Bible In A Year

¹> Deliver me, Yahweh, from the evil man. Preserve me from the violent man;

²Those who devise mischief in their hearts. They continually gather themselves together for war.

³They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper's poison is under their lips. Selah.

⁴Yahweh, keep me from the hands of the wicked. Preserve me from the violent men who have determined to trip my feet.

⁵The proud have hidden a snare for me, They have spread the cords of a net by the path. They have set traps for me. Selah.

⁶I said to Yahweh, "You are my God." Listen to the cry of my petitions, Yahweh.

⁷Yahweh, the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.

⁸Yahweh, don't grant the desires of the wicked. Don't let their evil plans succeed, or they will become proud. Selah.

⁹As for the head of those who surround me, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

¹⁰Let burning coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, Into miry pits, from where they never rise.

¹¹An evil speaker won't be established in the earth. Evil will hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

¹²I know that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.

¹³Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name. The upright will dwell in your presence.

¹Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, ²"Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me, Even by reason of my haste that is in me. ³I have heard the reproof which puts me to shame; The spirit of my understanding answers me. ⁴Don't you know this from old time, Since man was placed on earth, ⁵That the triumphing of the wicked is short, The joy of the godless but for a moment? ⁶Though his height mount up to the heavens, And his head reach to the clouds, ⁷Yet he shall perish forever like his own dung, Those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?' ⁸He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: Yes, he shall be chased away like a vision of the night. ⁹The eye which saw him shall see him no more, Neither shall his place any more see him. ¹⁰His children shall seek the favor of the poor. His hands shall give back his wealth. ¹¹His bones are full of his youth, But youth shall lie down with him in the dust. ¹²"Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue, ¹³Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth; ¹⁴Yet his food in his bowels is turned. It is cobra venom within him. ¹⁵He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again. God will cast them out of his belly. ¹⁶He shall suck cobra venom. The viper's tongue shall kill him. ¹⁷He shall not look at the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter. ¹⁸That for which he labored he shall restore, and shall not swallow it down; According to the substance that he has gotten, he shall not rejoice. ¹⁹For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor. He has violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up. ²⁰"Because he knew no quietness within him, He shall not save anything of that in which he delights. ²¹There was nothing left that he didn't devour, Therefore his prosperity shall not endure. ²²In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress shall overtake him: The hand of everyone who is in misery shall come on him. ²³When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath on him. It will rain on him while he is eating. ²⁴He shall flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow shall strike him through. ²⁵He draws it forth, and it comes out of his body. Yes, the glittering point comes out of his liver. Terrors are on him. ²⁶All darkness is laid up for his treasures. An unfanned fire shall devour him. It shall consume that which is left in his tent. ²⁷The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, The earth shall rise up against him. ²⁸The increase of his house shall depart; They shall rush away in the day of his wrath. ²⁹This is the portion of a wicked man from God, The heritage appointed to him by God."

¹Then Job answered, ²"Listen diligently to my speech. Let this be your consolation. ³Allow me, and I also will speak; After I have spoken, mock on. ⁴As for me, is my complaint to man? Why shouldn't I be impatient? ⁵Look at me, and be astonished. Lay your hand on your mouth. ⁶When I remember, I am troubled. Horror takes hold of my flesh. ⁷"Why do the wicked live, Become old, yes, and grow mighty in power? ⁸Their child is established with them in their sight, Their offspring before their eyes. ⁹Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. ¹⁰Their bulls breed without fail. Their cows calve, and don't miscarry. ¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock. Their children dance. ¹²They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe. ¹³They spend their days in prosperity. In an instant they go down to Sheol. ¹⁴They tell God, 'Depart from us, For we don't want to know about your ways. ¹⁵What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What profit should we have, if we pray to him?' ¹⁶Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand: The counsel of the wicked is far from me. ¹⁷"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes on them? That God distributes sorrows in his anger? ¹⁸That they are as stubble before the wind, As chaff that the storm carries away? ¹⁹You say, 'God lays up his iniquity for his children.' Let him recompense it to himself, that he may know it. ²⁰Let his own eyes see his destruction. Let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. ²¹For what does he care for his house after him, When the number of his months is cut off? ²²"Shall any teach God knowledge, Seeing he judges those who are high? ²³One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and quiet. ²⁴His pails are full of milk. The marrow of his bones is moistened. ²⁵Another dies in bitterness of soul, And never tastes of good. ²⁶They lie down alike in the dust, The worm covers them. ²⁷"Behold, I know your thoughts, The devices with which you would wrong me. ²⁸For you say, 'Where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?' ²⁹Haven't you asked wayfaring men? Don't you know their evidences, ³⁰That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity? That they are led forth to the day of wrath? ³¹Who shall declare his way to his face? Who shall repay him what he has done? ³²Yet shall he be borne to the grave, Men shall keep watch over the tomb. ³³The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him. All men shall draw after him, As there were innumerable before him. ³⁴So how can you comfort me with nonsense, Seeing that in your answers there remains only falsehood?"

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, ²"Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. ³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him, that you make your ways perfect? ⁴Is it for your piety that he reproves you, That he enters with you into judgment? ⁵Isn't your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities. ⁶For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, And stripped the naked of their clothing. ⁷You haven't given water to the weary to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. ⁸But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it. ⁹You have sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken. ¹⁰Therefore snares are round about you. Sudden fear troubles you, ¹¹Or darkness, so that you can not see, And floods of waters cover you. ¹²"Isn't God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are! ¹³You say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? ¹⁴Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn't see. He walks on the vault of the sky.' ¹⁵Will you keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden, ¹⁶Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream, ¹⁷Who said to God, 'Depart from us;' And, 'What can the Almighty do for us?' ¹⁸Yet he filled their houses with good things, But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. ¹⁹The righteous see it, and are glad; The innocent ridicule them, ²⁰Saying, 'Surely those who rose up against us are cut off, The fire has consumed the remnant of them.' ²¹"Acquaint yourself with him, now, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come to you. ²²Please receive instruction from his mouth, And lay up his words in your heart. ²³If you return to the Almighty, you shall be built up, If you put away unrighteousness far from your tents. ²⁴Lay your treasure in the dust, The gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. ²⁵The Almighty will be your treasure, Precious silver to you. ²⁶For then shall you delight yourself in the Almighty, And shall lift up your face to God. ²⁷You shall make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You shall pay your vows. ²⁸You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you. Light shall shine on your ways. ²⁹When they cast down, you shall say, 'be lifted up.' He will save the humble person. ³⁰He will even deliver him who is not innocent; Yes, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

¹Then Job answered, ²"Even today is my complaint rebellious. His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. ³Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat! ⁴I would set my cause in order before him, And fill my mouth with arguments. ⁵I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would tell me. ⁶Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No, but he would listen to me. ⁷There the upright might reason with him, So I should be delivered forever from my judge. ⁸"If I go east, he is not there; If west, I can't find him; ⁹He works to the north, but I can't see him; He turns south, but I can't catch a glimpse of him. ¹⁰But he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I shall come forth like gold. ¹¹My foot has held fast to his steps. His way have I kept, and not turned aside. ¹²I haven't gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. ¹³But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? What his soul desires, even that he does. ¹⁴For he performs that which is appointed for me. Many such things are with him. ¹⁵Therefore I am terrified at his presence. When I consider, I am afraid of him. ¹⁶For God has made my heart faint. The Almighty has terrified me. ¹⁷Because I was not cut off before the darkness, Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.