to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro 8 unto the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, 6 8 9 7 and are spent without hope. Oh remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good. The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his 11 house, neither shall his place know him any more. Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 10 CH. VIII. V. 1-2. 8 4 LESSON XCI. Bildad's Discourse.-Job's Submission. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? Doth God pervert judgment; or doth the Almighty pervert justice? If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Al6 mighty; If thou wert pure and upright, surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy 20 righteousness prosperous. Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with 22 rejoicing. They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling-place of the wicked shall come to nought. 21 CH. IX. Į Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: V. 1-2-8. but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thou 4 sand. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? B Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: 6 which overturneth them in his anger; Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble; 8 11 7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars; Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, 9 and treadeth upon the waves of the sea; Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the 10 south; Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. 12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou? If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him. How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my 15 words to reason with him? Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge. 13 14 LESSON XCII. Zophar reproves Job. CH. XI. Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Should V. 1-2. not the multitude of words be answered? and should a 8 man full of talk be justified? Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man 4 make thee ashamed? For thou hast said, My doctrine is 5 pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. But Oh that God 6 would speak, and open his lips against thee; And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exact 11 12 7 eth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it? For vain man would be wise: though man be born like a wild 18 14 15 16 17 ass's colt. If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away; And thine age shall be clearer than the noon-day: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. CH. XII. LESSON XCIII. Job's Reply. And Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the V. 1-2-3. people, and wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these? 17 18 CH. XIV. V. 1-2. CH. XIII. Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and V. 18-14. let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my 15 flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine 16 own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. Behold, now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified. Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and 4 bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a B clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, 6 thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day. For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch 8 thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax 3 9 19 old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth 10 boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of 13 their sleep? O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my 15 appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. 14 CH. XIX. 23 24 25 LESSON XCIV. Job's Faith. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the 26 latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me? Be ye afraid of the sword for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment. 27 28 29 CH. XLII. V. 1-2. LESSON XCV. Job's Repentance and Prosperity.— His Death. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be 8 4 6 withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you : for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant 9 Job. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: the Lord also accepted Job. 10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house : and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an ear-ring of gold. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. He had also seven sons and 16 three daughters. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days. 11 13 |