Job 23

Jobs Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

2"My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud. 3If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his throne and talk with him there. 4I would lay out my case and present my arguments . 5Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me. 6Would he merely argue with me in his greatness? No, he would give me a fair hearing . 7Fair and honest people can reason with him, so I would be acquitted by my Judge.

8"I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. 9I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him.

 
16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. 17Darkness is all around me; thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.

Psalm 22

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune Doe of the Dawn.

    2
    Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
       Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief .

    3
    Yet you are holy.
       The praises of Israel surround your throne.

    4
    Our ancestors trusted in you,
       and you rescued them.

    5
    You heard their cries for help and saved them.
       They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.

    6
    But I am a worm and not a man.
       I am scorned and despised by all!

    7
    Everyone who sees me mocks me.
       They sneer and shake their heads, saying,

    8
    "Is this the one who relies on the LORD?
       Then let the LORD save him!
    If the LORD loves him so much,
       let the LORD rescue him!"

    9
    Yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb
       and led me to trust you when I was a nursing infant.

    10
    I was thrust upon you at my birth.
       You have been my God from the moment I was born.

    11
    Do not stay so far from me,
       for trouble is near,
       and no one else can help me.

    12
    My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
       fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!

    13
    Like roaring lions attacking their prey,
       they come at me with open mouths.

    14
    My life is poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
    My heart is like wax,
       melting within me.

    15
    My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
       My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
       You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.

The Rich Man

18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good. 19But as for your question, you know the commandments: `Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.' "

20"Teacher," the man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was a child."

21Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. "You lack only one thing," he told him. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 22At this, the man's face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions.

23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for rich people to get into the Kingdom of God!" 24This amazed them. But Jesus said again, "Dear children, it is very hard to get into the Kingdom of God. 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"

26The disciples were astounded . "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked.

27Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible . But not with God. Everything is possible with God."

28Then Peter began to mention all that he and the other disciples had left behind. "We've given up everything to follow you," he said.

29And Jesus replied, "I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30will receive now in return, a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property--with persecutions. And in the world to come they will have eternal life. 31But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then."

12For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires . It exposes us for what we really are. 13Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.

Christ Is Our High Priest