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Job 37-39:30 (Contemporary English Version)
Job 37
Elihu Continues
I Am Frightened
1I am frightened
and tremble all over,
2when I hear the roaring voice
of God in the thunder,
3and when I see his lightning
flash across the sky.
4God's majestic voice
thunders his commands, [a]
5creating miracles too marvelous
for us to understand.
6Snow and heavy rainstorms
7make us stop and think
about God's power,
8and they force animals
to seek shelter.
9The windstorms of winter strike,
10and the breath of God
freezes streams and rivers.
11Rain clouds filled with lightning
appear at God's command,
12traveling across the sky
13to release their cargo--
sometimes as punishment for sin,
sometimes as kindness.
Consider Carefully
14Job, consider carefully
the many wonders of God.
15Can you explain why lightning
flashes
at the orders
16of God who knows all things?
Or how he hangs the clouds
in empty space?
17You almost melt in the heat
of fierce desert winds
when the sky is like brass.
18God can spread out the clouds
to get relief from the heat,
but can you?
19Tell us what to say to God!
Our minds are in the dark,
and we don't know how
to argue our case.
20Should I risk my life
by telling God
that I want to speak?
21No one can stare at the sun
after a breeze has blown
the clouds from the sky.
22Yet the glorious splendor
of God All-Powerful
is brighter by far.
23God cannot be seen--
but his power is great,
and he is always fair.
24And so we humans fear God,
because he shows no respect
for those who are proud
and think they know so much.
Job 38
The LORD Speaks
From Out of a Storm
1From out of a storm,
the LORD said to Job:
2Why do you talk so much
when you know so little?
3Now get ready to face me!
Can you answer
the questions I ask?
4How did I lay the foundation
for the earth?
Were you there?
5Doubtless you know who decided
its length and width.
6What supports the foundation?
Who placed the cornerstone,
7while morning stars sang,
and angels rejoiced?
8When the ocean was born,
I set its boundaries
9and wrapped it in blankets
of thickest fog.
10Then I built a wall around it,
locked the gates, 11and said,
"Your powerful waves stop here!
They can go no farther."
Did You Ever Tell the Sun To Rise?
12Did you ever tell the sun to rise?
And did it obey?
13Did it take hold of the earth
and shake out the wicked
like dust from a rug?
14Early dawn outlines the hills
like stitches on clothing
or sketches on clay.
15But its light is too much
for those who are evil,
and their power is broken.
16Job, have you ever walked
on the ocean floor?
17Have you seen the gate
to the world of the dead?
18And how large is the earth?
Tell me, if you know!
19Where is the home of light,
and where does darkness live?
20Can you lead them home?
21I'm certain you must be able to,
since you were already born
when I created everything.
22Have you been to the places
where I keep snow and hail,
23until I use them to punish
and conquer nations?
24From where does lightning leap,
or the east wind blow?
25Who carves out a path
for thunderstorms?
Who sends torrents of rain
26on empty deserts
where no one lives?
27Rain that changes barren land
to meadows green with grass.
28Who is the father of the dew
and of the rain?
29Who gives birth to the sleet
and the frost
30that fall in winter,
when streams and lakes
freeze solid as a rock?
Can You Arrange Stars?
31Can you arrange stars in groups
such as Orion
and the Pleiades?
32Do you control the stars
or set in place the Big Dipper
and the Little Dipper?
33Do you know the laws
that govern the heavens,
and can you make them rule
the earth?
34Can you order the clouds
to send a downpour,
35or will lightning flash
at your command?
36Did you teach birds to know
that rain or floods
are on their way? [b]
37Can you count the clouds
or pour out their water
38on the dry, lumpy soil?
39When lions are hungry,
do you help them hunt?
40Do you send an animal
into their den?
41And when starving young ravens
cry out to me for food,
do you satisfy their hunger?
Job 39
The LORD Continues
When Do Mountain Goats Give Birth?
1When do mountain goats
and deer give birth?
Have you been there
when their young are born?
2How long are they pregnant
3before they deliver?
4Soon their young grow strong
and then leave
to be on their own.
5Who set wild donkeys free?
6I alone help them survive
in salty desert sand.
7They stay far from crowded cities
and refuse to be tamed.
8Instead, they roam the hills,
searching for pastureland.
9Would a wild ox agree
to live in your barn
and labor for you?
10Could you force him to plow
or to drag a heavy log
to smooth out the soil?
11Can you depend on him
to use his great strength
and do your heavy work?
12Can you trust him
to harvest your grain
or take it to your barn
from the threshing place?
An Ostrich Proudly Flaps Her Wings
13An ostrich proudly
flaps her wings,
but not because
she loves her young.
14She abandons her eggs
and lets the dusty ground
keep them warm.
15And she doesn't seem to worry
that the feet of an animal
could crush them all.
16She treats her eggs as though
they were not her own,
unconcerned that her work
might be for nothing.
17I myself made her foolish
and without common sense.
18But once she starts running, [c]
she laughs at a rider
on the fastest horse.
Did You Give Horses Their Strength?
19Did you give horses their strength
and the flowing hair
along their necks?
20Did you make them able
to jump like grasshoppers
or to frighten people
with their snorting?
21Before horses are ridden
into battle,
they paw at the ground,
proud of their strength.
22Laughing at fear, they rush
toward the fighting,
23while the weapons of their riders
rattle and flash in the sun.
24Unable to stand still,
they gallop eagerly into battle
when trumpets blast.
25Stirred by the distant smells
and sounds of war,
they snort
in reply to the trumpet.
26Did you teach hawks to fly south
for the winter?
27Did you train eagles [d]
to build 28their nests on rocky cliffs,
29where they can look down
to spot their next meal?
30Then their young gather to feast
wherever the victim lies.
Footnotes:
Job 37:4 commands: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 4.
Job 38:36 way: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 36.
Job 39:18 starts running: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Job 39:27 eagles: Or "vultures."
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10 (Contemporary English Version)
13In the Scriptures it says, "I spoke because I had faith." We have that same kind of faith. So we speak 14because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together with you. 15All of this has been done for you, so that more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honor him.
Faith in the Lord
16We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. 17These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. 18Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That's why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.
2 Corinthians 5
1Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. 2While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. 3We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.
4These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. 5God is the one who makes all of this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain that he will do it. 6So always be cheerful!
As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. 7But we live by faith, not by what we see. 8We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord. 9But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him. 10After all, Christ will judge each of us for the good or the bad that we do while living in these bodies.
Psalm 44:9-26 (Contemporary English Version)
9But now you have rejected us;
you don't lead us into battle,
and we look foolish.
10You made us retreat,
and our enemies have taken
everything we own.
11You let us be slaughtered
like sheep,
and you scattered us
among the nations.
12You sold your people
for little or nothing,
and you earned no profit.
13You made us look foolish
to our neighbors,
and people who live nearby
insult us and sneer.
14Foreigners joke about us
and shake their heads.
15I am embarrassed every day,
and I blush with shame.
16But others mock and sneer,
as they watch my enemies
take revenge on me.
17All of this has happened to us,
though we didn't forget you
or break our agreement.
18We always kept you in mind
and followed your teaching.
19But you crushed us,
and you covered us
with deepest darkness
where wild animals live.
20We did not forget you
or lift our hands in prayer
to foreign gods.
21You would have known it
because you discover
every secret thought.
22We face death all day for you.
We are like sheep on their way
to be slaughtered.
23Wake up! Do something, Lord!
Why are you sleeping?
Don't desert us forever.
24Why do you keep looking away?
Don't forget our sufferings
and all of our troubles.
25We are flat on the ground,
holding on to the dust.
26Do something! Help us!
Show how kind you are
and come to our rescue.
Proverbs 22:13 (Contemporary English Version)
13Don't be so lazy that you say,
"If I go to work,
a lion will eat me!"
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