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Job 29; Job 30; Job 31
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Job 29
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Job continued speaking:
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“I long for the years gone by when God took care of me,
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when he lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness.
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When I was in my prime, God’s friendship was felt in my home.
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The Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me.
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My steps were awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.
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“Those were the days when I went to the city gate and took my place among the honored leaders.
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The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
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The princes stood in silence and put their hands over their mouths.
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The highest officials of the city stood quietly, holding their tongues in respect.
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“All who heard me praised me. All who saw me spoke well of me.
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For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help.
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I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
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Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban.
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I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.
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I was a father to the poor and assisted strangers who needed help.
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I broke the jaws of godless oppressors and plucked their victims from their teeth.
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“I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family after a long, good life.
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For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water, whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
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New honors are constantly bestowed on me, and my strength is continually renewed.’
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“Everyone listened to my advice. They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
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And after I spoke, they had nothing to add, for my counsel satisfied them.
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They longed for me to speak as people long for rain. They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
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When they were discouraged, I smiled at them. My look of approval was precious to them.
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Like a chief, I told them what to do. I lived like a king among his troops and comforted those who mourned.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Job 30
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“But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.
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A lot of good they are to me— those worn-out wretches!
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They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.
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They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees.
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They are driven from human society, and people shout at them as if they were thieves.
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So now they live in frightening ravines, in caves and among the rocks.
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They sound like animals howling among the bushes, huddled together beneath the nettles.
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They are nameless fools, outcasts from society.
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“And now they mock me with vulgar songs! They taunt me!
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They despise me and won’t come near me, except to spit in my face.
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For God has cut my bowstring. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint.
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These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling and lay traps in my path.
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They block my road and do everything they can to destroy me. They know I have no one to help me.
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They come at me from all directions. They jump on me when I am down.
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I live in terror now. My honor has blown away in the wind, and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.
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“And now my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days.
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At night my bones are filled with pain, which gnaws at me relentlessly.
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With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat.
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He has thrown me into the mud. I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.
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“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
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You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me.
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You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm.
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And I know you are sending me to my death— the destination of all who live.
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“Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help in their trouble.
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Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
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So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
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My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me.
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I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square and cry for help.
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Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to owls.
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My skin has turned dark, and my bones burn with fever.
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My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Job 31
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“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.
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For what has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high?
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Isn’t it calamity for the wicked and misfortune for those who do evil?
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Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take?
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“Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone?
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Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity.
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If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin,
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then let someone else eat the crops I have planted. Let all that I have planted be uprooted.
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“If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife,
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then let my wife serve another man; let other men sleep with her.
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For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished.
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It is a fire that burns all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything I own.
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“If I have been unfair to my male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me,
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how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me?
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For God created both me and my servants. He created us both in the womb.
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“Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows?
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Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with orphans?
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No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows.
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Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear,
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did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?
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“If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side,
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then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket!
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That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?
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“Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?
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Have I gloated about my wealth and all that I own?
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“Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
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and been secretly enticed in my heart to throw kisses at them in worship?
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If so, I should be punished by the judges, for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.
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“Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies, or become excited when harm came their way?
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No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone or by asking for revenge.
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“My servants have never said, ‘He let others go hungry.’
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I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone.
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“Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do, concealing my guilt in my heart?
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Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?
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“If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me.
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I would face the accusation proudly. I would wear it like a crown.
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For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince.
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“If my land accuses me and all its furrows cry out together,
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or if I have stolen its crops or murdered its owners,
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then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.” Job’s words are ended.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.