Job 1–2; 1 Corinthians 1

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Job 1–2

Job’s Character and Wealth

There was a man in the land of aUz whose name was bJob, and that man was cblameless and upright, one who dfeared God and eturned away from evil. There were born to him fseven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all gthe people of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and hconsecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and ioffer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and jcursed1 God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

Now there was a day when kthe sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and lSatan2 also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, From mgoing to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said to Satan, Have you nconsidered my oservant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, pa blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put qa hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have rblessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But sstretch out your hand and ttouch all that he has, and he will ucurse you vto your face. 12 And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Takes Job’s Property and Children

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and wthe Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants3 with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, xThe fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, yThe Chaldeans formed zthree groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you. 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, aYour sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across bthe wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

20 Then Job arose and ctore his drobe and eshaved his head fand fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, gNaked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I hreturn. The Lord igave, and the Lord has taken away; jblessed be the name of the Lord.

22 kIn all this Job did not sin or charge God with lwrong.

Satan Attacks Job’s Health

Again mthere was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still nholds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him owithout reason. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But pstretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will qcurse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome rsores from sthe sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took ta piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in uthe ashes.

Then his wife said to him, Do you still vhold fast your integrity? qCurse God and die. 10 But he said to her, You speak as one of the wfoolish women would speak. xShall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?4 yIn all this Job did not zsin with his lips.

Job’s Three Friends

11 Now when Job’s three afriends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz bthe Temanite, Bildad cthe Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to dshow him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they etore their robes and sprinkled fdust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground gseven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.


1 Corinthians 1

Greeting

Paul, acalled bby the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those csanctified in Christ Jesus, dcalled to be saints together with all those who in every place ecall upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

dGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

I fgive thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way gyou were enriched in him in all hspeech and all knowledge even as ithe testimony about Christ was confirmed among you so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you jwait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, kwho will sustain you to the end, lguiltless min the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. nGod is faithful, by whom you were called into the ofellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, brothers,1 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no pdivisions among you, but that you be united qin the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is rquarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that seach one of you says, I follow Paul, or I follow tApollos, or I follow uCephas, or I follow Christ. 13 vIs Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you wbaptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except xCrispus and yGaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also zthe household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and anot with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18 For the word of the cross is bfolly to cthose who are perishing, but to us dwho are being saved it is ethe power of God. 19 For it is written,

fI will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

20 gWhere is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? hHas not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach2 to save those who believe. 22 For iJews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ jcrucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ kthe power of God and lthe wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: mnot many of you were wise according to worldly standards,3 not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But nGod chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; oGod chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even pthings that are not, to qbring to nothing things that are, 29 so rthat no human being4 might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him5 you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us swisdom from God, trighteousness and usanctification and vredemption, 31 so that, as it is written, wLet the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.