23 for an unloved woman when she is married,
and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
24 “There are four things which are little on the earth,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are not a strong people,
yet they provide their food in the summer.
26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks.
27 The locusts have no king,
yet they advance in ranks.
28 You can catch a lizard with your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 “There are three things which are stately in their march,
four which are stately in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals,
and doesn’t turn away for any;
31 the greyhound;
the male goat;
and the king against whom there is no rising up.
32 “If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself,
or if you have thought evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
and the wringing of the nose produces blood,
so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
31
1 The words of King Lemuel—the revelation which his mother taught him:
2 “Oh, my son!
Oh, son of my womb!
Oh, son of my vows!
3 Don’t give your strength to women,
nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
5 lest they drink, and forget the decree,
and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish,
and wine to the bitter in soul.
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty,
and remember his misery no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
in the cause of all who are left desolate.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
and serve justice to the poor and needy.”
10 †Who can find a worthy woman?
For her value is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her.
He shall have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works eagerly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships.
She brings her bread from afar.
15 She rises also while it is yet night,
gives food to her household,
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field, and buys it.
With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
17 She arms her waist with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.
19 She lays her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her arms to the poor;
yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes for herself carpets of tapestry.
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected in the gates,
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing.
She laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom.
Kind instruction is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain;
but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands!
Let her works praise her in the gates!
† 1:7 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “LORD” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name.
‡ 1:12 Sheol is the place of the dead.
§ 1:23 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
† 2:5 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
† 5:5 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 7:27 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 9:18 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 11:21 or, seed
† 15:11 Sheol is the place of the dead.
‡ 15:24 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 23:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 27:20 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 30:16 Sheol is the place of the dead.
† 31:10 Proverbs 31:10-31 form an acrostic, with each verse starting with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order.
Job
The Book of Job
1
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God,† and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east. 4 His sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.
6 Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD,‡ Satan also came among them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
8 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.”
9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Haven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face.”
12 The LORD said to Satan, “Behold,§ all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don’t stretch out your hand.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 It fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 that a messenger came to Job, and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked, and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Kasdim made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshiped. 21 He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the LORD’s name.” 22 In all this, Job didn’t sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing.
2
1 Again, on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
3 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
4 Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”
6 The LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head. 8 He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes. 9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”
10 But he said
