Through the Bible – Day 186

Bible text(s)

Job 41

The LORD continues

Can you catch a sea monster?

₁Can you catch a sea monster

by using a fish-hook?

Can you tie its mouth shut

with a rope?

₂Can it be led around

by a ring in its nose

or a hook in its jaw?

₃Will it beg for mercy?

₄Will it surrender

as a slave for life?

₅Can it be tied by the leg

like a pet bird

for little girls?

₆Is it ever chopped up

and its pieces bargained for

in the fish-market?

₇Can it be killed

with harpoons or spears?

₈Wrestle with it just once—

that will be the end.

₉Merely a glimpse of this monster

makes all courage melt.

₁₀And if it is too fierce

for anyone to attack,

who would dare oppose me?

₁₁I am in command of the world

and in debt to no one.

₁₂What powerful legs,

what a stout body

this monster possesses!

₁₃Who could strip off its armour

or bring it under control

with a harness?

₁₄Who would try to open its jaws,

full of fearsome teeth?

_15-17Its back is covered

with shield after shield,

firmly bound and closer together

than breath to breath.

When this monster sneezes

₁₈When this monster sneezes,

lightning flashes, and its eyes

glow like the dawn.

₁₉Sparks and fiery flames

explode from its mouth.

₂₀And smoke spews from its nose

like steam

from a boiling pot,

₂₁while its blazing breath

scorches everything in sight.

₂₂Its neck is so tremendous

that everyone trembles,

₂₃the weakest parts of its body

are harder than iron,

₂₄and its heart is stone.

₂₅When this noisy monster appears,

even the most powerful

turn and run in fear.

₂₆No sword or spear can harm it,

₂₇and weapons of bronze or iron

are as useless as straw

or rotten wood.

₂₈Stones thrown from a sling

cause it no more harm

than husks of grain.

This monster fears no arrows,

₂₉it simply smiles at spears,

and striking it with a stick

is like slapping it with straw.

₃₀As it crawls through the mud,

its sharp and spiny hide

tears the ground apart.

₃₁And when it swims down deep,

the sea starts churning

like boiling oil,

₃₂and it leaves behind a trail

of shining white foam.

₃₃No other creature on earth

is so fearless.

₃₄It is king of all proud creatures,

and it looks upon the others

as nothing.

Job 42

Job's reply to the LORD

No one can oppose you

₁Job said:

₂No one can oppose you,

because you have the power

to do what you want.

₃You asked why I talk so much

when I know so little.

I have talked about things

that are far beyond

my understanding.

₄You told me to listen

and answer your questions.

₅I heard about you from others;

now I have seen you

with my own eyes.

₆That's why I hate myself

and sit here in dust and ashes

to show my sorrow.

The Lord again blesses Job with health, wealth, and family

The LORD corrects Job's friends

₇The LORD said to Eliphaz:

What my servant Job has said about me is true, but I am angry with you and your two friends for not telling the truth. ₈So I want you to go over to Job and offer seven bulls and seven goats on an altar as a sacrifice to please me. After this, Job will pray, and I will agree not to punish you for your foolishness.

₉Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar obeyed the LORD, and he answered Job's prayer.

A happy ending

₁₀After Job had prayed for his three friends, the LORD made Job twice as rich as he had been before. ₁₁Then Job gave a feast for his brothers and sisters and for his old friends. They expressed their sorrow for the suffering the LORD had brought on him, and they each gave Job some silver and a gold ring.

₁₂The LORD now blessed Job more than ever; he gave him fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand pair of oxen, and a thousand donkeys.

₁₃In addition to seven sons, Job had three daughters, ₁₄whose names were Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren Happuch. ₁₅They were the most beautiful women in that part of the world, and Job gave them shares of his property, along with their brothers.

₁₆Job lived for another one hundred and forty years—long enough to see his great-grandchildren have children of their own— ₁₇and when he finally died, he was very old.

Job 41:1-42:17CEVOpen in Bible reader

Acts 14

Paul and Barnabas in Lystra

₈In Lystra there was a man who had been born with crippled feet and had never been able to walk. ₉The man was listening to Paul speak, when Paul saw that he had faith in Jesus and could be healed. So he looked straight at the man ₁₀and shouted, “Stand up!” The man jumped up and started walking around.

₁₁When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they yelled out in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have turned into humans and have come down to us!” ₁₂The people then gave Barnabas the name Zeus, and they gave Paul the name Hermes, because he did the talking.

₁₃The temple of Zeus was near the entrance to the city. Its priest and the crowds wanted to offer a sacrifice to Barnabas and Paul. So the priest brought some bulls and flowers to the city gates. ₁₄When the two apostles found out about this, they tore their clothes in horror and ran to the crowd, shouting:

₁₅Why are you doing this? We are humans just like you. Please give up all this foolishness. Turn to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ₁₆In times past, God let each nation go its own way. ₁₇But he showed that he was there by the good things he did. God sends rain from heaven and makes your crops grow. He gives food to you and makes your hearts glad.

₁₈Even after Paul and Barnabas had said all this, they could hardly keep the people from offering a sacrifice to them.

₁₉Some Jewish leaders from Antioch and Iconium came and turned the crowds against Paul. They hit him with stones and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. ₂₀But when the Lord's followers gathered around Paul, he stood up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas went to Derbe.

Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch in Syria

₂₁Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in Derbe and won some people to the Lord. Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. ₂₂They encouraged the followers and begged them to remain faithful. They told them, “We have to suffer a lot before we can get into God's kingdom.” ₂₃Paul and Barnabas chose some leaders for each of the churches. Then they went without eating and prayed that the Lord would take good care of these leaders.

₂₄Paul and Barnabas went on through Pisidia to Pamphylia, ₂₅where they preached in the town of Perga. Then they went down to Attalia ₂₆and sailed to Antioch in Syria. It was there that they had been placed in God's care for the work they had now completed.

₂₇After arriving in Antioch, they called the church together. They told the people what God had helped them do and how he had made it possible for the Gentiles to believe. ₂₈Then they stayed there with the followers for a long time.

Acts 14:8-28CEVOpen in Bible reader