Job 27; Job 28; Job 29

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Job 27

1 Having waited for Zophar, Job now resumed his defense:

2 "God-Alive! He's denied me justice! God Almighty! He's ruined my life!

3 But for as long as I draw breath, and for as long as God breathes life into me,

4 I refuse to say one word that isn't true. I refuse to confess to any charge that's false.

5 There is no way I'll ever agree to your accusations. I'll not deny my integrity even if it costs me my life.

6 I'm holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip - and, believe me, I'll never regret it.

7 "Let my enemy be exposed as wicked! Let my adversary be proven guilty!

8 What hope do people without God have when life is cut short? when God puts an end to life?

9 Do you think God will listen to their cry for help when disaster hits?

10 What interest have they ever shown in the Almighty? Have they ever been known to pray before?

11 "I've given you a clear account of God in action, suppressed nothing regarding God Almighty.

12 The evidence is right before you. You can all see it for yourselves, so why do you keep talking nonsense?

13 "I'll quote your own words back to you: "'This is how God treats the wicked, this is what evil people can expect from God Almighty:

14 Their children - all of them - will die violent deaths; they'll never have enough bread to put on the table.

15 They'll be wiped out by the plague, and none of the widows will shed a tear when they're gone.

16 Even if they make a lot of money and are resplendent in the latest fashions,

17 It's the good who will end up wearing the clothes and the decent who will divide up the money.

18 They build elaborate houses that won't survive a single winter.

19 They go to bed wealthy and wake up poor.

20 Terrors pour in on them like flash floods - a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night,

21 A cyclone sweeps them up - gone! Not a trace of them left, not even a footprint.

22 Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them; they run this way and that, but there's no place to hide -

23 Pummeled by the weather, blown to kingdom come by the storm.'

Job 28

1 "We all know how silver seams the rocks, we've seen the stuff from which gold is refined,

2 We're aware of how iron is dug out of the ground and copper is smelted from rock.

3 Miners penetrate the earth's darkness, searching the roots of the mountains for ore, digging away in the suffocating darkness.

4 Far from civilization, far from the traffic, they cut a shaft, and are lowered into it by ropes.

5 Earth's surface is a field for grain, but its depths are a forge

6 Firing sapphires from stones and chiseling gold from rocks.

7 Vultures are blind to its riches, hawks never lay eyes on it.

8 Wild animals are oblivious to it, lions don't know it's there.

9 Miners hammer away at the rock, they uproot the mountains.

10 They tunnel through the rock and find all kinds of beautiful gems.

11 They discover the origins of rivers, and bring earth's secrets to light.

12 "But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom? Where does Insight hide?

13 Mortals don't have a clue, haven't the slightest idea where to look.

14 Earth's depths say, 'It's not here'; ocean deeps echo, 'Never heard of it.'

15 It can't be bought with the finest gold; no amount of silver can get it.

16 Even famous Ophir gold can't buy it, not even diamonds and sapphires.

17 Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable; extravagant jewelry can't touch it.

18 Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets - why bother? None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!

19 Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will, they can't hold a candle to Wisdom.

20 "So where does Wisdom come from? And where does Insight live?

21 It can't be found by looking, no matter how deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.

22 If you search through the graveyard and question the dead, they say, 'We've only heard rumors of it.'

23 "God alone knows the way to Wisdom, he knows the exact place to find it.

24 He knows where everything is on earth, he sees everything under heaven.

25 After he commanded the winds to blow and measured out the waters,

26 Arranged for the rain and set off explosions of thunder and lightning,

27 He focused on Wisdom, made sure it was all set and tested and ready.

28 Then he addressed the human race: 'Here it is! Fear-of-the-Lord - that's Wisdom, and Insight means shunning evil.'"

Job 29

1 Job now resumed his response:

2 "Oh, how I long for the good old days, when God took such very good care of me.

3 He always held a lamp before me and I walked through the dark by its light.

4 Oh, how I miss those golden years when God's friendship graced my home,

5 When the Mighty One was still by my side and my children were all around me,

6 When everything was going my way, and nothing seemed too difficult.

7 "When I walked downtown and sat with my friends in the public square,

8 Young and old greeted me with respect; I was honored by everyone in town.

9 When I spoke, everyone listened;

10 they hung on my every word.

11 People who knew me spoke well of me; my reputation went ahead of me.

12 I was known for helping people in trouble and standing up for those who were down on their luck.

13 The dying blessed me, and the bereaved were cheered by my visits.

14 All my dealings with people were good. I was known for being fair to everyone I met.

15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame,

16 Father to the needy, and champion of abused aliens.

17 I grabbed street thieves by the scruff of the neck and made them give back what they'd stolen.

18 I thought, 'I'll die peacefully in my own bed, grateful for a long and full life,

19 A life deep-rooted and well-watered, a life limber and dew-fresh,

20 My soul suffused with glory and my body robust until the day I die.'

21 "Men and women listened when I spoke, hung expectantly on my every word.

22 After I spoke, they'd be quiet, taking it all in.

23 They welcomed my counsel like spring rain, drinking it all in.

24 When I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it; their faces lit up, their troubles took wing!

25 I was their leader, establishing the mood and setting the pace by which they lived. Where I led, they followed.

Job 27; Job 28; Job 29

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Job 27

Job 28

Job 29