Bible Readings for August 24, 2017

Today our passages are Job 12:1–15:35; 1 Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 39:1-13; and Proverbs 21:30-31. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Job 12-15:35 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 12

Job's Reply to Zophar

You Think You Are So Great

 ¹Job said to his friends:     ²You think you are so great,
   with all the answers.
    ³But I know as much as you do,
   and so does everyone else.
    ⁴I have always lived right,
   and God answered my prayers;
   now friends make fun of me.
    ⁵It's easy to condemn
   those who are suffering,
   when you have no troubles.
    ⁶Robbers and other godless people
   live safely at home
   and say,
   "God is in our hands!" ^[a]

If You Want To Learn

 ⁷If you want to learn,    then go and ask
   the wild animals and the birds,
    ⁸the flowers and the fish.
    ⁹Any of them can tell you
   what the LORD has done. ^[b] ¹⁰Every living creature
   is in the hands of God.
    ¹¹We hear with our ears,
   taste with our tongues,
    ¹²and gain some wisdom from those
   who have lived a long time.
    ¹³But God is the real source
   of wisdom and strength.
    ¹⁴No one can rebuild
   what he destroys,
   or release
   those he has imprisoned.
    ¹⁵God can hold back the rain
   or send a flood,
    ¹⁶just as he rules over liars
   and those they lie to.
    ¹⁷God destroys counselors,
   turns judges into fools,
    ¹⁸and makes slaves of kings.
    ¹⁹God removes priests and others
   who have great power--
    ²⁰he confuses wise,
   experienced advisors,
    ²¹puts mighty kings to shame,
   and takes away their power.
    ²²God turns darkness to light;
    ²³he makes nations strong,
   then shatters their strength.
    ²⁴God strikes their rulers senseless,
   then leaves them to roam
   through barren deserts,
    ²⁵lost in the dark, staggering
   like someone drunk.
   

Job 13

Job Continues

I Know and Understand

 ¹I know and understand    every bit of this.
    ²None of you are smarter
   than I am;
   there's nothing you know
   that I don't.
    ³But I prefer to argue my case
   with God All-Powerful--
    ⁴you are merely useless doctors,
   who treat me with lies.
    ⁵The wisest thing you can do
   is to keep quiet
    ⁶and listen
   to my argument.
    ⁷Are you telling lies for God
    ⁸and not telling the whole truth
   when you argue his case?
    ⁹If he took you to court,
   could you fool him,
   just as you fool others?
    ¹⁰If you were secretly unfair,
   he would correct you,
    ¹¹and his glorious splendor
   would make you terrified.
    ¹²Your wisdom and arguments
   are as delicate as dust.
   

Be Quiet While I Speak

 ¹³Be quiet while I speak,    then say what you will.
    ¹⁴I will be responsible
   for what happens to me.
    ¹⁵God may kill me, but still
   I will trust him ^[c] and offer my defense.
    ¹⁶This may be what saves me,
   because no guilty person
   would come to his court.
    ¹⁷Listen carefully to my words!
    ¹⁸I have prepared my case well,
   and I am certain to win.
    ¹⁹If you can prove me guilty,
   I will give up and die.
   

Job Prays

I Ask Only Two Things

 ²⁰I ask only two things    of you, my God,
   and I will no longer
   hide from you--
    ²¹stop punishing
   and terrifying me!
    ²²Then speak, and I will reply;
   or else let me speak,
   and you reply.
    ²³Please point out my sins,
   so I will know them.
    ²⁴Why have you turned your back
   and count me your enemy?
    ²⁵Do you really enjoy
   frightening a fallen leaf?
    ²⁶Why do you accuse me
   of horrible crimes
   and make me pay for sins
   I did in my youth?
    ²⁷You have tied my feet down
   and keep me surrounded;
    ²⁸I am rotting away like cloth
   eaten by worms.
   

Job 14

Job Continues his Prayer

Life Is Short and Sorrowful

 ¹Life is short and sorrowful    for every living soul.
    ²We are flowers that fade
   and shadows that vanish.
    ³And so, I ask you, God,
   why pick on me?
    ⁴There's no way a human
   can be completely pure.
    ⁵Our time on earth is brief;
   the number of our days
   is already decided by you.
    ⁶Why don't you leave us alone
   and let us find some happiness
   while we toil and labor?
   

When a Tree Is Chopped Down

 ⁷When a tree is chopped down,    there is always the hope
   that it will sprout again.
    ⁸Its roots and stump may rot,
    ⁹but at the touch of water,
   fresh twigs shoot up.
    ¹⁰Humans are different--
   we die, and that's the end.
    ¹¹We are like streams and lakes
   after the water has gone;
    ¹²we fall into the sleep of death,
   never to rise again,
   until the sky disappears.
    ¹³Please hide me, God,
   deep in the ground--
   and when you are angry no more,
   remember to rescue me.
   

Will We Humans Live Again?

 ¹⁴Will we humans live again?    I would gladly suffer
   and wait for my time.
    ¹⁵My Creator, you would want me;
   you would call out,
   and I would answer.
    ¹⁶You would take care of me,
   but not count my sins--
    ¹⁷you would put them in a bag,
   tie it tight,
   and toss them away.
    ¹⁸But in the real world,
   mountains tumble,
   and rocks crumble;
    ¹⁹streams wear away stones
   and wash away soil.
   And you destroy our hopes!
    ²⁰You change the way we look,
   then send us away,
   wiped out forever.
    ²¹We never live to know
   if our children are praised
   or disgraced.
    ²²We feel no pain but our own,
   and when we mourn,
   it's only for ourselves.
   

Job 15

Eliphaz's Second Speech

If You Had Any Sense

 ¹Eliphaz from Teman ^[d] said: ²Job, if you had any sense,     ³you would stop spreading
   all of this hot air.
    ⁴Your words are enough
   to make others turn from God
   and lead them to doubt.
    ⁵And your sinful, scheming mind
   is the source of all you say.
    ⁶I am not here as your judge;
   your own words are witnesses
   against you.
    ⁷Were you the first human?
   Are you older than the hills?
    ⁸Have you ever been present
   when God's council ^[e] meets? Do you alone have wisdom?
    ⁹Do you know and understand
   something we don't?
    ¹⁰We have the benefit of wisdom
   older than your father.
    ¹¹And you have been offered
   comforting words from God.
   Isn't this enough?
    ¹²Your emotions are out of control,
   making you look fierce;
    ¹³that's why you attack God
   with everything you say.
    ¹⁴No human is pure and innocent,
    ¹⁵and neither are angels--
   not in the sight of God.
   If God doesn't trust his angels,
    ¹⁶what chance do humans have?
   We are so terribly evil
   that we thirst for sin.
   

Just Listen to What I Know

 ¹⁷Just listen to what I know,    and you will learn
    ¹⁸wisdom known by others
   since ancient times.
    ¹⁹Those who gained such insights
   also gained the land,
   and they were not influenced
   by foreign teachings.
    ²⁰But suffering is in store
   each day for those who sin.
    ²¹Even in times of success,
   they constantly hear
   the threat of doom.
    ²²Darkness, despair, and death
   are their destiny.
    ²³They scrounge around for food,
   all the while dreading
   the approaching darkness.
    ²⁴They are overcome with despair,
   like a terrified king
   about to go into battle.
    ²⁵This is because they rebelled
   against God All-Powerful
    ²⁶and have attacked him
   with their weapons.
    ²⁷They may be rich and fat,
    ²⁸but they will live in the ruins
   of deserted towns.
    ²⁹Their property and wealth
   will shrink and disappear.
    ³⁰They won't escape the darkness,
   and the blazing breath of God
   will set their future aflame.
    ³¹They have put their trust
   in something worthless;
   now they will become worthless
    ³²like a date palm tree
   without a leaf. ^[f] ³³Or like vineyards or orchards
   whose blossoms and unripe fruit
   drop to the ground.
    ³⁴Yes, the godless and the greedy
   will have nothing but flames
   feasting on their homes,
    ³⁵because they are the parents
   of trouble and vicious lies.
   

Footnotes:

1. Job 12:6 God is in our hands: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Job 12:9 Any. . . done: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Job 13:15 God. . . trust him: Or "God will surely kill me; I have lost all hope."
4. Job 15:1 Teman: See the note at 2.11.
5. Job 15:8 God's council: The angels and others who gather to discuss matters with God (see 1.6; 2.1).
6. Job 15:32 leaf: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of Verse 32.

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1 Corinthians 15:29-58 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁹If the dead are not going to be raised to life, what will people do who are being baptized for them? Why are they being baptized for those dead people? ³⁰And why do we always risk our lives ³¹and face death every day? The pride that I have in you because of Christ Jesus our Lord is what makes me say this. ³²What do you think I gained by fighting wild animals in Ephesus? If the dead are not raised to life,
   "Let's eat and drink.
   Tomorrow we die."
    ³³Don't fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you. ³⁴Be sensible and stop sinning. You should be embarrassed that some people still don't know about God.
   

What Our Bodies Will Be Like

 ³⁵Some of you have asked, "How will the dead be raised to life? What kind of bodies will they have?" ³⁶Don't be foolish. A seed must die before it can sprout from the ground. ³⁷Wheat seeds and all other seeds look different from the sprouts that come up. ³⁸This is because God gives everything the kind of body he wants it to have. ³⁹People, animals, birds, and fish are each made of flesh, but none of them are alike. ⁴⁰Everything in the heavens has a body, and so does everything on earth. But each one is very different from all the others. ⁴¹The sun isn't like the moon, the moon isn't like the stars, and each star is different.     ⁴²That's how it will be when our bodies are raised to life. These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever. ⁴³These ugly and weak bodies will become beautiful and strong. ⁴⁴As surely as there are physical bodies, there are spiritual bodies. And our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies.
    ⁴⁵The first man was named Adam, and the Scriptures tell us that he was a living person. But Jesus, who may be called the last Adam, is a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶We see that the one with a spiritual body did not come first. He came after the one who had a physical body. ⁴⁷The first man was made from the dust of the earth, but the second man came from heaven. ⁴⁸Everyone on earth has a body like the body of the one who was made from the dust of the earth. And everyone in heaven has a body like the body of the one who came from heaven. ⁴⁹Just as we are like the one who was made out of earth, we will be like the one who came from heaven.
    ⁵⁰My friends, I want you to know that our bodies of flesh and blood will decay. This means that they cannot share in God's kingdom, which lasts forever. ⁵¹I will explain a mystery to you. Not every one of us will die, but we will all be changed. ⁵²It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so that we will never die again. ⁵³Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won't die or decay. ⁵⁴The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true,
   "Death has lost the battle!
    ⁵⁵Where is its victory?
   Where is its sting?"
    ⁵⁶Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. ⁵⁷But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!
    ⁵⁸My dear friends, stand firm and don't be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.

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Psalm 39:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 39

(A psalm by David for Jeduthun, the music leader.)

A Prayer for Forgiveness

 ¹I told myself, "I'll be careful    not to sin by what I say,
   and I'll muzzle my mouth
   when evil people are near."
    ²I kept completely silent,
   but it did no good, ^[a] and I hurt even worse.
    ³I felt a fire burning inside,
   and the more I thought,
   the more it burned,
   until at last I said:
    ⁴"Please, LORD,
   show me my future.
   Will I soon be gone?
    ⁵You made my life short,
   so brief that the time
   means nothing to you.
   "Human life is but a breath,
    ⁶and it disappears
   like a shadow.
   Our struggles are senseless;
   we store up more and more,
   without ever knowing
   who will get it all.
    ⁷"What am I waiting for?
   I depend on you, Lord!
    ⁸Save me from my sins.
   Don't let fools sneer at me.
    ⁹You treated me like this,
   and I kept silent,
   not saying a word.
    ¹⁰"Won't you stop punishing me?
   You have worn me down.
    ¹¹You punish us severely
   because of our sins.
   Like a moth, you destroy
   what we treasure most.
   We are as frail as a breath.
    ¹²"Listen, LORD, to my prayer!
   My eyes are flooded with tears,
   as I pray to you.
   I am merely a stranger
   visiting in your home
   as my ancestors did.
    ¹³Stop being angry with me
   and let me smile again
   before I am dead and gone."
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 39:2 but. . . good: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 21:30-31 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁰No matter how much you know
   or what plans you make,
   you can't defeat the LORD.
    ³¹Even if your army has horses
   ready for battle,
   the LORD will always win.

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Verse of the Day

“[When the LORD Saves You from Death]I love you, LORD! You answered my prayers. You paid attention to me, and so I will pray to you as long as I live.” - Psalm 116:1-2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American television journalist and the former moderator of NBC News' Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press, David Gregory wrote, “One thing I do believe is I'm a believer in the presence of God. I believe that God is close. Whether it's in joy, pain or personal failure, I believe that God is close. That much I feel in my life.”

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A Joke for Today

 Everybody on earth dies and goes to heaven. God comes and says, "I want the men to make two lines. One line for the men that dominated their women on earth and the other line for the men that were dominated by their women. Also, I want all the women to go with St. Peter." With that said and done, the next time God looked, the women are gone and there are two lines. 

The line of the men that were dominated by their women was 100 miles long, and in the line of men that dominated their women, there was only one man. God got mad and said, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves. I created, you in my image and you were all whipped by your mates. Look at the only, one of my sons that stood up and made me proud. Learn from him! Tell them my son, how did you manage to be the only one in this line?" 

And the man replied, "I don't know, my wife told me to stand here."