Select: First Reading Second Reading Bible Background

First Reading: Job Chapter 4 and 5

Job 4

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

2 If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?

3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, And thou hast made firm the feeble knees.

5 But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest; It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

6 Is not thy fear `of God' thy confidence, `And' the integrity of thy ways thy hope?

7 Remember, I pray thee, who `ever' perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?

8 According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, And sow trouble, reap the same.

9 By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.

10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, And mine ear received a whisper thereof.

13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falleth on men,

14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones to shake.

15 Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair of my flesh stood up.

16 It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; A form was before mine eyes: `There was' silence, and I heard a voice, `saying',

17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?

18 Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants; And his angels he chargeth with folly:

19 How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!

20 Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: They perish for ever without any regarding it.

21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.

Job 5

1 Call now; is there any that will answer thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

2 For vexation killeth the foolish man, And jealousy slayeth the silly one.

3 I have seen the foolish taking root: But suddenly I cursed his habitation.

4 His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them:

5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns; And the snare gapeth for their substance.

6 For affliction cometh not forth from the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

7 But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward.

8 But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause;

9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvellous things without number:

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields;

11 So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety.

12 He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

14 They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night.

15 But he saveth from the sword of their mouth, Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.

16 So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole.

19 He will deliver thee in six troubles; Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

20 In famine he will redeem thee from death; And in war from the power of the sword.

21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

22 At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.

25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season.

27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

Second Reading: Luke Chapter 4

Luke 4

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness

2 during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did eat nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered.

3 And the devil said unto him, if thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread.

4 And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.

5 And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine.

8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9 And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

10 for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee:

11 and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.

13 And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and a fame went out concerning him through all the region round about.

15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read.

17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.

22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?

23 And he said unto them, Doubtless ye will say unto me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in thine own country.

24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country.

25 But of a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;

26 and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

28 And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things;

29 and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong.

30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way.

31 And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day:

32 and they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority.

33 And in the synagogue there was a man, that had a spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice,

34 Ah! what have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt.

36 And amazement came upon all, and they spake together, one with another, saying, What is this word? for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

37 And there went forth a rumor concerning him into every place of the region round about.

38 And he rose up from the synagogue, and entered into the house of Simon. And Simon's wife's mother was holden with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she rose up and ministered unto them.

40 And when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

41 And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, he suffered them not to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

42 And when it was day, he came out and went into a desert place: and the multitudes sought after him, and came unto him, and would have stayed him, that he should not go from them.

43 But he said unto them, I must preach the good tidings of the kingdom of God to the other cities also: for therefore was I sent.

44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Bible Background

BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

JOB

Part 1 of 4

The author of Job is unknown. It was apparently written around 1500 B.C. which is near the time of Moses. It is the first poetic book of the Old Testament. It relates the anguish of a righteous man as he and his friends struggle to explain the affliction which has befallen Job and has stripped him of his wealth, his family, and his health. The dialogue continues between Job and his friends as each presents his opinion on the reasons behind such troubles. The purpose of the book of Job is to counter the belief of "exact retribution" (justification by works).

 

Select: First Reading Second Reading Bible Background