Genesis 1-2
English Standard Version
The Creation of the World
1 In the (A)beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was (B)without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, (C)“Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, (D)“Let there be an expanse[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made[b] the expanse and (E)separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were (F)above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, (G)“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, (H)“Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for (I)signs and for (J)seasons,[f] and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God (K)made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to (L)rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds[g] fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So (M)God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, (N)“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, (O)“Let us make man[h] in our image, (P)after our likeness. And (Q)let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
(R)male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, (S)“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. (T)You shall have them for food. 30 And (U)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 (V)And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The Seventh Day, God Rests
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and (W)all the host of them. 2 And (X)on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 (Y)These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 When no (Z)bush of the field[i] was yet in the land[j] and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man (AA)to work the ground, 6 and a mist[k] was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of (AB)dust from the ground and (AC)breathed into his (AD)nostrils the breath of life, and (AE)the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a (AF)garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (AG)The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, (AH)and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of (AI)Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the (AJ)Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man (AK)and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (AL)you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[l] of it you (AM)shall surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; (AN)I will make him a helper fit for[m] him.” 19 (AO)Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed[n] every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and (AP)brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam[o] there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a (AQ)deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made[p] into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is (AR)bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was (AS)taken out of Man.”[q]
24 (AT)Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Footnotes
- Genesis 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20
- Genesis 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16
- Genesis 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1
- Genesis 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1
- Genesis 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29
- Genesis 1:14 Or appointed times
- Genesis 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20
- Genesis 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam
- Genesis 2:5 Or open country
- Genesis 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6
- Genesis 2:6 Or spring
- Genesis 2:17 Or when you eat
- Genesis 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20
- Genesis 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed
- Genesis 2:20 Or the man
- Genesis 2:22 Hebrew built
- Genesis 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike
Job 9
English Standard Version
Job Replies: There Is No Arbiter
9 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Truly I know that it is so:
But how can a man be (A)in the right before God?
3 If one wished to (B)contend with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
4 He is (C)wise in heart and mighty in strength
—who has (D)hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
when he overturns them in his anger,
6 who (E)shakes the earth out of its place,
and (F)its pillars tremble;
7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
who seals up the stars;
8 who alone (G)stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;
9 who (H)made (I)the Bear and (J)Orion,
the Pleiades (K)and the chambers of the south;
10 who does (L)great things beyond searching out,
and marvelous things beyond number.
11 Behold, he passes by me, and I (M)see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12 Behold, he snatches away; (N)who can turn him back?
(O)Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 “God will not turn back his anger;
beneath him bowed the helpers of (P)Rahab.
14 (Q)How then can I (R)answer him,
choosing my words with him?
15 (S)Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him;
I must (T)appeal for mercy to my accuser.[a]
16 If I summoned him and he answered me,
I would not believe that he was listening to my voice.
17 For he crushes me with a tempest
and multiplies my wounds (U)without cause;
18 he will not let me get my breath,
but fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a contest of (V)strength, behold, he is mighty!
If it is a matter of justice, who can (W)summon him?[b]
20 Though I am in the right, (X)my own mouth would condemn me;
though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.
21 I am (Y)blameless; I regard not myself;
I (Z)loathe my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (AA)destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When (AB)disaster brings sudden death,
he mocks at the calamity[c] of the innocent.
24 (AC)The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
he (AD)covers the faces of its judges—
(AE)if it is not he, who then is it?
25 “My (AF)days are swifter than (AG)a runner;
they flee away; they see no good.
26 They go by like (AH)skiffs of reed,
like (AI)an eagle swooping on the prey.
27 If I say, (AJ)‘I will forget my complaint,
I will put off my sad face, and (AK)be of good cheer,’
28 I become (AL)afraid of all my suffering,
for I know you will not (AM)hold me innocent.
29 I shall be (AN)condemned;
why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow
and (AO)cleanse my hands with lye,
31 yet you will plunge me into a pit,
and my own clothes will (AP)abhor me.
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
that we should (AQ)come to trial together.
33 (AR)There is no[d] arbiter between us,
who might lay his hand on us both.
34 (AS)Let him take his (AT)rod away from me,
and let (AU)not dread of him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of him,
for I am not so in myself.
Job 38-41
English Standard Version
The Lord Answers Job
38 Then the Lord (A)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this that (B)darkens counsel by words (C)without knowledge?
3 (D)Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 “Where were you when I (E)laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars (F)sang together
and all (G)the sons of God (H)shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (I)shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
9 when I made clouds its garment
and (J)thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed (K)limits for it
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your (L)proud waves be stayed’?
12 “Have you (M)commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of (N)the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be (O)shaken out of it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
and its features stand out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their (P)light is withheld,
and (Q)their uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you (R)entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have (S)the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of (T)deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
20 that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern (U)the paths to its home?
21 You know, for (V)you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered (W)the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen (X)the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I have reserved (Y)for the time of trouble,
(Z)for the day of battle and war?
24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain
and (AA)a way for the thunderbolt,
26 to bring rain on (AB)a land where no man is,
on (AC)the desert in which there is no man,
27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with (AD)grass?
28 “Has (AE)the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb did (AF)the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to (AG)the frost of heaven?
30 The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is (AH)frozen.
31 “Can you bind the chains of (AI)the Pleiades
or loose the cords of (AJ)Orion?
32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth[b] in their season,
or can you guide (AK)the Bear with its children?
33 Do you know (AL)the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that (AM)a flood of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has (AN)put wisdom in (AO)the inward parts[c]
or given understanding to the mind?[d]
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38 when the dust runs into a mass
and (AP)the clods stick fast together?
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or (AQ)satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 when they crouch in their (AR)dens
or lie in wait (AS)in their thicket?
41 Who provides for (AT)the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God for help,
and wander about for lack of food?
39 “Do you know when (AU)the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe (AV)the calving of the does?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3 when they (AW)crouch, bring forth their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go out and (AX)do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free?
Who has (AY)loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 to whom I have given (AZ)the arid plain for his home
and (BA)the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.
8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
and he searches after every green thing.
9 “Is (BB)the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your (BC)manger?
10 Can you bind (BD)him in the furrow with ropes,
or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
and will you leave to him your labor?
12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[e]
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She (BE)deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her (BF)labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
17 because God has made her forget wisdom
and (BG)given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[f]
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic (BH)snorting is terrifying.
21 He paws[g] in the valley and exults in his strength;
he (BI)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon him rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
he cannot stand still at (BJ)the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his (BK)nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on (BL)the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
and (BM)where the slain are, there is he.”
40 And the Lord (BN)said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder (BO)contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Job Promises Silence
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
4 “Behold, I am (BP)of small account; what shall I answer you?
(BQ)I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken (BR)once, and I will not answer;
(BS)twice, but I will proceed no further.”
The Lord Challenges Job
6 Then the Lord (BT)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
7 (BU)“Dress for action[h] like a man;
(BV)I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that (BW)you may be in the right?
9 Have you (BX)an arm like God,
and can you thunder with (BY)a voice like his?
10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
(BZ)clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is (CA)proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and (CB)tread down the wicked (CC)where they stand.
13 (CD)Hide them all in (CE)the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.[i]
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own (CF)right hand can save you.
15 “Behold, Behemoth,[j]
which I made as I made you;
he eats (CG)grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.
19 “He is (CH)the first of (CI)the works[k] of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of (CJ)the reeds and in the marsh.
22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Can one take him by his eyes,[l]
or pierce his nose with a snare?
41 [m] “Can you draw out (CK)Leviathan[n] with a fishhook
or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Can you put (CL)a rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with (CM)a hook?
3 Will he make many pleas to you?
Will he speak to you soft words?
4 Will he make a covenant with you
to take him for (CN)your servant forever?
5 Will you play with him as with a bird,
or will you put him on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8 Lay your hands on him;
remember the battle—you will not do it again!
9 [o] Behold, the hope of a man is false;
he is laid low even at the sight of him.
10 No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.
Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 (CO)Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?
(CP)Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 “I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.
13 Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who would come near him with a bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth is terror.
15 His back is made of[p] rows of shields,
shut up closely as with a seal.
16 One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
17 They are (CQ)joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18 His sneezings flash forth light,
and his eyes are like (CR)the eyelids of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 His breath (CS)kindles coals,
and a flame comes forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck abides strength,
and terror dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh (CT)stick together,
firmly cast on him and immovable.
24 His heart is hard as a stone,
hard as the lower millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty[q] are afraid;
at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26 Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail,
nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27 He counts iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee;
for him, sling stones are turned to stubble.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble;
he laughs at the rattle of javelins.
30 His underparts are like sharp (CU)potsherds;
he spreads himself like (CV)a threshing sledge on the mire.
31 He makes the deep boil like a pot;
he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 Behind him he leaves a shining wake;
one would think the deep to be white-haired.
33 (CW)On earth there is not his like,
a creature without fear.
34 He sees everything that is high;
he is king over all the (CX)sons of pride.”
Footnotes
- Job 38:3 Hebrew Gird up your loins
- Job 38:32 Probably the name of a constellation
- Job 38:36 Or in the ibis
- Job 38:36 Or rooster
- Job 39:13 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Job 39:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Job 39:21 Hebrew They paw
- Job 40:7 Hebrew Gird up your loins
- Job 40:13 Hebrew in the hidden place
- Job 40:15 A large animal, exact identity unknown
- Job 40:19 Hebrew ways
- Job 40:24 Or in his sight
- Job 41:1 Ch 40:25 in Hebrew
- Job 41:1 A large sea animal, exact identity unknown
- Job 41:9 Ch 41:1 in Hebrew
- Job 41:15 Or His pride is in his
- Job 41:25 Or gods
Psalm 104:1-30
English Standard Version
O Lord My God, You Are Very Great
104 (A)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are (B)very great!
(C)You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 covering yourself with light as with a garment,
(D)stretching out the heavens (E)like a tent.
3 He (F)lays the beams of his (G)chambers on the waters;
he makes (H)the clouds his chariot;
he rides on (I)the wings of the wind;
4 he (J)makes his messengers winds,
his (K)ministers (L)a flaming fire.
5 He (M)set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
6 You (N)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At (O)your rebuke they fled;
at (P)the sound of your thunder they (Q)took to flight.
8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you (R)appointed for them.
9 You set (S)a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they (T)might not again cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
11 they (U)give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
13 (V)From your lofty abode you (W)water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause (X)the grass to grow for the livestock
and (Y)plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth (Z)food from the earth
15 and (AA)wine to gladden the heart of man,
(AB)oil to make his face shine
and bread to (AC)strengthen man's heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
(AD)the cedars of Lebanon (AE)that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for (AF)the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for (AG)the rock badgers.
19 He made the moon to mark the (AH)seasons;[a]
the sun knows its time for setting.
20 (AI)You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 (AJ)The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their (AK)dens.
23 (AL)Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In (AM)wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
(AN)which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and (AO)Leviathan, which you formed to (AP)play in it.[b]
27 These (AQ)all look to you,
to (AR)give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you (AS)open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you (AT)hide your face, they are (AU)dismayed;
when you (AV)take away their breath, they die
and (AW)return to their dust.
30 When you (AX)send forth your Spirit,[c] they are created,
and you (AY)renew the face of the ground.
Footnotes
- Psalm 104:19 Or the appointed times (compare Genesis 1:14)
- Psalm 104:26 Or you formed to play with
- Psalm 104:30 Or breath
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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