Job

12 Then Job replied:

“Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
    and wisdom will die with you!(A)
But I have a mind as well as you;
    I am not inferior to you.
    Who does not know all these things?(B)

“I have become a laughingstock(C) to my friends,(D)
    though I called on God and he answered(E)
    a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!(F)
Those who are at ease have contempt(G) for misfortune
    as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.(H)
The tents of marauders are undisturbed,(I)
    and those who provoke God are secure(J)
    those God has in his hand.[a]

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,(K)
    or the birds in the sky,(L) and they will tell you;(M)
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know(N)
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?(O)
10 In his hand is the life(P) of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.(Q)
11 Does not the ear test words
    as the tongue tastes food?(R)
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?(S)
    Does not long life bring understanding?(T)

13 “To God belong wisdom(U) and power;(V)
    counsel and understanding are his.(W)
14 What he tears down(X) cannot be rebuilt;(Y)
    those he imprisons cannot be released.(Z)
15 If he holds back the waters,(AA) there is drought;(AB)
    if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.(AC)
16 To him belong strength and insight;(AD)
    both deceived and deceiver are his.(AE)
17 He leads rulers away stripped(AF)
    and makes fools of judges.(AG)
18 He takes off the shackles(AH) put on by kings
    and ties a loincloth[b] around their waist.(AI)
19 He leads priests away stripped(AJ)
    and overthrows officials long established.(AK)
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
    and takes away the discernment of elders.(AL)
21 He pours contempt on nobles(AM)
    and disarms the mighty.(AN)
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness(AO)
    and brings utter darkness(AP) into the light.(AQ)
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;(AR)
    he enlarges nations,(AS) and disperses them.(AT)
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;(AU)
    he makes them wander in a trackless waste.(AV)
25 They grope in darkness with no light;(AW)
    he makes them stagger like drunkards.(AX)

13 “My eyes have seen all this,(AY)
    my ears have heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
    I am not inferior to you.(AZ)
But I desire to speak to the Almighty(BA)
    and to argue my case with God.(BB)
You, however, smear me with lies;(BC)
    you are worthless physicians,(BD) all of you!(BE)
If only you would be altogether silent!(BF)
    For you, that would be wisdom.(BG)
Hear now my argument;
    listen to the pleas of my lips.(BH)
Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf?
    Will you speak deceitfully for him?(BI)
Will you show him partiality?(BJ)
    Will you argue the case for God?
Would it turn out well if he examined you?(BK)
    Could you deceive him as you might deceive a mortal?(BL)
10 He would surely call you to account
    if you secretly showed partiality.(BM)
11 Would not his splendor(BN) terrify you?
    Would not the dread of him fall on you?(BO)
12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
    your defenses are defenses of clay.(BP)

13 “Keep silent(BQ) and let me speak;(BR)
    then let come to me what may.(BS)
14 Why do I put myself in jeopardy
    and take my life in my hands?(BT)
15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope(BU) in him;(BV)
    I will surely[c] defend my ways to his face.(BW)
16 Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,(BX)
    for no godless(BY) person would dare come before him!(BZ)
17 Listen carefully to what I say;(CA)
    let my words ring in your ears.
18 Now that I have prepared my case,(CB)
    I know I will be vindicated.(CC)
19 Can anyone bring charges against me?(CD)
    If so, I will be silent(CE) and die.(CF)

20 “Only grant me these two things, God,
    and then I will not hide from you:
21 Withdraw your hand(CG) far from me,
    and stop frightening me with your terrors.(CH)
22 Then summon me and I will answer,(CI)
    or let me speak, and you reply to me.(CJ)
23 How many wrongs and sins have I committed?(CK)
    Show me my offense and my sin.(CL)
24 Why do you hide your face(CM)
    and consider me your enemy?(CN)
25 Will you torment(CO) a windblown leaf?(CP)
    Will you chase(CQ) after dry chaff?(CR)
26 For you write down bitter things against me
    and make me reap the sins of my youth.(CS)
27 You fasten my feet in shackles;(CT)
    you keep close watch on all my paths(CU)
    by putting marks on the soles of my feet.

28 “So man wastes away like something rotten,
    like a garment(CV) eaten by moths.(CW)

14 “Mortals, born of woman,(CX)
    are of few days(CY) and full of trouble.(CZ)
They spring up like flowers(DA) and wither away;(DB)
    like fleeting shadows,(DC) they do not endure.(DD)
Do you fix your eye on them?(DE)
    Will you bring them[d] before you for judgment?(DF)
Who can bring what is pure(DG) from the impure?(DH)
    No one!(DI)
A person’s days are determined;(DJ)
    you have decreed the number of his months(DK)
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.(DL)
So look away from him and let him alone,(DM)
    till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.(DN)

“At least there is hope for a tree:(DO)
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots(DP) will not fail.(DQ)
Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump(DR) die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water(DS) it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.(DT)
10 But a man dies and is laid low;(DU)
    he breathes his last and is no more.(DV)
11 As the water of a lake dries up
    or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,(DW)
12 so he lies down and does not rise;(DX)
    till the heavens are no more,(DY) people will not awake
    or be roused from their sleep.(DZ)

13 “If only you would hide me in the grave(EA)
    and conceal me till your anger has passed!(EB)
If only you would set me a time
    and then remember(EC) me!(ED)
14 If someone dies, will they live again?
    All the days of my hard service(EE)
    I will wait for my renewal[e](EF) to come.
15 You will call and I will answer you;(EG)
    you will long for the creature your hands have made.(EH)
16 Surely then you will count my steps(EI)
    but not keep track of my sin.(EJ)
17 My offenses will be sealed(EK) up in a bag;(EL)
    you will cover over my sin.(EM)

18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles(EN)
    and as a rock is moved from its place,(EO)
19 as water wears away stones
    and torrents(EP) wash away the soil,(EQ)
    so you destroy a person’s hope.(ER)
20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;(ES)
    you change their countenance and send them away.(ET)
21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;
    if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.(EU)
22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies(EV)
    and mourn only for themselves.(EW)

Eliphaz

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(EX) replied:

“Would a wise person answer with empty notions
    or fill their belly with the hot east wind?(EY)
Would they argue with useless words,
    with speeches that have no value?(EZ)
But you even undermine piety
    and hinder devotion to God.(FA)
Your sin(FB) prompts your mouth;(FC)
    you adopt the tongue of the crafty.(FD)
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
    your own lips testify against you.(FE)

“Are you the first man ever born?(FF)
    Were you brought forth before the hills?(FG)
Do you listen in on God’s council?(FH)
    Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(FI)
What do you know that we do not know?
    What insights do you have that we do not have?(FJ)
10 The gray-haired and the aged(FK) are on our side,
    men even older than your father.(FL)
11 Are God’s consolations(FM) not enough for you,
    words(FN) spoken gently to you?(FO)
12 Why has your heart(FP) carried you away,
    and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage(FQ) against God
    and pour out such words(FR) from your mouth?(FS)

14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
    or those born of woman,(FT) that they could be righteous?(FU)
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,(FV)
    if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,(FW)
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,(FX)
    who drink up evil(FY) like water!(FZ)

17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
    let me tell you what I have seen,(GA)
18 what the wise have declared,
    hiding nothing received from their ancestors(GB)
19 (to whom alone the land(GC) was given
    when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,(GD)
    the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.(GE)
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;(GF)
    when all seems well, marauders attack him.(GG)
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;(GH)
    he is marked for the sword.(GI)
23 He wanders about(GJ) for food like a vulture;(GK)
    he knows the day of darkness(GL) is at hand.(GM)
24 Distress and anguish(GN) fill him with terror;(GO)
    troubles overwhelm him, like a king(GP) poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist(GQ) at God
    and vaunts himself against the Almighty,(GR)
26 defiantly charging against him
    with a thick, strong shield.(GS)

27 “Though his face is covered with fat
    and his waist bulges with flesh,(GT)
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
    and houses where no one lives,(GU)
    houses crumbling to rubble.(GV)
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,(GW)
    nor will his possessions spread over the land.(GX)
30 He will not escape the darkness;(GY)
    a flame(GZ) will wither his shoots,(HA)
    and the breath of God’s mouth(HB) will carry him away.(HC)
31 Let him not deceive(HD) himself by trusting what is worthless,(HE)
    for he will get nothing in return.(HF)
32 Before his time(HG) he will wither,(HH)
    and his branches will not flourish.(HI)
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,(HJ)
    like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.(HK)
34 For the company of the godless(HL) will be barren,
    and fire will consume(HM) the tents of those who love bribes.(HN)
35 They conceive trouble(HO) and give birth to evil;(HP)
    their womb fashions deceit.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 12:6 Or those whose god is in their own hand
  2. Job 12:18 Or shackles of kings / and ties a belt
  3. Job 13:15 Or He will surely slay me; I have no hope — / yet I will
  4. Job 14:3 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew me
  5. Job 14:14 Or release

12 And Job answered and said,

No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

11 Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

12 With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.

13 With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

17 He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

18 He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

19 He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

20 He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

21 He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

23 He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.

24 He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

25 They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

13 Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.

What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.

Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?

Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?

10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.

11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?

12 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.

13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.

14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.

17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.

18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.

20 Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.

21 Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.

22 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.

23 How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?

25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

26 For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.

28 And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.

14 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

18 And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.

19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

21 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.

For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?

Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?

10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.

11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?

12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,

13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?

14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:

19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.

21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.

23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.

26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:

27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.

30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?(A) 31 I face death every day(B)—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts(C) in Ephesus(D) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”[a](E)

33 Do not be misled:(F) “Bad company corrupts good character.”[b](G) 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God(H)—I say this to your shame.(I)

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask,(J) “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”(K) 36 How foolish!(L) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.(M) 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.(N) 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor,(O) the moon another and the stars another;(P) and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be(Q) with the resurrection of the dead.(R) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;(S) 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;(T) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.(U)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[c];(V) the last Adam,(W) a life-giving spirit.(X) 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.(Y) 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth;(Z) the second man is of heaven.(AA) 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.(AB) 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,(AC) so shall we[d] bear the image of the heavenly man.(AD)

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood(AE) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,(AF) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.(AG) 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery:(AH) We will not all sleep,(AI) but we will all be changed(AJ) 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,(AK) the dead(AL) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable(AM) must clothe itself with the imperishable,(AN) and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[e](AO)

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”[f](AP)

56 The sting of death is sin,(AQ) and the power of sin is the law.(AR) 57 But thanks be to God!(AS) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.(AT)

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,(AU) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.(AV)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:32 Isaiah 22:13
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:33 From the Greek poet Menander
  3. 1 Corinthians 15:45 Gen. 2:7
  4. 1 Corinthians 15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us
  5. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 25:8
  6. 1 Corinthians 15:55 Hosea 13:14

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?

31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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Psalm 39[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

I said, “I will watch my ways(A)
    and keep my tongue from sin;(B)
I will put a muzzle on my mouth(C)
    while in the presence of the wicked.”
So I remained utterly silent,(D)
    not even saying anything good.
But my anguish(E) increased;
    my heart grew hot(F) within me.
While I meditated,(G) the fire(H) burned;
    then I spoke with my tongue:

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days;(I)
    let me know how fleeting(J) my life is.(K)
You have made my days(L) a mere handbreadth;
    the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,(M)
    even those who seem secure.[b]

“Surely everyone goes around(N) like a mere phantom;(O)
    in vain they rush about,(P) heaping up wealth(Q)
    without knowing whose it will finally be.(R)

“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
    My hope is in you.(S)
Save me(T) from all my transgressions;(U)
    do not make me the scorn(V) of fools.
I was silent;(W) I would not open my mouth,(X)
    for you are the one who has done this.(Y)
10 Remove your scourge from me;
    I am overcome by the blow(Z) of your hand.(AA)
11 When you rebuke(AB) and discipline(AC) anyone for their sin,
    you consume(AD) their wealth like a moth(AE)
    surely everyone is but a breath.(AF)

12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
    listen to my cry for help;(AG)
    do not be deaf(AH) to my weeping.(AI)
I dwell with you as a foreigner,(AJ)
    a stranger,(AK) as all my ancestors were.(AL)
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
    before I depart and am no more.”(AM)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 39:1 In Hebrew texts 39:1-13 is numbered 39:2-14.
  2. Psalm 39:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 11.

39 I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

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30 There is no wisdom,(A) no insight, no plan
    that can succeed against the Lord.(B)

31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but victory rests with the Lord.(C)

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30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

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