Bible Readings for August 28, 2017

Today our passages are Job 28:1–30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; and Proverbs 22:7. 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 28-30:31 (Contemporary English Version)

Job 28

Job Continues

Gold and Silver Are Mined

 ¹Gold and silver are mined,    then purified;
    ²the same is done
   with iron and copper.
    ³Miners carry lanterns
   deep into the darkness
   to search for these metals.
    ⁴They dig tunnels
   in distant, unknown places,
   where they dangle by ropes.
    ⁵Far beneath the grain fields,
   fires are built
   to break loose those rocks
    ⁶that have jewels or gold. ^[a] ⁷Miners go to places unseen
   by the eyes of hawks;
    ⁸they walk on soil unknown
   to the proudest lions.
    ⁹With their own hands
   they remove sharp rocks
   and uproot mountains.
    ¹⁰They dig through the rocks
   in search of jewels
   and precious metals.
    ¹¹They also uncover
   the sources of ^[b] rivers and discover secret places.
   

Where Is Wisdom Found?

 ¹²But where is wisdom found?     ¹³No human knows the way. ^[c] ¹⁴Nor can it be discovered
   in the deepest sea.
    ¹⁵It is worth much more
   than silver or pure gold
    ¹⁶or precious stones.
    ¹⁷Nothing is its equal--
   not gold or costly glass. ^[d] ¹⁸Wisdom is worth much more than
   coral, jasper, ^[e] or rubies. ¹⁹All the topaz ^[f] of Ethiopia ^[g] and the finest gold
   cannot compare with it.
    ²⁰Where then is wisdom?
    ²¹It is hidden from human eyes
   and even from birds.
    ²²Death and destruction
   have merely heard rumors
   about where it is found.
    ²³God is the only one who knows
   the way to wisdom,
    ²⁴because he sees everything
   beneath the heavens.
    ²⁵When God divided out
   the wind and the water,
    ²⁶and when he decided the path
   for rain and lightning,
    ²⁷he also determined the truth
   and defined wisdom.
    ²⁸God told us, "Wisdom means
   that you respect me, the Lord,
   and turn from sin."
   

Job 29

Job Continues

I Long for the Past

 ¹Job said:     ²I long for the past,
   when God took care of me,
    ³and the light from his lamp
   showed me the way
   through the dark.
    ⁴I was in the prime of life,
   God All-Powerful
   was my closest friend,
    ⁵and all of my children
   were nearby.
    ⁶My herds gave enough milk
   to bathe my feet,
   and from my olive harvest
   flowed rivers of oil.
    ⁷When I sat down at the meeting
   of the city council,
    ⁸the young leaders stepped aside,
    ⁹while the older ones stood
    ¹⁰and remained silent.
   

Everyone Was Pleased

 ¹¹Everyone was pleased    with what I said and did.
    ¹²When poor people or orphans
   cried out for help,
   I came to their rescue.
    ¹³And I was highly praised
   for my generosity to widows
   and others in poverty.
    ¹⁴Kindness and justice
   were my coat and hat;
    ¹⁵I was good to the blind
   and to the lame.
    ¹⁶I was a father to the needy,
   and I defended them in court,
   even if they were strangers.
    ¹⁷When criminals attacked,
   I broke their teeth
   and set their victims free.
    ¹⁸I felt certain that I would live
   a long and happy life,
   then die in my own bed.
    ¹⁹In those days I was strong
   like a tree with deep roots
   and with plenty of water,
    ²⁰or like an archer's new bow.
    ²¹Everyone listened in silence
   to my welcome advice,
    ²²and when I finished speaking,
   nothing needed to be said.
    ²³My words were eagerly accepted
   like the showers of spring,
    ²⁴and the smile on my face
   renewed everyone's hopes.
    ²⁵My advice was followed
   as though I were a king
   leading my troops,
   or someone comforting
   those in sorrow.
   

Job 30

Job Continues

Young People Now Insult Me

 ¹Young people now insult me,    although their fathers
   would have been a disgrace
   to my sheep dogs.
    ²And those who insult me
   are helpless themselves.
    ³They must claw the desert sand
   in the dark
   for something
   to satisfy their hunger. ^[h] ⁴They gather tasteless shrubs
   for food and firewood,
    ⁵and they are run out of towns,
   as though they were thieves.
    ⁶Their only homes are ditches
   or holes between rocks,
    ⁷where they bray like donkeys
   gathering around shrubs.
    ⁸And like senseless donkeys
   they are chased away.
   

Those Worthless Nobodies

 ⁹Those worthless nobodies    make up jokes and songs
   to disgrace me.
    ¹⁰They are hateful
   and keep their distance,
   even while spitting
   in my direction.
    ¹¹God has destroyed me,
   and so they don't care
   what they do. ^[i] ¹²Their attacks never stop,
   though I am defenseless,
   and my feet are trapped. ^[j] ¹³Without any help,
   they prevent my escape,
   destroying me completely ^[k] ¹⁴and leaving me crushed.
    ¹⁵Terror has me surrounded;
   my reputation and my riches
   have vanished like a cloud.
   

I Am Sick at Heart

 ¹⁶I am sick at heart!    Pain has taken its toll.
    ¹⁷Night chews on my bones,
   causing endless torment,
    ¹⁸and God has shrunk my skin,
   choking me to death.
    ¹⁹I have been thrown in the dirt
   and now am dirt myself.
    ²⁰I beg God for help,
   but there is no answer;
   and when I stand up,
   he simply stares.
    ²¹God has turned brutal,
    ²²stirring up a windstorm
   to toss me about.
    ²³Soon he will send me home
   to the world of the dead,
   where we all must go.
    ²⁴No one refuses help to others,
   when disaster strikes. ^[l] ²⁵I mourned for the poor
   and those who suffered.
    ²⁶But when I beg for relief
   and light,
   all I receive are disaster
   and darkness.
    ²⁷My stomach is tied in knots;
   pain is my daily companion.
    ²⁸Suffering has scorched my skin,
   and in the city council
   I stand and cry out,
    ²⁹making mournful sounds
   like jackals ^[m] and owls. ³⁰My skin is so parched,
   that it peels right off,
   and my bones are burning.
    ³¹My only songs are sorrow
   and sadness.
   

Footnotes:

1. Job 28:6 gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 5,6.
2. Job 28:11 uncover the sources of: Two ancient translations; Hebrew "dam up."
3. Job 28:13 the way: Or "its worth."
4. Job 28:17 costly glass: In the ancient world, objects made of glass were costly.
5. Job 28:18 jasper: A valuable stone, usually green or clear.
6. Job 28:19 topaz: A valuable, yellow stone.
7. Job 28:19 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has "Cush," which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
8. Job 30:3 hunger: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 3.
9. Job 30:11 God. . . do: Or "They have destroyed me, and so they don't care what else they do."
10. Job 30:12 trapped: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
11. Job 30:13 destroying. . . completely: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Job 30:24 strikes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 24.
13. Job 30:29 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller.

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2 Corinthians 2:12-17 (Contemporary English Version)

¹²When I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ, I found that the Lord had already prepared the way. ¹³But I was worried when I didn't find my friend Titus there. So I left the other followers and went on to Macedonia.
    ¹⁴I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume. ^15-16In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life. But for people who are lost, it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death.
   No one really has what it takes to do this work. ¹⁷A lot of people try to get rich from preaching God's message. But we are God's sincere messengers, and by the power of Christ we speak our message with God as our witness.

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Psalm 42:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 42

BOOK II

(Psalms 42-72)

(A special psalm for the people of Korah and for the music leader.)

Longing for God

 ¹As a deer gets thirsty    for streams of water,
   I truly am thirsty
   for you, my God.
    ²In my heart, I am thirsty
   for you, the living God.
   When will I see your face?
    ³Day and night my tears
   are my only food,
   as everyone keeps asking,
   "Where is your God?"
    ⁴Sorrow floods my heart,
   when I remember
   leading the worshipers
   to your house. ^[a] I can still hear them shout
   their joyful praises.
    ⁵Why am I discouraged?
   Why am I restless?
   I trust you!
   And I will praise you again
   because you help me,
    ⁶and you are my God.
   I am deeply discouraged
   as I think about you
   from where the Jordan begins
   at Mount Hermon
   and from Mount Mizar. ^[b] ⁷Your vicious waves
   have swept over me
   like an angry ocean
   or a roaring waterfall.
    ⁸Every day, you are kind,
   and at night
   you give me a song
   as my prayer to you,
   the living LORD God.
    ⁹You are my mighty rock. ^[c] Why have you forgotten me?
   Why must enemies mistreat me
   and make me sad?
    ¹⁰Even my bones are in pain,
   while all day long
   my enemies sneer and ask,
   "Where is your God?"
    ¹¹Why am I discouraged?
   Why am I restless?
   I trust you!
   And I will praise you again
   because you help me,
   and you are my God.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 42:4 leading. . . house: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Psalm 42:6 Mount Mizar: The location is not known.
3. Psalm 42:9 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 22:7 (Contemporary English Version)

⁷The poor are ruled by the rich,
   and those who borrow
   are slaves of moneylenders.

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Verse of the Day

“Jesus answered, "God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.” - John 6:29

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

German writer and statesman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote, “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”

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A Joke for Today

It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the director what the criterion was that defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No," said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a room with or without a view?"