John the Baptist: see Elijah, Matthew 17.12).
24 Then hath he shewed him favour, and said, Set him free from going down to the pit, I have found a price of redemption!
25 His flesh hath been made fresher than a child’s, he hath returned to the days of his youth;
26 He made supplication unto GOD, who hath accepted him, and he hath beheld his face with a shout of triumph, Thus hath he given back to man his righteousness.
27 He sang before men, and said, I sinned, and, uprightness, I perverted, yet he requited me not;
28 He hath ransomed my soul from passing away into the pit,-and, my life, in the light, shall have vision.
29 ¶ Lo! a these things, doth GOD work, two ways, three, with a man;
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to enlighten with the light of the living.
31 Mark well, O Job, and hearken to me, Be silent, and, I, will speak:
32 If there is anything to say, reply to me, Speak, for I desire to justify thee;
33 If not, do, thou, hearken unto me, Be silent, that I may teach thee wisdom.
Job Chapter 34:
1 ¶ Furthermore Elihu responded, and said:-
2 Hear, ye wise men, my words, and, ye who know, give ear unto me;
3 For, the ear, trieth words, as, the palate, tasteth in eating.
4 What is right, let us choose for ourselves, Let us know, among ourselves, what is good;
5 For Job hath said-I am righteous, But, GOD, hath turned away my right;
6 Concerning mine own right, shall I tell a falsehood? Incurable is my disease-not for any transgression.
7 What man is like Job? He drinketh in scoffing like water;
8 And is on the way to keep company, with the workers of iniquity, and to walk with lawless men.
9 For he hath said, It profiteth not a man, when, his good pleasure, is with God.
10 ¶ Wherefore, ye men of mind, hearken unto me,-Far be it, that, GOD, should be lawless, or, the Almighty, be perverse!
11 For, what any son of earth doeth, he repayeth him, and, according to every man’s course, he causeth him to find.
12 Nay, verily, GOD, will not condemn unjustly,-nor, the Almighty, pervert justice.
13 Who set him in charge of the earth? Or who appointed him the whole world?
14 If he should set against him his heart, His spirit and his inspiration, unto himself he should withdraw.
15 All flesh together, would cease to breathe, and, the earth-born, unto dust, would return.
16 ¶ If then you have understanding, hear this, Give thou ear to the teaching of my words:-
17 Shall, the very hater of right, control? Or, the just-the mighty one, wilt thou condemn?
18 Doth one say to a king, Abandoned one! Or, Lawless one! unto nobles?
19 For he hath shewn no respect of persons unto princes, neither hath he recognised the rich rather than the poor? For, the work of his hands, are they all.
20 In a moment, they die, even in the middle of the night,-A people are convulsed when they pass away, A mighty one is removed, without hand;
21 For, his eyes, are on the ways of a man, and, all his footsteps, he beholdeth,-
22 No darkness, and no death-shade, where the workers of iniquity may hide.
23 For, unto no man, doth he appoint a repetition,-in going unto GOD in judgment;
24 He shattereth mighty ones unsearchably, and setteth up others in their stead:
25 Therefore, he observeth their works,-and overturneth them in a night, and they are crushed;
26 In the place of lawless men, hath he chastised them, in presence of beholders.
27 Forasmuch, as they turned from following him, and, none of his ways, did they teach;
28 Causing to reach him the outcry of the poor, Yea, the outcry of the oppressed, he heareth.
29 When, he, giveth quiet, who then shall condemn? And, when he hideth his face, who then shall sing of him? whether unto a nation or unto mankind altogether,
30 That impious men may not reign, nor be ensnarers of the people.
31 ¶ For, unto GOD, hath one ever said-I have borne punishment, I will not be perverse;
32 What I see not, do, thou, shew me, If, perverseness, I have wrought, I will do it no more?
33 According to thy mind, must he requite it, that thou hast refused? For, thou, must choose, and not, I, What then thou knowest, speak!
34 The men of mind, will say to me, yea any wise man hearkening unto me:-
35 Job, without knowledge, doth speak, and, his words, are not with discretion.
36 Would that Job might be tested to the uttermost, for replying with the men of iniquity:
37 For he addeth-unto his sin-rebellion, In our midst, he clappeth his hands, and multiplieth his sayings against GOD.
Job Chapter 35:
1 ¶ Moreover Elihu, responded and said:-
2 This, dost thou think to be right? Thou hast said-My righteousness is more than GOD’S.
3 For thou dost say, How can one profit by thee? How can I benefit, more than by my sin?
4 I, will answer thee plainly, and thy friends with thee.
5 Look at the heavens and see,-and survey the skies-they are higher than thou.
6 If thou sinnest, what canst thou work against him? Or, if thy transgressions be multiplied, what canst thou do unto him?
7 If thou art righteous, what canst thou give unto him? Or what, at thy hand, can he accept?
8 Unto a man like thyself, might thy lawlessness reach, and, unto a son of the earth-born, thy righteousness.
9 ¶ By reason of the multitude of oppressions, men make outcry, They cry for help, by reason of the arm of the mighty;
10 But none saith-Where is GOD my maker, Who giveth songs in the night;
11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and, beyond the bird of the heavens, giveth us wisdom?
12 There, men make outcry, and he answereth not, because of the arrogance of evil-doers.
13 Howbeit, vanity, will GOD not hear, Yea, the Almighty, will not regard it.
14 ¶ How much less when thou sayest thou wilt not regard him! The cause, is before him, and thou must wait for him.
15 But, now, because it is not so, you say it-His anger hath punished, and yet hath he not at all known of transgression;
16 Thus, Job, vainly openeth his mouth, Without knowledge, he multiplieth words.
Job Chapter 36:
1 ¶ And Elihu added and said:-
2 Restrain thyself for me a little, and I will shew thee, that, yet-for GOD, there is justification,
3 I will bring my knowledge from afar, and, to my Maker, will I attribute righteousness.
4 For, of a truth-not false, are my words, One of competent knowledge, is with thee.
5 ¶ Lo! GOD, is mighty, yet will he not despise, Mighty in vigour of mind;
6 He will not keep alive one who is lawless, but, the right of oppressed ones, will he grant;
7 He will not withdraw-from a righteous one-his eyes,-but, with kings on the throne, He hath seated men triumphantly, and they have been exalted.
8 But, if, bound in fetters, they have been captured with cords of affliction,
9 Then hath he declared to them their deed, and their transgressions-that they were wont to behave themselves proudly;
10 Thus hath he uncovered their ear to a warning, and said-that they should turn from iniquity.
11 If they would hearken, and serve, they should complete their days, in prosperity, and their years, in pleasantness;
12 But, if they would not hearken, by a weapon, should they pass away, and breathe their last, no one knowing.
13 Yea, the impious in heart, should store up anger, They should not cry for help, when he bound them.
14 Their soul should die in youth, and their life, among the unclean.
15 ¶ He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover-in oppression-their ear.
16 Yea he might even have allured thee-out of the mouth of straitness, into a wide space-no narrowness there,-and, the food set down on thy table, should have been full of fatness.
17 But, with the plea of a lawless one, thou art full, Plea and sentence, will take fast hold.
18 Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with a stroke, Then let not, a great ransom, mislead thee.
19 Will he value thy riches? Nay not precious ore, nor all the forces of strength.
20 Do not pant for the night, when peoples disappear from their place.
21 Beware, do not turn unto iniquity, For, this, thou hast chosen rather than affliction.
22 Lo, GOD, exalteth himself by his strength, Who like him doth teach?
23 Who enjoined on him his way? and who ever said, Thou hast wrought perversity?
24 ¶ Remember, that thou extol his work, of which men have sung;
25 Every son of earth, hath viewed it, Mortal man, looketh at it from afar.
26 Lo, GOD, is greater than we can know, The number of his years, even past finding out!
27 For he draweth up drops of water, They trickle as rain through his mist;
28 With which the clouds flow down, They drop on man in abundance.
29 But surely none can understand the burstings of the cloud, the crashing of his pavilion!
30 Lo! he hath spread out over it, his lightning, The bed of the sea, hath he covered.
31 For, by those things, he executeth judgment on peoples, He giveth food in abundance:
32 Upon both hands, he putteth a covering of lightning, and layeth command upon it against an assailant:
33 His rolling thunder telleth concerning him,-The cattle, even, concerning him that is coming up.
Job Chapter 37:
1 ¶ Yea, at this, my heart quaketh, and starteth up out of its place.
2 Hear! oh hear! the raging of his voice, A growling sound also, out of his mouth, goeth forth;
3 Under the whole heavens, he letteth it loose, His lightning also, unto the wings of the earth;
4 After it, roareth a voice, He thundereth with his voice of majesty, Nor will he hold them back, when his voice is heard.
5 GOD thundereth with his voice, wonderfully, Doing great things, which we cannot know;
6 ¶ For, to the snow, he saith, Fall earthwards,-Also to the downpour of rain, yea the downpour of his mighty rains.
7 On the hand of every man, he setteth a seal, that all men may take note of his doing.
8 So then the wild-beast hath gone into covert, and, in its lairs, doth it remain.
9 Out of a chamber cometh a storm-wind, and, out of the north, cold.
10 By the breath of GOD, is given-frost, and, the breadth of waters, is congealed;
11 Also, with moisture, burdeneth he the thick cloud, He disperseth his lightning-cloud;
12 Yea, the same, in circles, turneth itself to and fro, by his steering them to their work, whithersoever he commandeth them, over the face of the world, towards the earth.
13 Whether, as a rod, or for his earth, or in lovingkindness, he causeth it to come.
14 ¶ Give thou ear unto this, O Job, Stay, and consider well the wonders of GOD:-
15 Canst thou got to know of GOD’S giving charge over them, or of the causing of the lightning of his cloud to shine forth?
16 Canst thou get to know concerning the poisings of the thick cloud, the wonders of one who is perfect in knowledge?
17 That thy garments should be hot when he quieteth the earth from the south?
18 Didst thou spread out, with him, the skies, strong as a molten mirror?
19 Let us know what we shall say to him, We cannot set in order, by reason of darkness.
20 Shall it be declared to him-that I would speak? Were any man to say aught, he might he destroyed?
21 ¶ Yet, now, men see not the light, bright though it is in the skies, when, a wind, hath passed over, and cleansed them.
22 Out of the north, a golden light cometh, Upon GOD, is fearful splendour:
23 The Almighty, whom we have not fully found out, is great in vigour,-Neither, justice nor abounding righteousness, will he weaken.
24 Therefore, do men revere him, He will not regard any who are wise in heart.
Job Chapter 38:
1 ¶ Then Yahweh responded to Job, out of a storm, and said:-
2 Who is it that darkeneth counsel, by words, without knowledge?
3 Gird, I pray thee-like a strong man-thy loins, that I may ask thee, and inform thou me:
4 ¶ Where wast thou, when I founded the earth? Tell, if thou knowest understanding!
5 Who set the measurements thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched out over it a line?
6 Whereon were the pedestals thereof sunk? Or who laid the corner stone thereof;-
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut in, with double doors, the sea, when, bursting out of the womb, it came forth;
9 When I put a cloud as the garment thereof, and a thick cloud as the swaddling-band thereof;
10 And brake off for it my boundary, and fixed a bar and double doors;
11 And said-Hitherto, shalt thou come, and no further,-and, here, shalt thou set a limit to the majesty of thy waves?
12 ¶ Since thy days began hast thou commanded the morning? or caused the dawn to know its place;
13 That it might lay hold of the wings of the earth, and the lawless be shaken out of it?
14 It transformeth itself like the clay of a seal, so that things stand forth like one arrayed;
15 That their light may be withdrawn from the lawless, and, the lofty arm, be shivered.
16 Hast thou entered as far as the springs of the sea? Or, through the secret recesses of the resounding deep, hast thou wandered?
17 Have the gates of death been disclosed to thee? And, the gates of the death-shade, couldst thou descry?
18 Hast thou well considered, even the breadths of the earth? Tell-if thou knowest it all!
19 Where then is the way, the light shall abide? And, the darkness, where then is its place?
20 That thou mayest conduct it unto the bound thereof, and that thou mayest perceive the paths to its house.
21 Thou knowest, for, then, hadst thou been born! And, in number, thy days are many!
22 Hast thou entered into the treasuries of the snow? And, the treasuries of the hail, couldst thou see?
23 Which I have reserved for a time of distress, for the day of conflict and of war?
24 Where then is the way the lightning is parted? The east wind spreadeth itself abroad over the earth.
25 ¶ Who hath cloven-for the torrent-a channel? Or a way for the lightning of thunders;
26 To give rain over the no-man’s land, the desert, where no son of earth is;
27 To satisfy the wild and the wilderness, to cause to spring forth the meadow of young grass?
28 Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb, came forth the ice? And, the hoar-frost of the heavens, who hath given it birth?
30 Like a stone, are the waters congealed, and, the face of the roaring deep, becometh firm!
31 Canst thou bind the fetters of the Pleiades? Or, the bands of Orion, canst thou unloose?
32 Canst thou bring forth the signs of the Zodiac each in its season? Or, the Bear and her Young, canst thou lead?
33 Knowest thou, the statutes of the heavens? Or didst thou appoint his dominion over the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up, to the thick cloud, thy voice, and the overflow of waters cover thee?
35 Canst thou send forth the lightnings, so that they go, and say to thee, Behold us?
36 Who hath put-into cloud-forms-wisdom? Or who hath given-to the meteor-understanding?
37 Who can count the thin clouds, in wisdom? And, the bottles of the heavens, who can empty out;
38 When the dust is cast into a clod, and the lumps are bound together?
39 Wilt thou hunt-for the Lioness-prey? Or, the craving of the Strong Lion, wilt thou satisfy;
40 When they settle down in dens, abide in covert, for lying in wait?
41 Who prepareth for the Raven his nourishment,-when his young ones-unto GOD-cry out, when they wander for lack of food?
Job Chapter 39:
1 ¶ Knowest thou the season when the Wild Goats of the crags beget? The bringing forth of the hinds, canst thou observe?
2 Canst thou count the months they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they give birth?
3 They kneel down, their young, they bring forth; their pains, they throw off;
4 Their young become strong, they grow up in the open field, they go out, and return not unto them.
5 Who hath sent forth the Wild Ass free? And, the bands of the swift-runner, who hath loosed?
6 Whose house I have made the waste plain, and his dwellings, the land of salt:
7 He laugheth at the throng of the city, The shoutings of the driver, he heareth not;
8 He espieth the mountains, his pasture-ground, and, after every green thing, maketh search.
9 Will the Wild-Ox be pleased to be thy servant? or lodge for the night by thy crib?
10 Canst thou bind the wild-ox, so that-with the ridge-shall run his cord? Or will he harrow the furrows after thee?
11 Wilt thou trust in him, because of the greatness of his strength? Wilt thou leave unto him thy toil?
12 Wilt thou put faith in him, that he will bring back thy seed? and that, corn for thy threshing-floor, he will gather?
13 ¶ The wing of the Ostrich that waveth itself joyfully, Is it the pinion of lovingkindness or the plumage?
14 For she leaveth-to the earth-her eggs, and, on the dust, she letteth them be warmed;
15 And hath forgotten, that, a foot, may crush them,-or, the wild beast, tread on them!
16 Dealing hardly with her young, as none-of hers, In vain, her labour, without dread.
17 For GOD hath suffered her to forget wisdom, and given her no share in understanding.
18 What time, on high, she vibrateth her wings, she laugheth at the horse and his rider.
19 ¶ Couldst thou give-to the Horse-strength? Couldst thou clothe his neck with the quivering mane?
20 Couldst thou cause him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his snort, is a terror!
21 He diggeth into the plain, and rejoiceth in vigour, he goeth forth to meet armour;
22 He laugheth at dread, and is not dismayed, neither turneth he back, from the face of the sword;
23 Against him, whiz the arrows of the quiver, the flashing head of spear and javelin;
24 With stamping and rage, he drinketh up the ground,-he will not stand still when the horn soundeth;
25 As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle,-the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.
26 ¶ Is it, by thine understanding, that the Bird of Passage betaketh him to his pinions? spreadeth out his wings to the south?
27 Or, at thy bidding, that the Eagle mounteth, and that he setteth on high his nest?
28 The crag, he inhabiteth, and so lodgeth himself, on the tooth of the crag, and high fort;
29 From thence, he searcheth out food, far away, his eyes do pierce;
30 And, his young brood, suck up blood, and, where the slain are, there, is he.
Job Chapter 40:
1 ¶ And Yahweh responded to Job, and said:-
2 Shall a reprover contend, with the Almighty? He that disputeth with GOD, let him answer it!
3 Then Job responded to Yahweh, and said:-
4 Lo! I am of no account, what shall I reply to thee? My hand, have I laid on my mouth:
5 Once, have I spoken, but I will not proceed, yea twice, but I will not add.
6 ¶ So then Yahweh responded to Job, out of a storm, and said:-
7 Gird, I pray thee-as a strong man-thy loins, I will ask thee, and inform thou me.
8 Wilt thou even frustrate my justice? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest appear right?
9 But if, an arm like GOD, thou hast, and, with a voice like his, thou canst thunder,
10 Deck thyself, I pray thee, with majesty and grandeur, Yea, with dignity and splendour, thou shalt clothe thyself;
11 Pour out thy transports of anger, and look on every one who is high, and lay him low;
12 Look on every one who is high, and humble him, yea tread down the lawless, on the spot:
13 Hide them in the dust all together, Their faces, bind thou in darkness;
14 And, even I myself, will praise thee, in that thine own right hand can bring thee salvation.
15 ¶ Behold, I pray thee, the Hippopotamus, which I made with thee, Grass-like the ox, he eateth;
16 Behold, I pray thee, his strength in his loins, and his force, in the muscles of his belly;
17 He bendeth down his tail like a cedar, the sinews of his thighs, are twisted together;
18 His bones, are barrels of bronze, his frame, is like hammered bars of iron:
19 He, is the beginning of the ways of GOD, Let his maker, present him his sword:
20 Surely the mountains bring, produce, to him, where, all the wild beasts of the field, do play;
21 Under the lotus-trees, he lieth down, in a covert of reed and swamp;
22 The lotus-trees cover him with their shade, the willows of the torrent-bed compass him about;
23 Lo! the river becometh insolent-he is not alarmed! He is confident, though a Jordan burst forth to his mouth:
24 Before his eyes, shall he be caught? With a hook, can one pierce his nose?
Job Chapter 41:
1 ¶ Canst thou draw out the Crocodile with a fish-hook? Or, with a cord, canst thou fasten down his tongue?
2 Wilt thou put a rush-cord on his nose? or, with a thorn, wilt thou pierce his jaw?
3 Will he multiply unto thee supplications, or will he speak unto thee softly?
4 Will he solemnise a covenant with thee? Wilt thou take him for a life-long servant?
5 Wilt thou sport with him, as with a little bird? Or wilt thou bind him, for thy maidens?
6 Shall the companions bargain over him? or will they part him among the traders?
7 Wilt thou fill, with darts, his skin? or, with fish-spears, his head?
8 Lay thou upon him thy hand, remember the battle-no more!
9 Lo! any hope of him, hath been found deceptive, Even at the sight of him, shall not one be overwhelmed?
10 None so bold, that he will rouse him! Who then is he that, before me, can stand?
11 ¶ Who hath forestalled me, that I may repay him? Under all the heavens, mine it is!
12 I will not pass by in silence his parts, or the matter of strength, or the grace of his armour.
13 Who hath removed his outer garment, through his double row of teeth, who would enter?
14 The doors of his face, who hath opened? The circles of his teeth, are a terror!
15 A pride, are his arched sides, closed up, with a firm seal;
16 One to another, they join, and, air, cannot enter between them;
17 Each to its fellow, they cleave, they grasp each other, and cannot be parted;
18 His sneezings, flash forth light, and, his eyes, are like the eyelashes of the dawn;
19 Out of his mouth, torches dart forth, sparks of fire, escape;
20 Out of his nostrils, proceedeth smoke, like a blown pot and rushes;
21 His breath, setteth coals ablaze, and, a flame, out of his mouth, proceedeth;
22 In his neck, lodgeth strength, and, before him, danceth dismay;
23 The dewlaps of his flesh, cleave together, hardened upon him, they cannot be moved;
24 His heart, is hardened like a stone, yea hardened, like the nether millstone;
25 At his rising up, mighty men are afraid, by reason of terror, they are beside themselves:
26 As for him that assaileth him, the sword availeth not, spear, dart, or coat of mail:
27 He counteth iron as broken straw, and bronze as rotten wood:
28 The arrow, will not make him flee, Into chaff, are sling-stones changed by him:
29 As a straw, is a club accounted, and he laugheth at the whir of the javelin;
30 His underparts, are points of potsherd, a pointed threshing roller spreadeth out upon the slime:
31 He causeth to boil, as a cauldron, the raging deep, the sea, he maketh like a brewing vessel:
32 After him, he lighteth up a path, one might think the resounding deep to be hoary!
33 There is not-upon the dust-his like, that hath been made to be without fear;
34 Every thing lofty, he beholdeth, he, is king over all ravenous beasts.
Job Chapter 42:
1 ¶ Then Job responded to Yahweh, and said:-
2 I know that, all things, thou canst do, and that no purpose can be withholden from thee.
3 Who is it that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore, have I declared, but not understood, things too wonderful for me, which I could not know.
4 Hear thou, I pray thee, and, I, will speak, I will ask thee, and inform thou me.
5 By the hearing of the ear, had I heard thee, but, now, mine own eye, hath seen thee.
6 For this cause, I tremble and repent, on dust and ashes.
7 ¶ And it came to pass, after Yahweh had spoken these words unto Job, that Yahweh, said unto Eliphaz the Temanite, Kindled is mine anger against thee and against thy two friends, for ye have not spoken concerning me the thing that is right, like my servant Job.
8 Now, therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go unto my servant Job, and ye shall offer up an ascending-sacrifice in your own behalf, and, Job my servant, shall pray over you,-for, him, will I accept, that I may not deal out to you disgrace, because ye have not spoken concerning me the thing that is right, like my servant Job.
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according to that which Yahweh had spoken unto them,-and Yahweh accepted Job.
10 ¶ And, Yahweh himself, turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed in behalf of his friends,-and Yahweh increased all that Job had possessed, unto twice as much.
11 Then came unto him all his brethren and all his sisters, and all his former acquaintances, and they did eat bread with him in his house,-and shewed sympathy with him and comforted him, over all the calamity which Yahweh had brought upon him,-and they gave him, every one a weight of money, and every one, a ring of gold.
12 And, Yahweh, blessed the latter end of Job, more than his beginning,-and so he came to have fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
13 And he came to have seven sons, and three daughters;
14 and he called the name of the first Jemima, and the name of the second Kezia,-and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.
15 And there were found no women so fair as the daughters of Job, in all the land,-and their father gave them an inheritance, in the midst of their brethren.
16 And Job lived, after this, a hundred and forty years,-and saw his sons and his sons’ sons, four generations.
17 So Job died, old and satisfied with days.
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To visit the Main Site of the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.
To visit the Second Page of Sermons of the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.
To visit the Third Page of Sermons of the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.
To visit the Fourth Page of Sermons of ICCDBB, (first part of Old Testament) click here.
To visit the Fifth Page of Sermons of ICCDBB, (second part of Old Testament) click here.
Father of Mrs. Bender Benchoff, Grandfather of Interim Presbyterian/Protestant Pastor Henry Richard Benchoff, Great Grandfather of Chief Judge and ICCDBB Reverend Dr. Bob Benchoff.
Reverend H.R. Bender of Pennsylvania greatly impacted both church and state sectors. Each of us should use logic relative to this verse and the Bible as a whole. Then God can use us more effectually to change the course of civilization and to help others for the greater glory of Christ. Legal note: other than through Jesus Christ, no affiliation with ICCDBB except as described unless otherwise stated. About one of his books are the following: Bishop Francis J. McConnell wrote "I greatly admire the spirit in which the work is conceived, and the thoroughness with which it is carried through.", and Dr. George Edward Reed, President of Dickinson College wrote of repeatedly re-reading his teaching of the Bible and "endorse thoroughly your conclusions". Dickinson School of Law Dean and Professor found it "exceedingly fascinating"..."as civilization advances", and also wrote ..."prove deeply interesting to Christian Ministers and to intelligent Laymen." and "commended to their careful attention with the utmost earnestness.". Another re-reader wrote "It has interested me greatly; because of what it informs us as to the origin"..., Honorable Judge John Stewart, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.).
3 Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou shouldst be righteous? or any profit, that thou shouldst be blameless in thy ways?
4 Is it, for thy reverence, that he will accuse thee? will enter with thee into judgment?
5 ¶ Is not, thy wickedness, great? and, without end, are not thine iniquities?
6 Surely then hast been wont to put thy brother in pledge, for nothing, and, the garments of the ill-clad, hast thou stripped off:
7 No water-to the weary, hast thou given to drink, and, from the hungry, thou hast withheld broad:
8 A man of might, to him, pertaineth the land, and, the favorite, dwelleth therein:
9 Widows, thou hast sent away empty, and, the arms of the fatherless, thou dost crush.
10 For this cause, round about thee, are snares, and a dread startleth thee suddenly;
11 Or darkness-thou canst not see, and, a flood of waters, covereth thee.
12 Is not, GOD, in the height of the heavens? Behold, then, the head of the stars, that they are high.
13 Wilt thou say then, What doth GOD know? Out through a thick cloud, can he judge?
14 Dark clouds, are a veil to him, and he cannot see, or, the vault of the heavens, doth he walk?
15 ¶ The path of the ancient time, wilt thou mark, which the men of iniquity trod?
16 Who were snatched away before the time, and, a stream, washed away their foundation?
17 Who had been saying unto GOD, Depart from us! and-What can the Almighty do for himself?
18 Yet, he, had filled their houses with good! The counsel of the lawless, then, is far from me:
19 The righteous shall see and rejoice, and, the innocent, shall laugh them to scorn:
20 If our assailants do not vanish, then, their abundance, a fire consumeth!
21 ¶ Shew thyself to be one with him-I pray thee-and prosper, thereby, shall there come on thee blessing.
22 Accept, I beseech thee, from his mouth-instruction,-and lay up his sayings in thy heart.
23 If thou return unto the Almighty and submit thyself, if thou far remove perversity from thy tent,
24 Then lay up, in the dust, precious ore, and, among the stones of the torrent-beds, fine gold:
25 So shall, the Almighty, become, thy precious ores, yea glittering silver unto thee!
26 For, then, in the Almighty, shalt thou take exquisite delight, and shalt lift up-unto GOD-thy face;
27 Thou shalt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and, thy vows, shalt thou pay;
28 And thou shalt decree a purpose, and it shall be fulfilled unto thee, and, upon thy ways, shall have shone a light;
29 When men cast themselves down, then thou shalt say: Up! And, him that is of downcast eyes, shall he save;
30 He shall deliver the innocent, and thou shalt escape by the pureness of thy hands.