Job 35-36
New King James Version
Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness
35 Moreover Elihu answered and said:
2 “Do you think this is right?
Do you say,
‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
3 For (A)you say,
‘What advantage will it be to You?
What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’
4 “I will answer you,
And (B)your companions with you.
5 (C)Look to the heavens and see;
And behold the clouds—
They are higher than you.
6 If you sin, what do you accomplish (D)against Him?
Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?
7 (E)If you are righteous, what do you give Him?
Or what does He receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness affects a man such as you,
And your righteousness a son of man.
9 “Because(F) of the multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10 But no one says, (G)‘Where is God my Maker,
(H)Who gives songs in the night,
11 Who (I)teaches us more than the beasts of the earth,
And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’
12 (J)There they cry out, but He does not answer,
Because of the pride of evil men.
13 (K)Surely God will not listen to empty talk,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
14 (L)Although you say you do not see Him,
Yet justice is before Him, and (M)you must wait for Him.
15 And now, because He has not (N)punished in His anger,
Nor taken much notice of folly,
16 (O)Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain;
He multiplies words without knowledge.”
Elihu Proclaims God’s Goodness
36 Elihu also proceeded and said:
2 “Bear with me a little, and I will show you
That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.
3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4 For truly my words are not false;
One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5 “Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one;
(P)He is mighty in strength [a]of understanding.
6 He does not preserve the life of the wicked,
But gives justice to the (Q)oppressed.
7 (R)He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
But (S)they are on the throne with kings,
For He has seated them forever,
And they are exalted.
8 And (T)if they are bound in [b]fetters,
Held in the cords of affliction,
9 Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—
That they have acted [c]defiantly.
10 (U)He also opens their ear to [d]instruction,
And commands that they turn from iniquity.
11 If they obey and serve Him,
They shall (V)spend their days in prosperity,
And their years in pleasures.
12 But if they do not obey,
They shall perish by the sword,
And they shall die [e]without (W)knowledge.
13 “But the hypocrites in heart (X)store up wrath;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.
14 (Y)They[f] die in youth,
And their life ends among the [g]perverted persons.
15 He delivers the poor in their affliction,
And opens their ears in oppression.
16 “Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress,
(Z)Into a broad place where there is no restraint;
And (AA)what is set on your table would be full of (AB)richness.
17 But you are filled with the judgment due the (AC)wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow;
For (AD)a large ransom would not help you avoid it.
19 (AE)Will your riches,
Or all the mighty forces,
Keep you from distress?
20 Do not desire the night,
When people are cut off in their place.
21 Take heed, (AF)do not turn to iniquity,
For (AG)you have chosen this rather than affliction.
22 “Behold, God is exalted by His power;
Who teaches like Him?
23 (AH)Who has assigned Him His way,
Or who has said, ‘You have done (AI)wrong’?
Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty
24 “Remember to (AJ)magnify His work,
Of which men have sung.
25 Everyone has seen it;
Man looks on it from afar.
26 “Behold, God is great, and we (AK)do not know Him;
(AL)Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
27 For He (AM)draws up drops of water,
Which distill as rain from the mist,
28 (AN)Which the clouds drop down
And pour abundantly on man.
29 Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,
The thunder from His canopy?
30 Look, He (AO)scatters His light upon it,
And covers the depths of the sea.
31 For (AP)by these He judges the peoples;
He (AQ)gives food in abundance.
32 (AR)He covers His hands with lightning,
And commands it to [h]strike.
33 (AS)His thunder declares it,
The cattle also, concerning [i]the rising storm.
1 Corinthians 7-8
New King James Version
Principles of Marriage
7 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:
(A)It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 (B)Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 (C)Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that (D)Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, (E)not as a commandment. 7 For (F)I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: (G)It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but (H)if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Keep Your Marriage Vows
10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the (I)Lord: (J)A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise (K)your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us (L)to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will (M)save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
Live as You Are Called
17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And (N)so I [a]ordain in all the churches. 18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? (O)Let him not be circumcised. 19 (P)Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but (Q)keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is (R)the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is (S)Christ’s slave. 23 (T)You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brethren, let each one remain with (U)God in that state in which he was called.
To the Unmarried and Widows
25 Now concerning virgins: (V)I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one (W)whom the Lord in His mercy has made (X)trustworthy. 26 I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—(Y)that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
29 But (Z)this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31 and those who use this world as not (AA)misusing it. For (AB)the form of this world is passing away.
32 But I want you to be without [b]care. (AC)He who is unmarried [c]cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife. 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman (AD)cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 35 And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.
36 But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his [d]virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. 37 Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his [e]virgin, does well. 38 (AE)So then he who gives [f]her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.
39 (AF)A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, (AG)only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, (AH)according to my judgment—and (AI)I think I also have the Spirit of God.
Be Sensitive to Conscience
8 Now (AJ)concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have (AK)knowledge. (AL)Knowledge [g]puffs up, but love [h]edifies. 2 And (AM)if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that (AN)an idol is nothing in the world, (AO)and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are (AP)so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet (AQ)for us there is one God, the Father, (AR)of whom are all things, and we for Him; and (AS)one Lord Jesus Christ, (AT)through whom are all things, and (AU)through whom we live.
7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, (AV)with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is (AW)defiled. 8 But (AX)food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But (AY)beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become (AZ)a [i]stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not (BA)the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And (BB)because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But (BC)when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, (BD)if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 7:17 direct
- 1 Corinthians 7:32 concern
- 1 Corinthians 7:32 is concerned about
- 1 Corinthians 7:36 Or virgin daughter
- 1 Corinthians 7:37 Or virgin daughter
- 1 Corinthians 7:38 NU his own virgin
- 1 Corinthians 8:1 makes arrogant
- 1 Corinthians 8:1 builds up
- 1 Corinthians 8:9 cause of offense
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
