Job 21, Zephaniah 3, 1 John 3 & 4
First Portion
Second portion
Third portion
Job 21
1. But Job answered and said,
2. Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.
3. Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on.
4. As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?
5. Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.
6. Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.
7. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
8. Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.
9. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.
10. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
11. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.
12. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.
13. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.
14. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
15. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
16. Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
17. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.
18. They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.
19. God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.
20. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21. For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?
22. Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.
23. One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.
24. His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.
25. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.
26. They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.
27. Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.
28. For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?
29. Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,
30. That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
31. Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?
32. Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.
33. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.
34. How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?
Zephaniah 3
1. Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
2. She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
3. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
4. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
5. The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
6. I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
7. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
8. Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
10. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
11. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.
12. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
13. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
14. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
18. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.
1 John 3
1. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1 John 4
1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19. We love him, because he first loved us.
20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.