Job 20–21
Zophar Speaks: The Wicked Will Suffer
1Then cZophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2“Therefore my dthoughts answer me,
because of my haste within me.
3I hear censure that insults me,
and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.
4Do you not know this from of old,
esince man was placed on earth,
5fthat the exulting of the wicked is short,
and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
6gThough his height mount up to the heavens,
and his head reach to the clouds,
7he will perish forever like his own hdung;
those who have seen him will say, i‘Where is he?’
8He will fly away like ja dream and not be found;
he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
9kThe eye that saw him will see him no more,
nor will his place any more behold him.
10His children will seek the favor of the poor,
and his hands will lgive back his wealth.
11His bones are full of his myouthful vigor,
but it will lie ndown with him in the dust.
12“Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
though he hides it ounder his tongue,
13though he is loath to let it go
and holds it in his mouth,
14yet his food is turned in his stomach;
it is the venom of pcobras within him.
15He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;
God casts them out of his belly.
16He will suck the poison of cobras;
qthe tongue of a viper will kill him.
17He will not look upon rthe rivers,
the streams flowing with shoney and tcurds.
18He will ugive back the fruit of his toil
and will not vswallow it down;
from the profit of his trading
he will get no enjoyment.
19For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
he has seized a house that he did not build.
20“Because he wknew no xcontentment in his belly,
yhe will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
21There was nothing left after he had eaten;
therefore his prosperity will not endure.
22In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;
the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
23To fill his belly to the full,
God1 will send his burning anger against him
and rain it upon him zinto his body.
24aHe will flee from an iron weapon;
ba bronze arrow will strike chim through.
25It dis drawn forth and comes out of his body;
ethe glittering point comes out of his fgallbladder;
gterrors come upon him.
26Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
ha fire not fanned will devour him;
what is left in his tent will be consumed.
27iThe heavens will reveal his iniquity,
and the earth will rise up against him.
28The possessions of his house will be carried away,
dragged off in the day of God’s2 wrath.
29jThis is the wicked man’s portion from God,
jthe heritage decreed for him by God.”
Job Replies: The Wicked Do Prosper
1Then Job answered and said:
2k“Keep listening to my words,
and let this be your comfort.
3Bear with me, and I will speak,
and after I have spoken, lmock on.
4As for me, is my mcomplaint against man?
Why should I not be impatient?
5Look at me and be appalled,
and nlay your hand over your mouth.
6When I remember, I am dismayed,
and shuddering seizes my flesh.
7oWhy do the wicked live,
reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
8Their poffspring are established in their presence,
and their descendants before their eyes.
9Their houses are qsafe from fear,
and rno rod of God is upon them.
10Their bull breeds without fail;
their cow calves and sdoes not miscarry.
11They send out their tlittle boys like a flock,
and their children dance.
12They sing to uthe tambourine and vthe lyre
and rejoice to the sound of vthe pipe.
13They wspend their days in prosperity,
and in xpeace they go down to ySheol.
14They say to God, z‘Depart from us!
We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
15aWhat is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what bprofit do we get if we pray to him?’
16Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
cThe counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17“How often is it that dthe lamp of the wicked is put out?
That their calamity comes upon them?
That God3 distributes pains in his anger?
18That they are like estraw before the wind,
and like fchaff that the storm carries away?
19You say, ‘God gstores up their iniquity for their hchildren.’
Let him pay it out to them, that they may iknow it.
20Let their own eyes see their destruction,
and let them jdrink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21For what do they care for their houses after them,
when kthe number of their months is cut off?
22lWill any teach God knowledge,
seeing that he mjudges those who are on high?
23One dies in his full vigor,
being wholly at ease and secure,
24his pails4 full of milk
and nthe marrow of his bones moist.
25Another dies in obitterness of soul,
never having tasted of prosperity.
26They plie down alike in the dust,
and qthe worms cover them.
27“Behold, I know your thoughts
and your schemes to wrong me.
28For you say, r‘Where is the house of the prince?
Where is sthe tent in which the wicked lived?’
29Have you not asked those who travel the roads,
and do you not accept their testimony
30that tthe evil man is spared in the day of calamity,
that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
31Who declares his way uto his face,
and who vrepays him for what he has done?
32When he is wcarried to the grave,
watch is kept over his tomb.
33xThe clods of the valley are sweet to him;
yall mankind follows after him,
and those who go before him are innumerable.
34How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?
There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”
Colossians 1
Greeting
1Paul, aan apostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God, and Timothy cour brother,
2To the dsaints and faithful brothers1 in Christ at Colossae:
eGrace to you and peace from God our Father.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3fWe always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of gyour faith in Christ Jesus and of gthe love that you have for all the saints, 5because of hthe hope ilaid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in jthe word of the truth, the gospel, 6which has come to you, as indeed kin the whole world it is lbearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you mheard it and understood nthe grace of God in truth, 7just as you learned it from oEpaphras our beloved pfellow servant.2 He is pa faithful minister of Christ on your3 behalf 8and has made known to us your qlove in the Spirit.
9And so, rfrom the day we heard, swe have not ceased to pray for you, asking that tyou may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all uspiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as vto walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, wfully pleasing to him: xbearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11ybeing strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for zall endurance and patience awith joy; 12bgiving thanks4 to the Father, who has qualified you5 to share in cthe inheritance of the saints in light. 13He dhas delivered us from ethe domain of darkness and transferred us to fthe kingdom of ghis beloved Son, 14hin whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Preeminence of Christ
15iHe is the image of jthe invisible God, kthe firstborn of all creation. 16For by6 him all things were created, lin heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether mthrones or ndominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created othrough him and for him. 17And phe is before all things, and in him all things qhold together. 18And rhe is the head of the body, the church. He is sthe beginning, tthe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For uin him all the vfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and wthrough him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, xmaking peace yby the blood of his cross.
21zAnd you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, adoing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled bin his body of flesh by his death, cin order to present you holy and blameless and dabove reproach before him, 23eif indeed you continue in the faith, fstable and steadfast, not shifting from gthe hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed hin all creation7 under heaven, iand of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul’s Ministry to the Church
24Now jI rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh kI am filling up lwhat is lacking in Christ’s afflictions mfor the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25nof which I became a minister according to othe stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26pthe mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27qTo them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are rthe riches of the glory of pthis mystery, which is Christ in you, sthe hope of glory. 28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that twe may present everyone umature in Christ. 29For this vI toil, wstruggling xwith all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
