Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Ray Ortlund

Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Ray Ortlund

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Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Ray Ortlund episodes

  • September 4: Job 39–40; Psalm 61; John 1
    Old Testament:
    Job 39–40
    Job 39–40 (Listen)

    39   “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
        Do you observe the calving of the does?
    2   Can you number the months that they fulfill,
        and do you know the time when they give birth,
    3   when they crouch, bring forth their offspring,
        and are delivered of their young?
    4   Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
        they go out and do not return to them.
    5   “Who has let the wild donkey go free?
        Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
    6   to whom I have given the arid plain for his home
        and the salt land for his dwelling place?
    7   He scorns the tumult of the city;
        he hears not the shouts of the driver.
    8   He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
        and he searches after every green thing.
    9   “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
        Will he spend the night at your manger?
    10   Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes,
        or will he harrow the valleys after you?
    11   Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
        and will you leave to him your labor?
    12   Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
        and gather it to your threshing floor?
    13   “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
        but are they the pinions and plumage of love?The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain">1
    14   For she leaves her eggs to the earth
        and lets them be warmed on the ground,
    15   forgetting that a foot may crush them
        and that the wild beast may trample them.
    16   She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
        though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
    17   because God has made her forget wisdom
        and given her no share in understanding.
    18   When she rouses herself to flee,The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain">2
        she laughs at the horse and his rider.
    19   “Do you give the horse his might?
        Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
    20   Do you make him leap like the locust?
        His majestic snorting is terrifying.
    21   He pawsHebrew They paw">3 in the valley and exults in his strength;
        he goes out to meet the weapons.
    22   He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
        he does not turn back from the sword.
    23   Upon him rattle the quiver,
        the flashing spear, and the javelin.
    24   With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
        he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
    25   When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
        He smells the battle from afar,
        the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
    26   “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
        and spreads his wings toward the south?
    27   Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
        and makes his nest on high?
    28   On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
        on the rocky crag and stronghold.
    29   From there he spies out the prey;
        his eyes behold it from far away.
    30   His young ones suck up blood,
        and where the slain are, there is he.”

    40 And the LORD said to Job:

    2   “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
        He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

    Job Promises Silence

    3 Then Job answered the LORD and said:

    4   “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
        I lay my hand on my mouth.
    5   I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
        twice, but I will proceed no further.”

    The Lord Challenges Job

    6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

    7   “Dress for actionHebrew Gird up your loins">4 like a man;
        I will question you, and you make it known to me.
    8   Will you even put me in the wrong?
        Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?
    9   Have you an arm like God,
        and can you thunder with a voice like his?
    10   “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
        clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
    11   Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
        and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.
    12   Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
        and tread down the wicked where they stand.
    13   Hide them all in the dust together;
        bind their faces in the world below.Hebrew in the hidden place">5
    14   Then will I also acknowledge to you
        that your own right hand can save you.
    15   “Behold, Behemoth,A large animal, exact identity unknown">6
        which I made as I made you;
        he eats grass like an ox.
    16   Behold, his strength in his loins,
        and his power in the muscles of his belly.
    17   He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
        the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
    18   His bones are tubes of bronze,
        his limbs like bars of iron.
    19   “He is the first of the worksHebrew ways">7 of God;
        let him who made him bring near his sword!
    20   For the mountains yield food for him
        where all the wild beasts play.
    21   Under the lotus plants he lies,
        in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.
    22   For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
        the willows of the brook surround him.
    23   Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
        he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
    24   Can one take him by his eyes,Or in his sight">8
        or pierce his nose with a snare?

    Footnotes

    [1] 39:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain


    [2] 39:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

    [3] 39:21 Hebrew They paw

    [4] 40:7 Hebrew Gird up your loins

    [5] 40:13 Hebrew in the hidden place

    [6] 40:15 A large animal, exact identity unknown

    [7] 40:19 Hebrew ways

    [8] 40:24 Or in his sight

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 61
    Psalm 61 (Listen)
    Lead Me to the Rock
    To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

    61   Hear my cry, O God,
        listen to my prayer;
    2   from the end of the earth I call to you
        when my heart is faint.
      Lead me to the rock
        that is higher than I,
    3   for you have been my refuge,
        a strong tower against the enemy.
    4   Let me dwell in your tent forever!
        Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
    5   For you, O God, have heard my vows;
        you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
    6   Prolong the life of the king;
        may his years endure to all generations!
    7   May he be enthroned forever before God;
        appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
    8   So will I ever sing praises to your name,
        as I perform my vows day after day.

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    John 1
    John 1 (Listen)
    The Word Became Flesh

    1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him">1 and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

    9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people">2 and his own peoplePeople is implied in Greek">3 did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

    14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only SonOr only One, or unique One">4 from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.Or grace in place of grace">5 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son">6 who is at the Father's side,Greek in the bosom of the Father">7 he has made him known.

    The Testimony of John the Baptist

    19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straightOr crying out, ‘In the wilderness make straight">8 the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

    24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

    Behold, the Lamb of God

    29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the SonSome manuscripts the Chosen One">9 of God.”

    Jesus Calls the First Disciples

    35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.That is, about 4 p.m.">10 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed JesusGreek him">11 was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means PeterCephas and Peter are from the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively">12).

    Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

    43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse">13 you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him


    [2] 1:11 Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people

    [3] 1:11 People is implied in Greek

    [4] 1:14 Or only One, or unique One

    [5] 1:16 Or grace in place of grace

    [6] 1:18 Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son

    [7] 1:18 Greek in the bosom of the Father

    [8] 1:23 Or crying out, ‘In the wilderness make straight

    [9] 1:34 Some manuscripts the Chosen One

    [10] 1:39 That is, about 4 p.m.

    [11] 1:40 Greek him

    [12] 1:42 Cephas and Peter are from the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively

    [13] 1:51 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse

    (ESV)

    13 min
  • September 3: Job 37–38; Psalm 60; Luke 24
    Old Testament:
    Job 37–38
    Job 37–38 (Listen)
    Elihu Proclaims God's Majesty

    37   “At this also my heart trembles
        and leaps out of its place.
    2   Keep listening to the thunder of his voice
        and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
    3   Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
        and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
    4   After it his voice roars;
        he thunders with his majestic voice,
        and he does not restrain the lightningsHebrew them">1 when his voice is heard.
    5   God thunders wondrously with his voice;
        he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
    6   For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
        likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.
    7   He seals up the hand of every man,
        that all men whom he made may know it.
    8   Then the beasts go into their lairs,
        and remain in their dens.
    9   From its chamber comes the whirlwind,
        and cold from the scattering winds.
    10   By the breath of God ice is given,
        and the broad waters are frozen fast.
    11   He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
        the clouds scatter his lightning.
    12   They turn around and around by his guidance,
        to accomplish all that he commands them
        on the face of the habitable world.
    13   Whether for correction or for his land
        or for love, he causes it to happen.
    14   “Hear this, O Job;
        stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
    15   Do you know how God lays his command upon them
        and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
    16   Do you know the balancingsOr hoverings">2 of the clouds,
        the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,
    17   you whose garments are hot
        when the earth is still because of the south wind?
    18   Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
        hard as a cast metal mirror?
    19   Teach us what we shall say to him;
        we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
    20   Shall it be told him that I would speak?
        Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
    21   “And now no one looks on the light
        when it is bright in the skies,
        when the wind has passed and cleared them.
    22   Out of the north comes golden splendor;
        God is clothed with awesome majesty.
    23   The Almighty—we cannot find him;
        he is great in power;
        justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
    24   Therefore men fear him;
        he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”Hebrew in heart">3

    The Lord Answers Job

    38 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

    2   “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
    3   Dress for actionHebrew Gird up your loins">4 like a man;
        I will question you, and you make it known to me.
    4   “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
        Tell me, if you have understanding.
    5   Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
        Or who stretched the line upon it?
    6   On what were its bases sunk,
        or who laid its cornerstone,
    7   when the morning stars sang together
        and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
    8   “Or who shut in the sea with doors
        when it burst out from the womb,
    9   when I made clouds its garment
        and thick darkness its swaddling band,
    10   and prescribed limits for it
        and set bars and doors,
    11   and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
        and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
    12   “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
        and caused the dawn to know its place,
    13   that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
        and the wicked be shaken out of it?
    14   It is changed like clay under the seal,
        and its features stand out like a garment.
    15   From the wicked their light is withheld,
        and their uplifted arm is broken.
    16   “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
        or walked in the recesses of the deep?
    17   Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
        or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
    18   Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
        Declare, if you know all this.
    19   “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
        and where is the place of darkness,
    20   that you may take it to its territory
        and that you may discern the paths to its home?
    21   You know, for you were born then,
        and the number of your days is great!
    22   “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
        or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
    23   which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
        for the day of battle and war?
    24   What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
        or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
    25   “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
        and a way for the thunderbolt,
    26   to bring rain on a land where no man is,
        on the desert in which there is no man,
    27   to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
        and to make the ground sprout with grass?
    28   “Has the rain a father,
        or who has begotten the drops of dew?
    29   From whose womb did the ice come forth,
        and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?
    30   The waters become hard like stone,
        and the face of the deep is frozen.
    31   “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
        or loose the cords of Orion?
    32   Can you lead forth the MazzarothProbably the name of a constellation">5 in their season,
        or can you guide the Bear with its children?
    33   Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
        Can you establish their rule on the earth?
    34   “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
        that a flood of waters may cover you?
    35   Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
        and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
    36   Who has put wisdom in the inward partsOr in the ibis">6
        or given understanding to the mind?Or rooster">7
    37   Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
        Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
    38   when the dust runs into a mass
        and the clods stick fast together?
    39   “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
        or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
    40   when they crouch in their dens
        or lie in wait in their thicket?
    41   Who provides for the raven its prey,
        when its young ones cry to God for help,
        and wander about for lack of food?

    Footnotes

    [1] 37:4 Hebrew them


    [2] 37:16 Or hoverings

    [3] 37:24 Hebrew in heart

    [4] 38:3 Hebrew Gird up your loins

    [5] 38:32 Probably the name of a constellation

    [6] 38:36 Or in the ibis

    [7] 38:36 Or rooster

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 60
    Psalm 60 (Listen)
    He Will Tread Down Our Foes
    To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A MiktamProbably musical or liturgical terms">1 of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

    60   O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
        you have been angry; oh, restore us.
    2   You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
        repair its breaches, for it totters.
    3   You have made your people see hard things;
        you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
    4   You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
        that they may flee to it from the bow.Or that it may be displayed because of truth">2 Selah
    5   That your beloved ones may be delivered,
        give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
    6   God has spoken in his holiness:Or sanctuary">3
        “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
        and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
    7   Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
        Ephraim is my helmet;
        Judah is my scepter.
    8   Moab is my washbasin;
        upon Edom I cast my shoe;
        over Philistia I shout in triumph.”Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph">4
    9   Who will bring me to the fortified city?
        Who will lead me to Edom?
    10   Have you not rejected us, O God?
        You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
    11   Oh, grant us help against the foe,
        for vain is the salvation of man!
    12   With God we shall do valiantly;
        it is he who will tread down our foes.

    Footnotes

    [1] 60:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms


    [2] 60:4 Or that it may be displayed because of truth

    [3] 60:6 Or sanctuary

    [4] 60:8 Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 24
    Luke 24 (Listen)
    The Resurrection

    24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

    On the Road to Emmaus

    13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven milesGreek sixty stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters">1 from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

    28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

    Jesus Appears to His Disciples

    36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,Some manuscripts add and some honeycomb">2 43 and he took it and ate before them.

    44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance forSome manuscripts and">3 the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

    The Ascension

    50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

    Footnotes

    [1] 24:13 Greek sixty stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters


    [2] 24:42 Some manuscripts add and some honeycomb

    [3] 24:47 Some manuscripts and

    (ESV)

    14 min
  • September 2: Job 35–36; Psalm 59; Luke 23
    Old Testament:
    Job 35–36
    Job 35–36 (Listen)
    Elihu Condemns Job

    35 And Elihu answered and said:

    2   “Do you think this to be just?
        Do you say, ‘It is my right before God,’
    3   that you ask, ‘What advantage have I?
        How am I better off than if I had sinned?’
    4   I will answer you
        and your friends with you.
    5   Look at the heavens, and see;
        and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.
    6   If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?
        And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
    7   If you are righteous, what do you give to him?
        Or what does he receive from your hand?
    8   Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,
        and your righteousness a son of man.
    9   “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
        they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.Or the many">1
    10   But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
        who gives songs in the night,
    11   who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
        and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
    12   There they cry out, but he does not answer,
        because of the pride of evil men.
    13   Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
        nor does the Almighty regard it.
    14   How much less when you say that you do not see him,
        that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!
    15   And now, because his anger does not punish,
        and he does not take much note of transgression,Theodotion, Symmachus (compare Vulgate); the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain">2
    16   Job opens his mouth in empty talk;
        he multiplies words without knowledge.”

    Elihu Extols God's Greatness

    36 And Elihu continued, and said:

    2   “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,
        for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.
    3   I will get my knowledge from afar
        and 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, and does not despise any;
        he is mighty in strength of understanding.
    6   He does not keep the wicked alive,
        but gives the afflicted their right.
    7   He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,
        but with kings on the throne
        he sets them forever, and they are exalted.
    8   And if they are bound in chains
        and caught in the cords of affliction,
    9   then he declares to them their work
        and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.
    10   He opens their ears to instruction
        and commands that they return from iniquity.
    11   If they listen and serve him,
        they complete their days in prosperity,
        and their years in pleasantness.
    12   But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword
        and die without knowledge.
    13   “The godless in heart cherish anger;
        they do not cry for help when he binds them.
    14   They die in youth,
        and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
    15   He delivers the afflicted by their affliction
        and opens their ear by adversity.
    16   He also allured you out of distress
        into a broad place where there was no cramping,
        and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
    17   “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;
        judgment and justice seize you.
    18   Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
        and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
    19   Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress,
        or all the force of your strength?
    20   Do not long for the night,
        when peoples vanish in their place.
    21   Take care; do not turn to iniquity,
        for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
    22   Behold, God is exalted in his power;
        who is a teacher like him?
    23   Who has prescribed for him his way,
        or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’?
    24   “Remember to extol his work,
        of which men have sung.
    25   All mankind has looked on it;
        man beholds it from afar.
    26   Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
        the number of his years is unsearchable.
    27   For he draws up the drops of water;
        they distill his mist in rain,
    28   which the skies pour down
        and drop on mankind abundantly.
    29   Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
        the thunderings of his pavilion?
    30   Behold, he scatters his lightning about him
        and covers the roots of the sea.
    31   For by these he judges peoples;
        he gives food in abundance.
    32   He covers his hands with the lightning
        and commands it to strike the mark.
    33   Its crashing declares his presence;Hebrew declares concerning him">3
        the cattle also declare that he rises.

    Footnotes

    [1] 35:9 Or the many


    [2] 35:15 Theodotion, Symmachus (compare Vulgate); the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

    [3] 36:33 Hebrew declares concerning him

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 59
    Psalm 59 (Listen)
    Deliver Me from My Enemies
    To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A MiktamProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

    59   Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
        protect me from those who rise up against me;
    2   deliver me from those who work evil,
        and save me from bloodthirsty men.
    3   For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
        fierce men stir up strife against me.
      For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
    4     for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
      Awake, come to meet me, and see!
    5     You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel.
      Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
        spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
    6   Each evening they come back,
        howling like dogs
        and prowling about the city.
    7   There they are, bellowing with their mouths
        with swords in their lips—
        for “Who,” they think,Hebrew lacks they think">2 “will hear us?”
    8   But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
        you hold all the nations in derision.
    9   O my Strength, I will watch for you,
        for you, O God, are my fortress.
    10   My God in his steadfast loveOr The God who shows me steadfast love">3 will meet me;
        God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
    11   Kill them not, lest my people forget;
        make them totterOr wander">4 by your power and bring them down,
        O Lord, our shield!
    12   For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
        let them be trapped in their pride.
      For the cursing and lies that they utter,
    13     consume them in wrath;
        consume them till they are no more,
      that they may know that God rules over Jacob
        to the ends of the earth. Selah
    14   Each evening they come back,
        howling like dogs
        and prowling about the city.
    15   They wander about for food
        and growl if they do not get their fill.
    16   But I will sing of your strength;
        I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
      For you have been to me a fortress
        and a refuge in the day of my distress.
    17   O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
        for you, O God, are my fortress,
        the God who shows me steadfast love.

    Footnotes

    [1] 59:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 59:7 Hebrew lacks they think

    [3] 59:10 Or The God who shows me steadfast love

    [4] 59:11 Or wander

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 23
    Luke 23 (Listen)
    Jesus Before Pilate

    23 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

    Jesus Before Herod

    6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

    13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish and release him.”Here, or after verse 19, some manuscripts add verse 17: Now he was obliged to release one man to them at the festival">1

    Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

    18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”—19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

    The Crucifixion

    26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

    32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”Some manuscripts omit the sentence And Jesus . . . what they do">2 And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him,Some manuscripts add in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew">3 “This is the King of the Jews.”

    39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,Or blasphemed him">4 saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

    The Death of Jesus

    44 It was now about the sixth hour,That is, noon">5 and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,That is, 3 p.m.">6 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

    Jesus Is Buried

    50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.Greek was dawning">7 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

    On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

    Footnotes

    [1] 23:16 Here, or after verse 19, some manuscripts add verse 17: Now he was obliged to release one man to them at the festival


    [2] 23:34 Some manuscripts omit the sentence And Jesus . . . what they do

    [3] 23:38 Some manuscripts add in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew

    [4] 23:39 Or blasphemed him

    [5] 23:44 That is, noon

    [6] 23:44 That is, 3 p.m.

    [7] 23:54 Greek was dawning

    (ESV)

    14 min
  • September 1: Job 33–34; Psalm 58; Luke 22
    Old Testament:
    Job 33–34
    Job 33–34 (Listen)
    Elihu Rebukes Job

    33   “But now, hear my speech, O Job,
        and listen to all my words.
    2   Behold, I open my mouth;
        the tongue in my mouth speaks.
    3   My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
        and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
    4   The Spirit of God has made me,
        and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
    5   Answer me, if you can;
        set your words in order before me; take your stand.
    6   Behold, I am toward God as you are;
        I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.
    7   Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;
        my pressure will not be heavy upon you.
    8   “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
        and I have heard the sound of your words.
    9   You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression;
        I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
    10   Behold, he finds occasions against me,
        he counts me as his enemy,
    11   he puts my feet in the stocks
        and watches all my paths.’
    12   “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
        for God is greater than man.
    13   Why do you contend against him,
        saying, ‘He will answer none of man'sHebrew his">1 words’?Or He will not answer for any of his own words">2
    14   For God speaks in one way,
        and in two, though man does not perceive it.
    15   In a dream, in a vision of the night,
        when deep sleep falls on men,
        while they slumber on their beds,
    16   then he opens the ears of men
        and terrifiesOr seals">3 them with warnings,
    17   that he may turn man aside from his deed
        and conceal pride from a man;
    18   he keeps back his soul from the pit,
        his life from perishing by the sword.
    19   “Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
        and with continual strife in his bones,
    20   so that his life loathes bread,
        and his appetite the choicest food.
    21   His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
        and his bones that were not seen stick out.
    22   His soul draws near the pit,
        and his life to those who bring death.
    23   If there be for him an angel,
        a mediator, one of the thousand,
        to declare to man what is right for him,
    24   and he is merciful to him, and says,
        ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
        I have found a ransom;
    25   let his flesh become fresh with youth;
        let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
    26   then manHebrew he">4 prays to God, and he accepts him;
        he sees his face with a shout of joy,
      and he restores to man his righteousness.
    27     He sings before men and says:
      ‘I sinned and perverted what was right,
        and it was not repaid to me.
    28   He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit,
        and my life shall look upon the light.’
    29   “Behold, God does all these things,
        twice, three times, with a man,
    30   to bring back his soul from the pit,
        that he may be lighted with the light of life.
    31   Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
        be silent, and I will speak.
    32   If you have any words, answer me;
        speak, for I desire to justify you.
    33   If not, listen to me;
        be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

    Elihu Asserts God's Justice

    34 Then Elihu answered and said:

    2   “Hear my words, you wise men,
        and give ear to me, you who know;
    3   for the ear tests words
        as the palate tastes food.
    4   Let us choose what is right;
        let us know among ourselves what is good.
    5   For Job has said, ‘I am in the right,
        and God has taken away my right;
    6   in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
        my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
    7   What man is like Job,
        who drinks up scoffing like water,
    8   who travels in company with evildoers
        and walks with wicked men?
    9   For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
        that he should take delight in God.’
    10   “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
        far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
        and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
    11   For according to the work of a man he will repay him,
        and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
    12   Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
        and the Almighty will not pervert justice.
    13   Who gave him charge over the earth,
        and who laid on himHebrew lacks on him">5 the whole world?
    14   If he should set his heart to it
        and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,
    15   all flesh would perish together,
        and man would return to dust.
    16   “If you have understanding, hear this;
        listen to what I say.
    17   Shall one who hates justice govern?
        Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
    18   who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
        and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
    19   who shows no partiality to princes,
        nor regards the rich more than the poor,
        for they are all the work of his hands?
    20   In a moment they die;
        at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
        and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.
    21   “For his eyes are on the ways of a man,
        and he sees all his steps.
    22   There is no gloom or deep darkness
        where evildoers may hide themselves.
    23   For GodHebrew he">6 has no need to consider a man further,
        that he should go before God in judgment.
    24   He shatters the mighty without investigation
        and sets others in their place.
    25   Thus, knowing their works,
        he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
    26   He strikes them for their wickedness
        in a place for all to see,
    27   because they turned aside from following him
        and had no regard for any of his ways,
    28   so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
        and he heard the cry of the afflicted—
    29   When he is quiet, who can condemn?
        When he hides his face, who can behold him,
        whether it be a nation or a man?—
    30   that a godless man should not reign,
        that he should not ensnare the people.
    31   “For has anyone said to God,
        ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
    32   teach me what I do not see;
        if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
    33   Will he then make repayment to suit you,
        because you reject it?
      For you must choose, and not I;
        therefore declare what you know.The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 29–33 is uncertain">7
    34   Men of understanding will say to me,
        and the wise man who hears me will say:
    35   ‘Job speaks without knowledge;
        his words are without insight.’
    36   Would that Job were tried to the end,
        because he answers like wicked men.
    37   For he adds rebellion to his sin;
        he claps his hands among us
        and multiplies his words against God.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 33:13 Hebrew his


    [2] 33:13 Or He will not answer for any of his own words

    [3] 33:16 Or seals

    [4] 33:26 Hebrew he

    [5] 34:13 Hebrew lacks on him

    [6] 34:23 Hebrew he

    [7] 34:33 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 29–33 is uncertain

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 58
    Psalm 58 (Listen)
    God Who Judges the Earth
    To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A MiktamProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David.

    58   Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?Or you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)">2
        Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
    2   No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
        your hands deal out violence on earth.
    3   The wicked are estranged from the womb;
        they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
    4   They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
        like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
    5   so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
        or of the cunning enchanter.
    6   O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
        tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
    7   Let them vanish like water that runs away;
        when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
    8   Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
        like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
    9   Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
        whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain">3
    10   The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
        he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
    11   Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
        surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 58:1 Or you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)

    [3] 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 22
    Luke 22 (Listen)
    The Plot to Kill Jesus

    22 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

    Judas to Betray Jesus

    3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

    The Passover with the Disciples

    7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So JesusGreek he">1 sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

    Institution of the Lord's Supper

    14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat itSome manuscripts never eat it again">2 until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.Some manuscripts omit, in whole or in part, verses 19b-20 (which is given . . . in my blood)">3 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

    Who Is the Greatest?

    24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

    28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

    Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

    31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,The Greek word for you (twice in this verse) is plural; in verse 32, all four instances are singular">4 that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 PeterGreek He">5 said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 JesusGreek He">6 said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

    Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus

    35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

    Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

    39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.Some manuscripts omit verses 43 and 44">7 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

    Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

    47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servantOr bondservant">8 of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

    Peter Denies Jesus

    54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

    Jesus Is Mocked

    63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

    Jesus Before the Council

    66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 22:8 Greek he


    [2] 22:16 Some manuscripts never eat it again

    [3] 22:20 Some manuscripts omit, in whole or in part, verses 19b-20 (which is given . . . in my blood)

    [4] 22:31 The Greek word for you (twice in this verse) is plural; in verse 32, all four instances are singular

    [5] 22:33 Greek He

    [6] 22:34 Greek He

    [7] 22:44 Some manuscripts omit verses 43 and 44

    [8] 22:50 Or bondservant

    (ESV)

    17 min
  • August 31: Job 31–32; Psalm 57; Luke 21
    Old Testament:
    Job 31–32
    Job 31–32 (Listen)
    Job's Final Appeal

    31   “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
        how then could I gaze at a virgin?
    2   What would be my portion from God above
        and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
    3   Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
        and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
    4   Does not he see my ways
        and number all my steps?
    5   “If I have walked with falsehood
        and my foot has hastened to deceit;
    6   (Let me be weighed in a just balance,
        and let God know my integrity!)
    7   if my step has turned aside from the way
        and my heart has gone after my eyes,
        and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
    8   then let me sow, and another eat,
        and let what grows for meOr let my descendants">1 be rooted out.
    9   “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
        and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
    10   then let my wife grind for another,
        and let others bow down on her.
    11   For that would be a heinous crime;
        that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
    12   for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,
        and it would burn to the root all my increase.
    13   “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
        when they brought a complaint against me,
    14   what then shall I do when God rises up?
        When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
    15   Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
        And did not one fashion us in the womb?
    16   “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
        or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
    17   or have eaten my morsel alone,
        and the fatherless has not eaten of it
    18   (for from my youth the fatherlessHebrew he">2 grew up with me as with a father,
        and from my mother's womb I guided the widowHebrew her">3),
    19   if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
        or the needy without covering,
    20   if his body has not blessed me,Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me">4
        and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
    21   if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
        because I saw my help in the gate,
    22   then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
        and let my arm be broken from its socket.
    23   For I was in terror of calamity from God,
        and I could not have faced his majesty.
    24   “If I have made gold my trust
        or called fine gold my confidence,
    25   if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
        or because my hand had found much,
    26   if I have looked at the sunHebrew the light">5 when it shone,
        or the moon moving in splendor,
    27   and my heart has been secretly enticed,
        and my mouth has kissed my hand,
    28   this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
        for I would have been false to God above.
    29   “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
        or exulted when evil overtook him
    30   (I have not let my mouth sin
        by asking for his life with a curse),
    31   if the men of my tent have not said,
        ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’
    32   (the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
        I have opened my doors to the traveler),
    33   if I have concealed my transgressions as others doOr as Adam did">6
        by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
    34   because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
        and the contempt of families terrified me,
        so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
    35   Oh, that I had one to hear me!
        (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
        Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
    36   Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
        I would bind it on me as a crown;
    37   I would give him an account of all my steps;
        like a prince I would approach him.
    38   “If my land has cried out against me
        and its furrows have wept together,
    39   if I have eaten its yield without payment
        and made its owners breathe their last,
    40   let thorns grow instead of wheat,
        and foul weeds instead of barley.”

    The words of Job are ended.

    Elihu Rebukes Job's Three Friends

    32 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger.

    6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said:

      “I am young in years,
        and you are aged;
      therefore I was timid and afraid
        to declare my opinion to you.
    7   I said, ‘Let days speak,
        and many years teach wisdom.’
    8   But it is the spirit in man,
        the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
    9   It is not the oldHebrew many [in years]">7 who are wise,
        nor the aged who understand what is right.
    10   Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
        let me also declare my opinion.’
    11   “Behold, I waited for your words,
        I listened for your wise sayings,
        while you searched out what to say.
    12   I gave you my attention,
        and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job
        or who answered his words.
    13   Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom;
        God may vanquish him, not a man.’
    14   He has not directed his words against me,
        and I will not answer him with your speeches.
    15   “They are dismayed; they answer no more;
        they have not a word to say.
    16   And shall I wait, because they do not speak,
        because they stand there, and answer no more?
    17   I also will answer with my share;
        I also will declare my opinion.
    18   For I am full of words;
        the spirit within me constrains me.
    19   Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent;
        like new wineskins ready to burst.
    20   I must speak, that I may find relief;
        I must open my lips and answer.
    21   I will not show partiality to any man
        or use flattery toward any person.
    22   For I do not know how to flatter,
        else my Maker would soon take me away.

    Footnotes

    [1] 31:8 Or let my descendants


    [2] 31:18 Hebrew he

    [3] 31:18 Hebrew her

    [4] 31:20 Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me

    [5] 31:26 Hebrew the light

    [6] 31:33 Or as Adam did

    [7] 32:9 Hebrew many [in years]

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 57
    Psalm 57 (Listen)
    Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth
    To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A MiktamProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

    57   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
        for in you my soul takes refuge;
      in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
        till the storms of destruction pass by.
    2   I cry out to God Most High,
        to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
    3   He will send from heaven and save me;
        he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
      God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
    4   My soul is in the midst of lions;
        I lie down amid fiery beasts—
      the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
        whose tongues are sharp swords.
    5   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
        Let your glory be over all the earth!
    6   They set a net for my steps;
        my soul was bowed down.
      They dug a pit in my way,
        but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
    7   My heart is steadfast, O God,
        my heart is steadfast!
      I will sing and make melody!
    8     Awake, my glory!Or my whole being">2
      Awake, O harp and lyre!
        I will awake the dawn!
    9   I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
        I will sing praises to you among the nations.
    10   For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
        your faithfulness to the clouds.
    11   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
        Let your glory be over all the earth!

    Footnotes

    [1] 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 57:8 Or my whole being

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 21
    Luke 21 (Listen)
    The Widow's Offering

    21 JesusGreek He">1 looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.Greek two lepta; a lepton was a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer)">2 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

    Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

    5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

    Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

    10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothersOr parents and brothers and sisters">3 and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

    Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

    20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

    The Coming of the Son of Man

    25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

    The Lesson of the Fig Tree

    29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

    Watch Yourselves

    34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

    37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

    Footnotes

    [1] 21:1 Greek He


    [2] 21:2 Greek two lepta; a lepton was a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer)

    [3] 21:16 Or parents and brothers and sisters

    (ESV)

    13 min
  • August 30: Job 29–30; Psalm 56; Luke 20
    Old Testament:
    Job 29–30
    Job 29–30 (Listen)
    Job's Summary Defense

    29 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

    2   “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
        as in the days when God watched over me,
    3   when his lamp shone upon my head,
        and by his light I walked through darkness,
    4   as I was in my prime,Hebrew my autumn days">1
        when the friendship of God was upon my tent,
    5   when the Almighty was yet with me,
        when my children were all around me,
    6   when my steps were washed with butter,
        and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
    7   When I went out to the gate of the city,
        when I prepared my seat in the square,
    8   the young men saw me and withdrew,
        and the aged rose and stood;
    9   the princes refrained from talking
        and laid their hand on their mouth;
    10   the voice of the nobles was hushed,
        and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
    11   When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
        and when the eye saw, it approved,
    12   because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
        and the fatherless who had none to help him.
    13   The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
        and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
    14   I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
        my justice was like a robe and a turban.
    15   I was eyes to the blind
        and feet to the lame.
    16   I was a father to the needy,
        and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
    17   I broke the fangs of the unrighteous
        and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
    18   Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
        and I shall multiply my days as the sand,
    19   my roots spread out to the waters,
        with the dew all night on my branches,
    20   my glory fresh with me,
        and my bow ever new in my hand.’
    21   “Men listened to me and waited
        and kept silence for my counsel.
    22   After I spoke they did not speak again,
        and my word dropped upon them.
    23   They waited for me as for the rain,
        and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.
    24   I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
        and the light of my face they did not cast down.
    25   I chose their way and sat as chief,
        and I lived like a king among his troops,
        like one who comforts mourners.
    30   “But now they laugh at me,
        men who are younger than I,
      whose fathers I would have disdained
        to set with the dogs of my flock.
    2   What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
        men whose vigor is gone?
    3   Through want and hard hunger
        they gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation;
    4   they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
        and the roots of the broom tree for their food.Or warmth">2
    5   They are driven out from human company;
        they shout after them as after a thief.
    6   In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
        in holes of the earth and of the rocks.
    7   Among the bushes they bray;
        under the nettles they huddle together.
    8   A senseless, a nameless brood,
        they have been whipped out of the land.
    9   “And now I have become their song;
        I am a byword to them.
    10   They abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
        they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me.
    11   Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
        they have cast off restraintHebrew the bridle">3 in my presence.
    12   On my right hand the rabble rise;
        they push away my feet;
        they cast up against me their ways of destruction.
    13   They break up my path;
        they promote my calamity;
        they need no one to help them.
    14   As through a wide breach they come;
        amid the crash they roll on.
    15   Terrors are turned upon me;
        my honor is pursued as by the wind,
        and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.
    16   “And now my soul is poured out within me;
        days of affliction have taken hold of me.
    17   The night racks my bones,
        and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.
    18   With great force my garment is disfigured;
        it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
    19   GodHebrew He">4 has cast me into the mire,
        and I have become like dust and ashes.
    20   I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
        I stand, and you only look at me.
    21   You have turned cruel to me;
        with the might of your hand you persecute me.
    22   You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
        and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
    23   For I know that you will bring me to death
        and to the house appointed for all living.
    24   “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
        and in his disaster cry for help?The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain">5
    25   Did not I weep for him whose day was hard?
        Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
    26   But when I hoped for good, evil came,
        and when I waited for light, darkness came.
    27   My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
        days of affliction come to meet me.
    28   I go about darkened, but not by the sun;
        I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
    29   I am a brother of jackals
        and a companion of ostriches.
    30   My skin turns black and falls from me,
        and my bones burn with heat.
    31   My lyre is turned to mourning,
        and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.

    Footnotes

    [1] 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days


    [2] 30:4 Or warmth

    [3] 30:11 Hebrew the bridle

    [4] 30:19 Hebrew He

    [5] 30:24 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 56
    Psalm 56 (Listen)
    In God I Trust
    To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A MiktamProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

    56   Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
        all day long an attacker oppresses me;
    2   my enemies trample on me all day long,
        for many attack me proudly.
    3   When I am afraid,
        I put my trust in you.
    4   In God, whose word I praise,
        in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
        What can flesh do to me?
    5   All day long they injure my cause;Or they twist my words">2
        all their thoughts are against me for evil.
    6   They stir up strife, they lurk;
        they watch my steps,
        as they have waited for my life.
    7   For their crime will they escape?
        In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
    8   You have kept count of my tossings;Or wanderings">3
        put my tears in your bottle.
        Are they not in your book?
    9   Then my enemies will turn back
        in the day when I call.
        This I know, thatOr because">4 God is for me.
    10   In God, whose word I praise,
        in the LORD, whose word I praise,
    11   in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
        What can man do to me?
    12   I must perform my vows to you, O God;
        I will render thank offerings to you.
    13   For you have delivered my soul from death,
        yes, my feet from falling,
      that I may walk before God
        in the light of life.

    Footnotes

    [1] 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 56:5 Or they twist my words

    [3] 56:8 Or wanderings

    [4] 56:9 Or because

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 20
    Luke 20 (Listen)
    The Authority of Jesus Challenged

    20 One day, as JesusGreek he">1 was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

    The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

    9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servantOr bondservant; also verse 11">2 to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

      “‘The stone that the builders rejected
        has become the cornerstone’?Greek the head of the corner">3

    18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

    Paying Taxes to Caesar

    19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,Greek and do not receive a face">4 but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius.A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer">5 Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” 25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

    Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

    27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the manGreek his brother">6 must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

    34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sonsGreek huioi; see Preface">7 of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” 39 Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

    Whose Son Is the Christ?

    41 But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David's son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

      “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
      “Sit at my right hand,
    43     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

    44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

    Beware of the Scribes

    45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 20:1 Greek he


    [2] 20:10 Or bondservant; also verse 11

    [3] 20:17 Greek the head of the corner

    [4] 20:21 Greek and do not receive a face

    [5] 20:24 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer

    [6] 20:28 Greek his brother

    [7] 20:36 Greek huioi; see Preface

    (ESV)

    13 min
  • August 29: Job 27–28; Psalm 55; Luke 19
    Old Testament:
    Job 27–28
    Job 27–28 (Listen)
    Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity

    27 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

    2   “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
        and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
    3   as long as my breath is in me,
        and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
    4   my lips will not speak falsehood,
        and my tongue will not utter deceit.
    5   Far be it from me to say that you are right;
        till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
    6   I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
        my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
    7   “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
        and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
    8   For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,
        when God takes away his life?
    9   Will God hear his cry
        when distress comes upon him?
    10   Will he take delight in the Almighty?
        Will he call upon God at all times?
    11   I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
        what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
    12   Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
        why then have you become altogether vain?
    13   “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
        and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
    14   If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
        and his descendants have not enough bread.
    15   Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
        and his widows do not weep.
    16   Though he heap up silver like dust,
        and pile up clothing like clay,
    17   he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
        and the innocent will divide the silver.
    18   He builds his house like a moth's,
        like a booth that a watchman makes.
    19   He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
        he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
    20   Terrors overtake him like a flood;
        in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
    21   The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
        it sweeps him out of his place.
    22   ItOr He (that is, God); also verse 23">1 hurls at him without pity;
        he flees from itsOr his; also verse 23">2 power in headlong flight.
    23   It claps its hands at him
        and hisses at him from its place.

    Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?

    28   “Surely there is a mine for silver,
        and a place for gold that they refine.
    2   Iron is taken out of the earth,
        and copper is smelted from the ore.
    3   Man puts an end to darkness
        and searches out to the farthest limit
        the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
    4   He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
        they are forgotten by travelers;
        they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
    5   As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
        but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
    6   Its stones are the place of sapphires,Or lapis lazuli; also verse 16">3
        and it has dust of gold.
    7   “That path no bird of prey knows,
        and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
    8   The proud beasts have not trodden it;
        the lion has not passed over it.
    9   “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
        and overturns mountains by the roots.
    10   He cuts out channels in the rocks,
        and his eye sees every precious thing.
    11   He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
        and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
    12   “But where shall wisdom be found?
        And where is the place of understanding?
    13   Man does not know its worth,
        and it is not found in the land of the living.
    14   The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
        and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
    15   It cannot be bought for gold,
        and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
    16   It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
        in precious onyx or sapphire.
    17   Gold and glass cannot equal it,
        nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
    18   No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
        the price of wisdom is above pearls.
    19   The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
        nor can it be valued in pure gold.
    20   “From where, then, does wisdom come?
        And where is the place of understanding?
    21   It is hidden from the eyes of all living
        and concealed from the birds of the air.
    22   Abaddon and Death say,
        ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
    23   “God understands the way to it,
        and he knows its place.
    24   For he looks to the ends of the earth
        and sees everything under the heavens.
    25   When he gave to the wind its weight
        and apportioned the waters by measure,
    26   when he made a decree for the rain
        and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
    27   then he saw it and declared it;
        he established it, and searched it out.
    28   And he said to man,
      ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
        and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

    Footnotes

    [1] 27:22 Or He (that is, God); also verse 23


    [2] 27:22 Or his; also verse 23

    [3] 28:6 Or lapis lazuli; also verse 16

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 55
    Psalm 55 (Listen)
    Cast Your Burden on the Lord
    To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A MaskilProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David.

    55   Give ear to my prayer, O God,
        and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
    2   Attend to me, and answer me;
        I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
    3   because of the noise of the enemy,
        because of the oppression of the wicked.
      For they drop trouble upon me,
        and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
    4   My heart is in anguish within me;
        the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
    5   Fear and trembling come upon me,
        and horror overwhelms me.
    6   And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
        I would fly away and be at rest;
    7   yes, I would wander far away;
        I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
    8   I would hurry to find a shelter
        from the raging wind and tempest.”
    9   Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
        for I see violence and strife in the city.
    10   Day and night they go around it
        on its walls,
      and iniquity and trouble are within it;
    11     ruin is in its midst;
      oppression and fraud
        do not depart from its marketplace.
    12   For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
        then I could bear it;
      it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
        then I could hide from him.
    13   But it is you, a man, my equal,
        my companion, my familiar friend.
    14   We used to take sweet counsel together;
        within God's house we walked in the throng.
    15   Let death steal over them;
        let them go down to Sheol alive;
        for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
    16   But I call to God,
        and the LORD will save me.
    17   Evening and morning and at noon
        I utter my complaint and moan,
        and he hears my voice.
    18   He redeems my soul in safety
        from the battle that I wage,
        for many are arrayed against me.
    19   God will give ear and humble them,
        he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
      because they do not change
        and do not fear God.
    20   My companionHebrew He">2 stretched out his hand against his friends;
        he violated his covenant.
    21   His speech was smooth as butter,
        yet war was in his heart;
      his words were softer than oil,
        yet they were drawn swords.
    22   Cast your burden on the LORD,
        and he will sustain you;
      he will never permit
        the righteous to be moved.
    23   But you, O God, will cast them down
        into the pit of destruction;
      men of blood and treachery
        shall not live out half their days.
      But I will trust in you.

    Footnotes

    [1] 55:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 55:20 Hebrew He

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 19
    Luke 19 (Listen)
    Jesus and Zacchaeus

    19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

    The Parable of the Ten Minas

    11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants,Or bondservants; also verse 15">1 he gave them ten minas,A mina was about three months' wages for a laborer">2 and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant!Or bondservant; also verse 22">3 Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

    The Triumphal Entry

    28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

    Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

    41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

    Jesus Cleanses the Temple

    45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

    47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

    Footnotes

    [1] 19:13 Or bondservants; also verse 15


    [2] 19:13 A mina was about three months' wages for a laborer

    [3] 19:17 Or bondservant; also verse 22

    (ESV)

    14 min
  • August 28: Job 24–26; Psalm 54; Luke 18
    Old Testament:
    Job 24–26
    Job 24–26 (Listen)

    24   “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,
        and why do those who know him never see his days?
    2   Some move landmarks;
        they seize flocks and pasture them.
    3   They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
        they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
    4   They thrust the poor off the road;
        the poor of the earth all hide themselves.
    5   Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
        the poorHebrew they">1 go out to their toil, seeking game;
        the wasteland yields food for their children.
    6   They gather theirHebrew his">2 fodder in the field,
        and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
    7   They lie all night naked, without clothing,
        and have no covering in the cold.
    8   They are wet with the rain of the mountains
        and cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
    9   (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
        and they take a pledge against the poor.)
    10   They go about naked, without clothing;
        hungry, they carry the sheaves;
    11   among the olive rows of the wickedHebrew their olive rows">3 they make oil;
        they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
    12   From out of the city the dyingOr the men">4 groan,
        and the soul of the wounded cries for help;
        yet God charges no one with wrong.
    13   “There are those who rebel against the light,
        who are not acquainted with its ways,
        and do not stay in its paths.
    14   The murderer rises before it is light,
        that he may kill the poor and needy,
        and in the night he is like a thief.
    15   The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
        saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
        and he veils his face.
    16   In the dark they dig through houses;
        by day they shut themselves up;
        they do not know the light.
    17   For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
        for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
    18   “You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
        their portion is cursed in the land;
        no treader turns toward their vineyards.
    19   Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
        so does Sheol those who have sinned.
    20   The womb forgets them;
        the worm finds them sweet;
      they are no longer remembered,
        so wickedness is broken like a tree.’
    21   “They wrong the barren, childless woman,
        and do no good to the widow.
    22   Yet GodHebrew he">5 prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
        they rise up when they despair of life.
    23   He gives them security, and they are supported,
        and his eyes are upon their ways.
    24   They are exalted a little while, and then are gone;
        they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
        they are cut off like the heads of grain.
    25   If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
        and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

    Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

    25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

    2   “Dominion and fear are with God;Hebrew him">6
        he makes peace in his high heaven.
    3   Is there any number to his armies?
        Upon whom does his light not arise?
    4   How then can man be in the right before God?
        How can he who is born of woman be pure?
    5   Behold, even the moon is not bright,
        and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
    6   how much less man, who is a maggot,
        and the son of man, who is a worm!”

    Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable

    26 Then Job answered and said:

    2   “How you have helped him who has no power!
        How you have saved the arm that has no strength!
    3   How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,
        and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
    4   With whose help have you uttered words,
        and whose breath has come out from you?
    5   The dead tremble
        under the waters and their inhabitants.
    6   Sheol is naked before God,Hebrew him">7
        and Abaddon has no covering.
    7   He stretches out the north over the void
        and hangs the earth on nothing.
    8   He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
        and the cloud is not split open under them.
    9   He covers the face of the full moonOr his throne">8
        and spreads over it his cloud.
    10   He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters
        at the boundary between light and darkness.
    11   The pillars of heaven tremble
        and are astounded at his rebuke.
    12   By his power he stilled the sea;
        by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
    13   By his wind the heavens were made fair;
        his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
    14   Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
        and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
        But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

    Footnotes

    [1] 24:5 Hebrew they


    [2] 24:6 Hebrew his

    [3] 24:11 Hebrew their olive rows

    [4] 24:12 Or the men

    [5] 24:22 Hebrew he

    [6] 25:2 Hebrew him

    [7] 26:6 Hebrew him

    [8] 26:9 Or his throne

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 54
    Psalm 54 (Listen)
    The Lord Upholds My Life
    To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A MaskilProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

    54   O God, save me by your name,
        and vindicate me by your might.
    2   O God, hear my prayer;
        give ear to the words of my mouth.
    3   For strangersSome Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)">2 have risen against me;
        ruthless men seek my life;
        they do not set God before themselves. Selah
    4   Behold, God is my helper;
        the Lord is the upholder of my life.
    5   He will return the evil to my enemies;
        in your faithfulness put an end to them.
    6   With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
        I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
    7   For he has delivered me from every trouble,
        and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

    Footnotes

    [1] 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 54:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 18
    Luke 18 (Listen)
    The Parable of the Persistent Widow

    18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

    The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

    9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayedOr standing, prayed to himself">1 thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

    Let the Children Come to Me

    15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

    The Rich Ruler

    18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothersOr wife or brothers and sisters">2 or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

    Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

    31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

    Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

    35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

    Footnotes

    [1] 18:11 Or standing, prayed to himself


    [2] 18:29 Or wife or brothers and sisters

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • August 27: Job 22–23; Psalm 53; Luke 17
    Old Testament:
    Job 22–23
    Job 22–23 (Listen)
    Eliphaz Speaks: Job's Wickedness Is Great

    22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

    2   “Can a man be profitable to God?
        Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
    3   Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
        or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
    4   Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
        and enters into judgment with you?
    5   Is not your evil abundant?
        There is no end to your iniquities.
    6   For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
        and stripped the naked of their clothing.
    7   You have given no water to the weary to drink,
        and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
    8   The man with power possessed the land,
        and the favored man lived in it.
    9   You have sent widows away empty,
        and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
    10   Therefore snares are all around you,
        and sudden terror overwhelms you,
    11   or darkness, so that you cannot see,
        and a flood of water covers you.
    12   “Is not God high in the heavens?
        See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
    13   But you say, ‘What does God know?
        Can he judge through the deep darkness?
    14   Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
        and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
    15   Will you keep to the old way
        that wicked men have trod?
    16   They were snatched away before their time;
        their foundation was washed away.Or their foundation was poured out as a stream (or river)">1
    17   They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’
        and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’Hebrew them">2
    18   Yet he filled their houses with good things—
        but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
    19   The righteous see it and are glad;
        the innocent one mocks at them,
    20   saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
        and what they left the fire has consumed.’
    21   “Agree with God, and be at peace;
        thereby good will come to you.
    22   Receive instruction from his mouth,
        and lay up his words in your heart.
    23   If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
        if you remove injustice far from your tents,
    24   if you lay gold in the dust,
        and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
    25   then the Almighty will be your gold
        and your precious silver.
    26   For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
        and lift up your face to God.
    27   You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
        and you will pay your vows.
    28   You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
        and light will shine on your ways.
    29   For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’">3
        but he saves the lowly.
    30   He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
        who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

    Job Replies: Where Is God?

    23 Then Job answered and said:

    2   “Today also my complaint is bitter;Or defiant">4
        my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
    3   Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
        that I might come even to his seat!
    4   I would lay my case before him
        and fill my mouth with arguments.
    5   I would know what he would answer me
        and understand what he would say to me.
    6   Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
        No; he would pay attention to me.
    7   There an upright man could argue with him,
        and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
    8   “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
        and backward, but I do not perceive him;
    9   on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
        he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
    10   But he knows the way that I take;
        when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
    11   My foot has held fast to his steps;
        I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
    12   I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
        I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
    13   But he is unchangeable,Or one">5 and who can turn him back?
        What he desires, that he does.
    14   For he will complete what he appoints for me,
        and many such things are in his mind.
    15   Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
        when I consider, I am in dread of him.
    16   God has made my heart faint;
        the Almighty has terrified me;
    17   yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
        nor because thick darkness covers my face.

    Footnotes

    [1] 22:16 Or their foundation was poured out as a stream (or river)


    [2] 22:17 Hebrew them

    [3] 22:29 Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’

    [4] 23:2 Or defiant

    [5] 23:13 Or one

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 53
    Psalm 53 (Listen)
    There Is None Who Does Good
    To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A MaskilProbably musical or liturgical terms">1 of David.

    53   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
        They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
        there is none who does good.
    2   God looks down from heaven
        on the children of man
      to see if there are any who understand,Or who act wisely">2
        who seek after God.
    3   They have all fallen away;
        together they have become corrupt;
      there is none who does good,
        not even one.
    4   Have those who work evil no knowledge,
        who eat up my people as they eat bread,
        and do not call upon God?
    5   There they are, in great terror,
        where there is no terror!
      For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
        you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
    6   Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
        When God restores the fortunes of his people,
        let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

    Footnotes

    [1] 53:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms


    [2] 53:2 Or who act wisely

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 17
    Luke 17 (Listen)
    Temptations to Sin

    17 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sinGreek Stumbling blocks">1 are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.Greek stumble">2 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

    Increase Our Faith

    5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

    Unworthy Servants

    7 “Will any one of you who has a servantOr bondservant; also verse 9">3 plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly,Greek gird yourself">4 and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;Or bondservants">5 we have only done what was our duty.’”

    Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

    11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13">6 who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”Or has saved you">7

    The Coming of the Kingdom

    20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”Or within you, or within your grasp">8

    22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.Some manuscripts omit in his day">9 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”Some manuscripts add verse 36: Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left">10 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpseGreek body">11 is, there the vulturesOr eagles">12 will gather.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 17:1 Greek Stumbling blocks


    [2] 17:2 Greek stumble

    [3] 17:7 Or bondservant; also verse 9

    [4] 17:8 Greek gird yourself

    [5] 17:10 Or bondservants

    [6] 17:12 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13

    [7] 17:19 Or has saved you

    [8] 17:21 Or within you, or within your grasp

    [9] 17:24 Some manuscripts omit in his day

    [10] 17:35 Some manuscripts add verse 36: Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left

    [11] 17:37 Greek body

    [12] 17:37 Or eagles

    (ESV)

    10 min
  • August 26: Job 20–21; Psalm 52; Luke 16
    Old Testament:
    Job 20–21
    Job 20–21 (Listen)
    Zophar Speaks: The Wicked Will Suffer

    20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

    2   “Therefore my thoughts answer me,
        because of my haste within me.
    3   I hear censure that insults me,
        and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.
    4   Do you not know this from of old,
        since man was placed on earth,
    5   that the exulting of the wicked is short,
        and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
    6   Though his height mount up to the heavens,
        and his head reach to the clouds,
    7   he will perish forever like his own dung;
        those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
    8   He will fly away like a dream and not be found;
        he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
    9   The eye that saw him will see him no more,
        nor will his place any more behold him.
    10   His children will seek the favor of the poor,
        and his hands will give back his wealth.
    11   His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
        but it will lie down with him in the dust.
    12   “Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
        though he hides it under his tongue,
    13   though he is loath to let it go
        and holds it in his mouth,
    14   yet his food is turned in his stomach;
        it is the venom of cobras within him.
    15   He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;
        God casts them out of his belly.
    16   He will suck the poison of cobras;
        the tongue of a viper will kill him.
    17   He will not look upon the rivers,
        the streams flowing with honey and curds.
    18   He will give back the fruit of his toil
        and will not swallow it down;
      from the profit of his trading
        he will get no enjoyment.
    19   For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
        he has seized a house that he did not build.
    20   “Because he knew no contentment in his belly,
        he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
    21   There was nothing left after he had eaten;
        therefore his prosperity will not endure.
    22   In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;
        the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
    23   To fill his belly to the full,
        GodHebrew he">1 will send his burning anger against him
        and rain it upon him into his body.
    24   He will flee from an iron weapon;
        a bronze arrow will strike him through.
    25   It is drawn forth and comes out of his body;
        the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder;
        terrors come upon him.
    26   Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
        a fire not fanned will devour him;
        what is left in his tent will be consumed.
    27   The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
        and the earth will rise up against him.
    28   The possessions of his house will be carried away,
        dragged off in the day of God'sHebrew his">2 wrath.
    29   This is the wicked man's portion from God,
        the heritage decreed for him by God.”

    Job Replies: The Wicked Do Prosper

    21 Then Job answered and said:

    2   “Keep listening to my words,
        and let this be your comfort.
    3   Bear with me, and I will speak,
        and after I have spoken, mock on.
    4   As for me, is my complaint against man?
        Why should I not be impatient?
    5   Look at me and be appalled,
        and lay your hand over your mouth.
    6   When I remember, I am dismayed,
        and shuddering seizes my flesh.
    7   Why do the wicked live,
        reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
    8   Their offspring are established in their presence,
        and their descendants before their eyes.
    9   Their houses are safe from fear,
        and no rod of God is upon them.
    10   Their bull breeds without fail;
        their cow calves and does not miscarry.
    11   They send out their little boys like a flock,
        and their children dance.
    12   They sing to the tambourine and the lyre
        and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
    13   They spend their days in prosperity,
        and in peace they go down to Sheol.
    14   They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
        We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
    15   What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
        And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’
    16   Behold, is not their prosperity 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 upon them?
        That GodHebrew he">3 distributes pains in his anger?
    18   That they are like straw before the wind,
        and like chaff that the storm carries away?
    19   You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their children.’
        Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it.
    20   Let their own eyes see their destruction,
        and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
    21   For what do they care for their houses after them,
        when the number of their months is cut off?
    22   Will any teach God knowledge,
        seeing that he judges those who are on high?
    23   One dies in his full vigor,
        being wholly at ease and secure,
    24   his pailsThe meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain">4 full of milk
        and the marrow of his bones moist.
    25   Another dies in bitterness of soul,
        never having tasted of prosperity.
    26   They lie down alike in the dust,
        and the worms cover them.
    27   “Behold, I know your thoughts
        and your schemes to wrong me.
    28   For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince?
        Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?’
    29   Have you not asked those who travel the roads,
        and do you not accept their testimony
    30   that the evil man is spared in the day of calamity,
        that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
    31   Who declares his way to his face,
        and who repays him for what he has done?
    32   When he is carried to the grave,
        watch is kept over his tomb.
    33   The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
        all mankind follows after him,
        and those who go before him are innumerable.
    34   How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?
        There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 20:23 Hebrew he


    [2] 20:28 Hebrew his

    [3] 21:17 Hebrew he

    [4] 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

    (ESV)

    Psalm:
    Psalm 52
    Psalm 52 (Listen)
    The Steadfast Love of God Endures
    To the choirmaster. A MaskilProbably a musical or liturgical term">1 of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

    52   Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
        The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
    2   Your tongue plots destruction,
        like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
    3   You love evil more than good,
        and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
    4   You love all words that devour,
        O deceitful tongue.
    5   But God will break you down forever;
        he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
        he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
    6   The righteous shall see and fear,
        and shall laugh at him, saying,
    7   “See the man who would not make
        God his refuge,
      but trusted in the abundance of his riches
        and sought refuge in his own destruction!”Or in his work of destruction">2
    8   But I am like a green olive tree
        in the house of God.
      I trust in the steadfast love of God
        forever and ever.
    9   I will thank you forever,
        because you have done it.
      I will wait for your name, for it is good,
        in the presence of the godly.

    Footnotes

    [1] 52:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term


    [2] 52:7 Or in his work of destruction

    (ESV)

    New Testament:
    Luke 16
    Luke 16 (Listen)
    The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

    16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measuresAbout 875 gallons or 3,200 liters">1 of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measuresBetween 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters">2 of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this worldGreek age">3 are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13">4 so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

    10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

    The Law and the Kingdom of God

    14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

    16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.Or everyone is forcefully urged into it">5 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

    Divorce and Remarriage

    18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

    The Rich Man and Lazarus

    19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side.Greek bosom; also verse 23">6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

    Footnotes

    [1] 16:6 About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters


    [2] 16:7 Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters

    [3] 16:8 Greek age

    [4] 16:9 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13

    [5] 16:16 Or everyone is forcefully urged into it

    [6] 16:22 Greek bosom; also verse 23

    (ESV)

    12 min

About Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Ray Ortlund

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Listen to the ESV Bible in 365 days with bestselling author Ray Ortlund. Each daily podcast includes one Old Testament reading, one New Testament reading, and one reading from the Psalms. Over the…

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