August 26

5Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, And the spark of his fire shall not shine. 6The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, And his candle shall be put out with him. 7The steps of his strength shall be straitened, And his own counsel shall cast him down. 8For he is cast into a net by his own feet, And he walketh upon a snare. 9The grin shall take him by the heel, And the robber shall prevail against him. 10The snare is laid for him in the ground, And a trap for him in the way. 11Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, And shall drive him to his feet.

12His strength shall be hunger-bitten, And destruction shall be ready at his side. 13It shall devour the strength of his skin: Even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. 14His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, And it shall bring him to the king of terrors. 15It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.

16His roots shall be dried up beneath, And above shall his branch be cut off. 17His remembrance shall perish from the earth, And he shall have no name in the street. 18He shall be driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world. 19He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, Nor any remaining in his dwellings. 20They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, As they that went before were affrighted. 21Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

1Then Job answered and said, 2How long will ye vex my soul, And break me in pieces with words? 3These ten times have ye reproached me: You are not ashamed that you make yourselves strange to me. 4And be it indeed that I have erred, Mine error remaineth with myself. 5If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, And plead against me my reproach: 6Know now that God hath overthrown me, And hath compassed me with his net.

7Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. 8He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, And he hath set darkness in my paths. 9He hath stript me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head. 10He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: And mine hope hath he removed like a tree. 11He hath also kindled his wrath against me, And he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. 12His troops come together, And raise up their way against me, And encamp round about my tabernacle.

13He hath put my brethren far from me, And mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. 14My kinsfolk have failed, And my familiar friends have forgotten me. 15They that dwell in mine house, and my maidens, Count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight. 16I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth. 17My breath is strange to my wife, Though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body. 18Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me. 19All my inward friends abhorred me: And they whom I loved are turned against me. 20My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

21Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; For the hand of God hath touched me. 22Why do ye persecute me as God, And are not satisfied with my flesh? 23O that my words were now written! O that they were printed in a book! 24That they were graven with an iron pen and lead In the rock for ever! 25For I know that my Redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26And though after my skin worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27Whom I shall see for myself, And mine eyes shall behold, and not another; Though my reins be consumed within me.

28But ye should say, Why persecute we him? Seeing the root of the matter is found in me; 29Be ye afraid of the sword: For wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, That ye may know there is a judgment.

1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 2Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, And for this I make haste. 3I have heard the check of my reproach, And the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer. 4Knowest thou not this of old, Since man was placed upon earth, 5That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

6Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, And his head reach unto the clouds; 7Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: They which have seen him shall say, Where is he? 8He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. 9The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; Neither shall his place any more behold him. 10His children shall seek to please the poor, And his hands shall restore their goods. 11His bones are full of the sin of his youth, Which shall lie down with him in the dust.

12Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue; 13Though he spare it, and forsake it not; But keep it still within his mouth: 14Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, It is the gall of asps within him. 15He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. 16He shall suck the poison of asps: The viper’s tongue shall slay him. 17He shall not see the rivers, The floods, the brooks of honey and butter. 18That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: According to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. 19Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; Because he hath violently taken away a house which he builded not;

20Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, He shall not save of that which he desired. 21There shall none of his meat be left; Therefore shall no man look for his goods. 22In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: Every hand of the wicked shall come upon him. 23When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, And shall rain it upon him while he is eating. 24He shall flee from the iron weapon, And the bow of steel shall strike him through. 25It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; Yea, the glistering sword cometh out of his gall: Terrors are upon him. 26All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: A fire not blown shall consume him; It shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle. 27The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; And the earth shall rise up against him. 28The increase of his house shall depart, And his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. 29This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the heritage appointed unto him by God.

1But Job answered and said, 2Hear diligently my speech, And let this be your consolations. 3Suffer me that I may speak; And after that I have spoken, mock on. 4As for me, is my complaint to man? And if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled? 5Mark me, and be astonished, And lay your hand upon your mouth. 6Even when I remember I am afraid, And trembling taketh hold on my flesh.

7Wherefore do the wicked live, Become old, yea, are mighty in power? 8Their seed is established in their sight with them, And their offspring before their eyes. 9Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. 10Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. 11They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. 12They take the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the organ. 13They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave. 14Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. 15What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? 16Lo, their good is not in their hand: The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

17How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! And how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. 18They are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carrieth away. 19God layeth up his iniquity for his children: He rewardeth him, and he shall know it. 20His eyes shall see his destruction, And he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, When the number of his months is cut off in the midst? 22Shall any teach God knowledge? Seeing he judgeth those that are high.

23One dieth in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and quiet. 24His breasts are full of milk, And his bones are moistened with marrow. 25And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, And never eateth with pleasure. 26They shall lie down alike in the dust, And the worms shall cover them.

27Behold, I know your thoughts, And the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me. 28For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? And where are the dwelling places of the wicked? 29Have ye not asked them that go by the way? And do ye not know their tokens, 30That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? They shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. 31Who shall declare his way to his face? And who shall repay him what he hath done? 32Yet shall he be brought to the grave, And shall remain in the tomb. 33The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, And every man shall draw after him, As there are innumerable before him. 34How then comfort ye me in vain, Seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?