Job 41-42
New King James Version
God’s Power in the Leviathan
41 “Can you draw out (A)Leviathan[a] with a hook,
Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
2 Can you (B)put a reed through his nose,
Or pierce his jaw with a [b]hook?
3 Will he make many supplications to you?
Will he speak softly to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him as a servant forever?
5 Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you leash him for your maidens?
6 Will your companions [c]make a banquet of him?
Will they apportion him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle—
Never do it again!
9 Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false;
Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?
10 No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.
Who then is able to stand against Me?
11 (C)Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him?
(D)Everything under heaven is Mine.
12 “I will not [d]conceal his limbs,
His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
13 Who can [e]remove his outer coat?
Who can approach him with a double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face,
With his terrible teeth all around?
15 His rows of [f]scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal;
16 One is so near another
That no air can come between them;
17 They are joined one to another,
They stick together and cannot be parted.
18 His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lights;
Sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils,
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes out of his mouth.
22 Strength dwells in his neck,
And [g]sorrow dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together;
They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as hard as stone,
Even as hard as the lower millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of his crashings they [h]are beside themselves.
26 Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail;
Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
27 He regards iron as straw,
And bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones become like stubble to him.
29 Darts are regarded as straw;
He laughs at the threat of javelins.
30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds;
He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
31 He makes the deep boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He leaves a shining wake behind him;
One would think the deep had white hair.
33 On earth there is nothing like him,
Which is made without fear.
34 He beholds every high thing;
He is king over all the children of pride.”
Job’s Repentance and Restoration
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that You (E)can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
3 You asked, (F)‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
(G)Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, (H)‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’
5 “I have (I)heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
6 Therefore I (J)abhor[i] myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.”
7 And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves (K)seven bulls and seven rams, (L)go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall (M)pray for you. For I will accept [j]him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had [k]accepted Job. 10 (N)And the Lord [l]restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job (O)twice as much as he had before. 11 Then (P)all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.
12 Now the Lord blessed (Q)the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had (R)fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 (S)He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first [m]Jemimah, the name of the second [n]Keziah, and the name of the third [o]Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
16 After this Job (T)lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and (U)full of days.
Footnotes
- Job 41:1 A large sea creature, exact identity unknown
- Job 41:2 thorn
- Job 41:6 Or bargain over him
- Job 41:12 Lit. keep silent about
- Job 41:13 Lit. take off the face of his garment
- Job 41:15 Lit. shields
- Job 41:22 despair
- Job 41:25 Or purify themselves
- Job 42:6 despise
- Job 42:8 Lit. his face
- Job 42:9 Lit. lifted up the face of Job
- Job 42:10 Lit. turned the captivity of Job, what was captured from Job
- Job 42:14 Lit. Handsome as the Day
- Job 42:14 Cassia, a fragrance
- Job 42:14 Lit. The Horn of Color or The Colorful Ray
2 Corinthians 1-2
New King James Version
Greeting
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and (B)Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, (C)with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
2 (D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Comfort in Suffering
3 (E)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who (F)comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any [a]trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as (G)the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our [b]consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, (H)it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that (I)as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
Delivered from Suffering
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of (J)our [c]trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should (K)not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 (L)who delivered us from so great a death, and [d]does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also (M)helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on [e]our behalf (N)for the gift granted to us through many.
Paul’s Sincerity
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in [f]simplicity and (O)godly sincerity, (P)not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 13 For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end 14 (as also you have understood us in part), (Q)that we are your boast as (R)you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Sparing the Church
15 And in this confidence (S)I intended to come to you before, that you might have (T)a second benefit— 16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, (U)to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. 17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan (V)according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? 18 But as God is (W)faithful, our [g]word to you was not Yes and No. 19 For (X)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, (Y)Silvanus, and (Z)Timothy—was not Yes and No, (AA)but in Him was Yes. 20 (AB)For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and (AC)has anointed us is God, 22 who (AD)also has sealed us and (AE)given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 Moreover (AF)I call God as witness against my soul, (AG)that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. 24 Not (AH)that we [h]have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for (AI)by faith you stand.
Paul Urges Forgiveness
2 But I determined this within myself, (AJ)that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you (AK)sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?
Forgive the Offender
3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, (AL)I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, (AM)having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much [i]affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, (AN)not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.
5 But (AO)if anyone has caused grief, he has not (AP)grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted (AQ)by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 (AR)so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are (AS)obedient in all things. 10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For [j]if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Triumph in Christ
12 Furthermore, (AT)when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and (AU)a [k]door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 (AV)I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us [l]diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ (AW)among those who are being saved and (AX)among those who are perishing. 16 (AY)To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And (AZ)who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as [m]so many, (BA)peddling[n] the word of God; but as (BB)of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 1:4 tribulation
- 2 Corinthians 1:5 comfort
- 2 Corinthians 1:8 tribulation
- 2 Corinthians 1:10 NU shall
- 2 Corinthians 1:11 M your behalf
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 The opposite of duplicity
- 2 Corinthians 1:18 message
- 2 Corinthians 1:24 rule
- 2 Corinthians 2:4 tribulation
- 2 Corinthians 2:10 NU indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes
- 2 Corinthians 2:12 Opportunity
- 2 Corinthians 2:14 manifests
- 2 Corinthians 2:17 M the rest
- 2 Corinthians 2:17 adulterating for gain
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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