Job 20-21

New International Version

Zophar

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite^(A) replied:

²“My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer
because I am greatly disturbed.^(B)
³I hear a rebuke^(C) that dishonors me,
and my understanding inspires me to reply.

⁴“Surely you know how it has been from of old,^(D)
    ever since mankind^[a] was placed on the earth,
⁵that the mirth of the wicked^(E) is brief,
    the joy of the godless^(F) lasts but a moment.^(G)
⁶Though the pride^(H) of the godless person reaches to the heavens^(I)
    and his head touches the clouds,^(J)
⁷he will perish forever,^(K) like his own dung;
    those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’^(L)
⁸Like a dream^(M) he flies away,^(N) no more to be found,
    banished^(O) like a vision of the night.^(P)
⁹The eye that saw him will not see him again;
    his place will look on him no more.^(Q)
¹⁰His children^(R) must make amends to the poor;
    his own hands must give back his wealth.^(S)
¹¹The youthful vigor^(T) that fills his bones^(U)
    will lie with him in the dust.^(V)

¹²“Though evil^(W) is sweet in his mouth
    and he hides it under his tongue,^(X)
¹³though he cannot bear to let it go
    and lets it linger in his mouth,^(Y)
¹⁴yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;^(Z)
    it will become the venom of serpents^(AA) within him.
¹⁵He will spit out the riches^(AB) he swallowed;
    God will make his stomach vomit^(AC) them up.
¹⁶He will suck the poison^(AD) of serpents;
    the fangs of an adder will kill him.^(AE)
¹⁷He will not enjoy the streams,
    the rivers^(AF) flowing with honey^(AG) and cream.^(AH)
¹⁸What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;^(AI)
    he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.^(AJ)
¹⁹For he has oppressed the poor^(AK) and left them destitute;^(AL)
    he has seized houses^(AM) he did not build.

²⁰“Surely he will have no respite from his craving;^(AN)
    he cannot save himself by his treasure.^(AO)
²¹Nothing is left for him to devour;
    his prosperity will not endure.^(AP)
²²In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;^(AQ)
    the full force of misery will come upon him.^(AR)
²³When he has filled his belly,^(AS)
    God will vent his burning anger^(AT) against him
    and rain down his blows on him.^(AU)
²⁴Though he flees^(AV) from an iron weapon,
    a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.^(AW)
²⁵He pulls it out of his back,
    the gleaming point out of his liver.
Terrors^(AX) will come over him;^(AY)
²⁶    total darkness^(AZ) lies in wait for his treasures.
A fire^(BA) unfanned will consume him^(BB)
    and devour what is left in his tent.^(BC)
²⁷The heavens will expose his guilt;
    the earth will rise up against him.^(BD)
²⁸A flood will carry off his house,^(BE)
    rushing waters^[b] on the day of God’s wrath.^(BF)
²⁹Such is the fate God allots the wicked,
    the heritage appointed for them by God.”^(BG)

Job

21 Then Job replied:

²“Listen carefully to my words;^(BH)
let this be the consolation you give me.^(BI)
³Bear with me while I speak,
and after I have spoken, mock on.^(BJ)

⁴“Is my complaint^(BK) directed to a human being?
    Why should I not be impatient?^(BL)
⁵Look at me and be appalled;
    clap your hand over your mouth.^(BM)
⁶When I think about this, I am terrified;^(BN)
    trembling seizes my body.^(BO)
⁷Why do the wicked live on,
    growing old and increasing in power?^(BP)
⁸They see their children established around them,
    their offspring before their eyes.^(BQ)
⁹Their homes are safe and free from fear;^(BR)
    the rod of God is not on them.^(BS)
¹⁰Their bulls never fail to breed;
    their cows calve and do not miscarry.^(BT)
¹¹They send forth their children as a flock;^(BU)
    their little ones dance about.
¹²They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre;^(BV)
    they make merry to the sound of the pipe.^(BW)
¹³They spend their years in prosperity^(BX)
    and go down to the grave^(BY) in peace.^[c]^(BZ)
¹⁴Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!^(CA)
    We have no desire to know your ways.^(CB)
¹⁵Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    What would we gain by praying to him?’^(CC)
¹⁶But their prosperity is not in their own hands,
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.^(CD)

¹⁷“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?^(CE)
    How often does calamity^(CF) come upon them,
    the fate God allots in his anger?^(CG)
¹⁸How often are they like straw before the wind,
    like chaff^(CH) swept away^(CI) by a gale?^(CJ)
¹⁹It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’^(CK)
    Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!^(CL)
²⁰Let their own eyes see their destruction;^(CM)
    let them drink^(CN) the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.^(CO)
²¹For what do they care about the families they leave behind^(CP)
    when their allotted months^(CQ) come to an end?^(CR)

²²“Can anyone teach knowledge to God,^(CS)
    since he judges even the highest?^(CT)
²³One person dies in full vigor,^(CU)
    completely secure and at ease,^(CV)
²⁴well nourished^(CW) in body,^[d]
    bones^(CX) rich with marrow.^(CY)
²⁵Another dies in bitterness of soul,^(CZ)
    never having enjoyed anything good.
²⁶Side by side they lie in the dust,^(DA)
    and worms^(DB) cover them both.^(DC)

²⁷“I know full well what you are thinking,
    the schemes by which you would wrong me.
²⁸You say, ‘Where now is the house of the great,^(DD)
    the tents where the wicked lived?’^(DE)
²⁹Have you never questioned those who travel?
    Have you paid no regard to their accounts—
³⁰that the wicked are spared from the day of calamity,^(DF)
    that they are delivered from^[e] the day of wrath?^(DG)
³¹Who denounces their conduct to their face?
    Who repays them for what they have done?^(DH)
³²They are carried to the grave,
    and watch is kept over their tombs.^(DI)
³³The soil in the valley is sweet to them;^(DJ)
    everyone follows after them,
    and a countless throng goes^[f] before them.^(DK)

³⁴“So how can you console me^(DL) with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!”^(DM)

Footnotes

Job 20:4 Or Adam
Job 20:28 Or The possessions in his house will be carried off, / washed away
Job 21:13 Or in an instant
Job 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Job 21:30 Or wicked are reserved for the day of calamity, / that they are brought forth to
Job 21:33 Or them, / as a countless throng went

Matthew 11

New International Version

Jesus and John the Baptist^(A)

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples,^(B) he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.^[a]

²When John,^(C) who was in prison,^(D) heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come,^(E) or should we expect someone else?”

⁴Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[b] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.^(F) ⁶Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”^(G)

⁷As John’s^(H) disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness^(I) to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?^(J) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,^(K)
who will prepare your way before you.’^[c]^(L)

¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,^[d] and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.^(M) ¹⁴And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.^(N) ¹⁵Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(O)

¹⁶“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

¹⁷“‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸For John came neither eating^(P) nor drinking,^(Q) and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’^(R) But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

Woe on Unrepentant Towns^(S)

²⁰Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!^(T) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,^(U) they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.^(V) ²²But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.^(W) ²³And you, Capernaum,^(X) will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[e]^(Y) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”^(Z)

The Father Revealed in the Son^(AA)

²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(AB) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^(AC) ²⁶Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷“All things have been committed to me^(AD) by my Father.^(AE) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.^(AF)

²⁸“Come to me,^(AG) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^(AH) ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(AI) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^(AJ) ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”^(AK)

Footnotes

Matthew 11:1 Greek in their towns
Matthew 11:5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
Matthew 11:10 Mal. 3:1
Matthew 11:12 Or been forcefully advancing
Matthew 11:23 That is, the realm of the dead