Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Job 33

¹"But now, Job, listen to my words; pay attention to everything I say. ²I am about to open my mouth; my words are on the tip of my tongue. ³My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. ⁴The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. ⁵Answer me then, if you can; prepare yourself and confront me. ⁶I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay. ⁷No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy upon you.

⁸"But you have said in my hearing-- I heard the very words-- ⁹'I am pure and without sin; I am clean and free from guilt. ¹⁰Yet God has found fault with me; he considers me his enemy. ¹¹He fastens my feet in shackles; he keeps close watch on all my paths.'

¹²"But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man. ¹³Why do you complain to him that he answers none of man's words? ¹⁴For God does speak--now one way, now another-- though man may not perceive it. ¹⁵In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, ¹⁶he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, ¹⁷to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, ¹⁸to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. ¹⁹Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress in his bones, ²⁰so that his very being finds food repulsive and his soul loathes the choicest meal. ²¹His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his bones, once hidden, now stick out. ²²His soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the messengers of death.

²³"Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, ²⁴to be gracious to him and say, 'Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him'-- ²⁵then his flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth. ²⁶He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. ²⁷Then he comes to men and says, 'I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. ²⁸He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.'

²⁹"God does all these things to a man-- twice, even three times-- ³⁰to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him.

³¹"Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. ³²If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want you to be cleared. ³³But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

Psalm 114

¹When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, ²Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion. ³The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; ⁴the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. ⁵Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, ⁶you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs? ⁷Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, ⁸who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.

Luke 18:31–43

³¹Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³²He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. ³³On the third day he will rise again."

³⁴The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

³⁵As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."

³⁸He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

³⁹Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁰Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹"What do you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, I want to see," he replied.

⁴²Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." ⁴³Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.