Week 50, Day 5

Daily Bible Reading: NASB Translation

The reading for today is Job 8-11; Revelation 12.

Job 8

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

"How long will you say these things,
And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
"Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
"If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.
"If you would seek God
And implore the compassion of the Almighty,
If you are pure and upright,
Surely now He would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous estate.
"Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will increase greatly.

"Please inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers.
"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are as a shadow.
"Will they not teach you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their minds?

"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
"While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant.
"So are the paths of all who forget God;
And the hope of the godless will perish,
Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a spider’s web.
"He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.
"He thrives before the sun,
And his shoots spread out over his garden.
"His roots wrap around a rock pile,
He grasps a house of stones.
"If he is removed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
"Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
"Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor will He support the evildoers.
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
"Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
And the tent of the wicked will be no longer."

Job 9

Then Job answered,

"In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?
"If one wished to dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
"Wise in heart and mighty in strength,
Who has defied Him without harm?
"It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
Who shakes the earth out of its place,
And its pillars tremble;
Who commands the sun not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
Who alone stretches out the heavens
And tramples down the waves of the sea;
Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
Who does great things, unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
"Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
"Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

"God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of Rahab.
"How then can I answer Him,
And choose my words before Him?
"For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.
"If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.
"For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
"He will not allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with bitterness.
"If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
"Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me;
Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.
"I am guiltless;
I do not take notice of myself;
I despise my life.
"It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’
"If the scourge kills suddenly,
He mocks the despair of the innocent.
"The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

"Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away, they see no good.
"They slip by like reed boats,
Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.
"Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’
I am afraid of all my pains,
I know that You will not acquit me.
"I am accounted wicked,
Why then should I toil in vain?
"If I should wash myself with snow
And cleanse my hands with lye,
Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.
"For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court together.
"There is no umpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
"Let Him remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
"Then I would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.

Job 10

"I loathe my own life;
I will give full vent to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
"I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
‘Is it right for You indeed to oppress,
To reject the labor of Your hands,
And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?
‘Have You eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as a man sees?
‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,
Or Your years as man’s years,
That You should seek for my guilt
And search after my sin?
‘According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether,
And would You destroy me?
‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
And would You turn me into dust again?
‘Did You not pour me out like milk
And curdle me like cheese;
Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
‘You have granted me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
‘Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
If I sin, then You would take note of me,
And would not acquit me of my guilt.
‘If I am wicked, woe to me!
And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am sated with disgrace and conscious of my misery.
‘Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your power against me.
‘You renew Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
Hardship after hardship is with me.

‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
‘I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’
"Would He not let my few days alone?
Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer
Before I go—and I shall not return—
To the land of darkness and deep shadow,
The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And which shines as the darkness."

Job 11

Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

"Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a talkative man be acquitted?
"Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you scoff and none rebuke?
"For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’
"But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

"Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
"They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?
"Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
"If He passes by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?
"For He knows false men,
And He sees iniquity without investigating.
"An idiot will become intelligent
When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

"If you would direct your heart right
And spread out your hand to Him,
If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
"Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and not fear.
"For you would forget your trouble,
As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
"Your life would be brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
"Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
"You would lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would entreat your favor.
"But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And there will be no escape for them;
And their hope is to breathe their last."

Revelation 12

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

"Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.