Job 36 Cross References - LEB

¹ Then* Elihu continued and said, ² "Bear with me a little longer, and _⌊I will explain_⌋,* for _⌊I still have something to say on God's behalf_⌋.* ³ I will bring my knowledge from far away, and I will ascribe righteousness to my maker, ⁴ for truly my words* are not falsehood; one who has perfect knowledge is with you.* ⁵ Look, God is mighty but* does not despise anyone; he is mighty and _⌊good in understanding_⌋.* ⁶ He does not keep the wicked alive but* grants justice to the afflicted. ⁷ He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but* he sets them forever with kings on the throne, and they are exalted. ⁸ "And if they are tied up with fetters, if they are caught in the cords of misery, ⁹ then* he declares their work to them, and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. ¹⁰ So* he opens their ear to the discipline, and he commands that they return from mischief. ¹¹ If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness. ¹² But* if they do not listen, they perish by the sword, and they pass away without knowledge. ¹³ And the godless of heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them. ¹⁴ _⌊They die in their youth_⌋,* and their life ends among the male shrine prostitutes. ¹⁵ He delivers the afflicted by his misery, and he opens their ears by the adversity. ¹⁶ And what's more, he allured you _⌊out of distress_⌋* into a broad place, where in place of it was no constraint; and what was set on your table is full of fatness. ¹⁷ But* you are obsessed with the judgment of the wicked; judgment and justice take hold of you. ¹⁸ Yes,* it is wrath, so that it will not incite you into mockery; and do not let the ransom's greatness turn you aside. ¹⁹ Will your cry for help sustain you without distress, or* all the efforts of your strength? ²⁰ You must not long for the night, to cut off people _⌊in their place_⌋.* ²¹ Take care, you must not turn to mischief, for because of this you have been tried by misery. ²² "Look, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? ²³ Who has prescribed his way for him? Or* who says, 'You have done wrong'? ²⁴ Remember that you should extol his work, of which people have sung. ²⁵ All human beings have looked on it; everyone watches from afar. ²⁶ "Look, God is exalted, and we do not know him; the number of his years is unsearchable. ²⁷ Indeed, he draws up the drops of water; he distills the rain into its mist, ²⁸ which the clouds pour down; they shower abundantly on human beings. ²⁹ "Moreover, _⌊can anyone understand_⌋* the spreading of clouds, the thundering of his dwelling place? ³⁰ Look, he scatters his lightning around him, and he covers the roots of the sea. ³¹ Indeed, he judges people by them; he gives food _⌊in abundance_⌋.* ³² He covers his hands with lightning, and he commands it the place at which to strike. ³³ His thundering tells about him; the livestock also tell _⌊concerning what rises_⌋.*

¹⁶ And he will speak for you to the people, _⌊and then_⌋* he will be to you as a mouth, and you will be to him as a god.

⁷ "Will you* speak falsely for God? And will you* speak deceitfully for him? ⁸ _⌊Will you* show partiality for him_⌋?* Or do you* want to plead God's case?

³ Bear with me, and I myself* will speak; then* after my speaking you can mock.

⁶ Look, before God _⌊I am like you_⌋;* I myself was also formed from clay.

³¹ "Listen attentively, Job; listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. ³² If _⌊you have anything to say_⌋,* _⌊answer me_⌋;* speak, for I desire _⌊to justify you_⌋.* ³³ If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

¹⁹ Therefore thus says Yahweh,
"If you turn back, then I will take you back. You will stand _⌊before me_⌋.* And if you utter what is precious and not what is worthless, you will be as my mouth. They will turn back to you, and you will not turn back to them.

⁷ And you must speak my words to them whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are rebellious.

²⁰ Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as if* God were imploring you through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

²² Now I urge you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for indeed I have written to you _⌊briefly_⌋*.

⁴ The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just; he is a faithful God, and _⌊without injustice_⌋;* righteous and upright is he.

³ Does God pervert justice, _⌊or_⌋* Shaddai pervert righteousness?

¹² "But* from where will wisdom be found? And _⌊where in the world_⌋* is the place of understanding? ¹³ A human being does not know its proper value, and it is not found in the land of the living.

²⁰ Indeed,* from where does wisdom come? And _⌊where in the world_⌋* is the place of understanding? ²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and it is concealed from the birds of the heaven. ²² Abaddon and Death say, 'We heard its rumor with our ears.' ²³ "God understands its way, and he knows its place, ²⁴ for he himself* looks to the end of the earth; he sees under all the heaven.

² So Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite, from the clan of Ram, _⌊became angry_⌋.* _⌊He became angry_⌋* at Job because he justified himself rather than God,

⁸ "Truly, it is a spirit in a human being, and the breath of Shaddai teaches them.

⁵ for Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice.

¹⁰ "Therefore, listen to me, _⌊people who have sense_⌋:* far be it from God _⌊that he should commit wickedness_⌋* and that Shaddai _⌊should do wrong_⌋.* ¹¹ Indeed, he will repay according to a human being's deeds, and according to a man's way he will let it happen to him. ¹² What's more, God truly does not act wickedly, and Shaddai does not pervert justice.

²³ As for Shaddai, we cannot attain him; he is exalted in power, and he does not oppress justice and abundant righteousness.

⁷ For Yahweh is righteous; he loves righteous deeds. The upright shall see his face.

¹⁷ Yahweh is righteous in all his ways, and loyal in all his works.

⁴ if you seek her like silver and search her out _⌊like treasure_⌋,* ⁵ then you will understand the fear of Yahweh, and the knowledge of God you will find.

¹ You will be in the right, O Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak my claims with you. Why does the way of the wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.

⁷ "_⌊Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord_⌋,* and on us is open shame, just as it is this day to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all Israel, _⌊those who are near and those who are far off_⌋* in all the lands to which you have driven them,* because of their infidelity which they displayed against you.

¹⁴ So Yahweh has kept watch over the* calamity, and now he has brought it upon us. Indeed, Yahweh our God is righteous concerning all his works* that he has done, but we have not listened to his voice.

¹ Now after* Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star at its rising* and have come to worship him."

⁴² The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something* greater than Solomon is here!

²⁷ And he got up and* went, and behold, there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch (a court official of Candace,* queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury) who had come to worship in Jerusalem ²⁸ and was returning and sitting in his chariot, and reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, "Approach and join this chariot." ³⁰ So Philip ran up to it* and* heard him reading aloud Isaiah the prophet and said, "So then, do you understand what you are reading?" ³¹ And he said, "So how could I, unless someone will guide me?" And he invited Philip to come up and* sit with him. ³² Now the passage of scripture that he was reading aloud was this:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ³³ In his* humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his _⌊descendants_⌋?* For his life was taken away from the earth."* ³⁴ And the eunuch answered and* said to Philip, "I ask you, about whom does the prophet say this—about himself or about someone else?" ³⁵ So Philip opened his mouth and beginning from this scripture, proclaimed the good news to him about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"*

³⁸ And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water—Philip and the eunuch—and he baptized him. ³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer, for he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he* passed through, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

²⁵ whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat* through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, ²⁶ in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the person by faith* in Jesus.

¹⁴ What then shall we say? There is no injustice with God, is there?* May it never be!

⁶ But the righteousness from faith speaks like this: "Do not say in your heart,* 'Who will ascend into heaven?'"* (that is, to bring Christ down), ⁷ or "Who will descend into the abyss?"* (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? "The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart"* (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim),

⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask for it from God, who gives to all without reservation and not reproaching, and it will be given to him.

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of change.

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, nonjudgmental, without hypocrisy,

³ And they were singing the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
"Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God All-Powerful; righteous and true are your ways, King of the ages!*

⁴ "But* you* _⌊whitewash with lies_⌋;* all of you* are _⌊worthless healers_⌋.*

⁷ "Will you* speak falsely for God? And will you* speak deceitfully for him?

²⁷ "Look, I know your* thoughts and the schemes you devise against me.

³⁴ So* how will you comfort me with emptiness, when* fraud is left in your answers?"

⁶ "Indeed, you have required a pledge from your family for nothing, and you have stripped off the clothes of the naked. ⁷ You have given no water for the weary to drink, and you withheld food from the hungry. ⁸ And the land _⌊belongs to the man of power_⌋,* and _⌊the favored_⌋* lives in it. ⁹ You have sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms of orphans were crushed. ¹⁰ Therefore trapping nets are all around you, and panic suddenly terrifies you, ¹¹ or it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. ¹² "Is not God in the height of the heavens? But* see how lofty are _⌊the highest stars_⌋.* ¹³ And you ask, 'What does God know? Can he judge through deep gloom? ¹⁴ Thick clouds are a covering for him, so that he does not see; and he walks about on the dome of heaven.' ¹⁵ Will you keep to the way of old that the people of mischief have trod, ¹⁶ who were snatched away _⌊before their time_⌋,* whose foundation was washed away by a current? ¹⁷ Those who said to God, 'Turn away from us,' and 'What can Shaddai do to us?' ¹⁸ Yet* he himself* filled up their houses with good things, but* the schemes of the wicked are repugnant to me. ¹⁹ The righteous see, and they rejoice, but* the innocent one mocks at them. ²⁰ _⌊Surely_⌋* our foe perishes, and fire has consumed their remainder.* ²¹ "Please reconcile yourself with him, and be at peace; _⌊in this way_⌋,* good will come to you. ²² Please receive instruction from his mouth, and place his words in your heart. ²³ If you return to Shaddai, you will be restored; if you remove wickedness from your tent, ²⁴ and if you put gold ore in the dust, and the gold of Ophir in the rock of wadis, ²⁵ then* Shaddai will be your gold ore and _⌊your precious silver_⌋.* ²⁶ Indeed, then you will delight yourself in Shaddai, and _⌊you will expect that God will be good to you_⌋.* ²⁷ You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows. ²⁸ And you will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. ²⁹ When they are humiliated, _⌊you say_⌋,* 'It is pride,' for* he saves _⌊the humble_⌋.* ³⁰ He will deliver the guilty, and he will escape because of the cleanness of your hands."

³ My words declare my heart's uprightness, and my lips sincerely speak _⌊what my lips know_⌋.*

¹⁶ Do you know about the hovering of the clouds, _⌊the marvelous works of the one with perfect knowledge_⌋?*

³ My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

⁷ My mouth will utter truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. ⁸ All sayings of my mouth are in righteousness; none of them are twisted and crooked.

²⁰ Have I not written for you thirty sayings with admonitions and knowledge? ²¹ In order to show you what is right—sayings of truth— in order to return a true saying to him who sent you.

³ it seemed best to me also—because I* have followed all things carefully from the beginning—to write them* down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,

²² But Felix, because he* understood the facts concerning the Way more accurately, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the military tribune comes down, I will decide _⌊your case_⌋."*

²⁰ Brothers, do not become children in your understanding, but with respect to wickedness be as a child, and in your understanding be mature.

¹⁷ For we are not like the majority who peddle the word of God, but as from pure motives—but as from God—we speak before God in Christ.

¹² Epaphras, who is one of you, greets you, a slave of Christ* always struggling on behalf of you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured* in all the will of God.

¹⁶ All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

¹⁴ _⌊How much less_⌋* can I myself* answer him? How can I choose my words with him,

¹⁹ If _⌊it is a matter of_⌋* strength, look, he is mighty. But* if _⌊it is a matter of_⌋* justice, who can summon me?*

³ Is it good for you that you oppress, that you despise the labor of your hands, and you smile over the schemes of the wicked?

¹³ "With him are wisdom and powerful deeds, and to him belong counsel and understanding. ¹⁴ If he tears down, then* it will not be rebuilt; if he shuts a man in, then* he cannot be freed. ¹⁵ Look, if he withholds the water,* then* they dry up; and if he sends them out, then* they overwhelm the land. ¹⁶ "Strength and sound wisdom are with him; the deceived and the deceiver are his.*

¹² By his power he stilled the sea, and by his understanding he struck down Rahab. ¹³ By his breath _⌊the heavens were made clear_⌋;* his hand pierced the fleeing snake. ¹⁴ Look, these are the outer fringes of his ways, and _⌊how faint is the word_⌋* that we hear of him! But* who can understand the thunder of his power?"

¹³ "If I have rejected my male or* female slave's case when their complaint was against me,

²⁴ because he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and has not hid his face from him; but he listened to him when he cried for help.

⁴ And the strength of the king loves justice.* You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

⁶ Though Yahweh is high, yet he sees the lowly, but the proud he perceives* at a distance.

⁵ Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is unlimited.

¹² He is the maker of the earth by his power, who created the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding he stretched out heaven.

¹⁹ great in counsel and great in deed, whose eyes are opened to all the ways of the children of humankind, to give to each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds,

²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,* and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.* ²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers, that not many were wise according to human standards,* not many were powerful, not many were well born. ²⁷ But the foolish things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the strong, ²⁸ and the insignificant of the world, and the despised, God chose, the things that are not, in order that he might abolish the things that are,

²² " 'You will not afflict any widow or orphan. ²³ If you indeed afflict him, yes, if he cries out at all to me, I will certainly hear his cry of distress. ²⁴ And _⌊I will become angry_⌋,* and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

¹⁵ And* he saves from the sword of* their mouth, _⌊even_⌋* the poor from the hand of the strong.

²² Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked _⌊will be no more_⌋."*

⁷ "Why do the wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty in power? ⁸ With them their offspring are established _⌊before them_⌋,* and their descendants before their eyes. ⁹ Their houses are safe without fear, and the rod of God is not upon them.

³⁰ Indeed, the wicked is spared from the day of disaster; he is delivered from the day of wrath.

¹² because I saved the needy who cried for help, and I saved* the orphan for whom there was no helper. ¹³ The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a headband. ¹⁵ "I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the poor, and I investigated _⌊the stranger's_⌋* legal dispute. ¹⁷ And I broke the evil one's jaw bones, and I made his prey drop from his teeth.

¹² for he who _⌊avenges bloodshed_⌋* remembers them. He does not forget the distressed cry of the afflicted.

¹⁴ But you have seen; indeed you have noted trouble and grief to take it into your hand. The helpless abandons himself upon you; you have been the helper for the orphan. ¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked, and as for the evil man— seek out his wickedness until you find none.

²³ But you, O God, you will bring them down to the pit of corruption. The men of bloodshed and deceit will not live half their days, but I will trust you.

⁴ May he provide justice for the poor of the people, save the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.

¹² Indeed he will deliver the needy who is crying for help, and the afflicted who has no helper. ¹³ He will take pity on the helpless and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. ¹⁴ From oppression and from violence he will redeem their lives, and their blood will be precious in his eyes.

¹ A psalm of Asaph.*
God stands in the divine assembly;* he administers judgment in the midst of the gods.* ² "How long will you judge unjustly and _⌊show favoritism to the wicked_⌋?* Selah ³ Judge on behalf of the helpless and the orphan; provide justice to the afflicted and the poor. ⁴ Rescue the helpless and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

¹² I know* that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the needy.

²² Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate; ²³ For Yahweh will plead their case and despoil those who despoil them of life.*

⁴ But he shall judge the poor with righteousness, and he shall decide for the needy of the earth with rectitude. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked person with the breath of his lips.

¹ You will be in the right, O Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak my claims with you. Why does the way of the wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease. ² Not only do you plant them, they take root. They grow, but also they produce fruit. You are near in their mouths, but far from their _⌊inmost beings_⌋.*

⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to reserve the unrighteous to be punished at* the day of judgment,

⁶ "Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince* in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us _⌊will withhold his burial site_⌋* from you for burying your dead."

⁴⁰ You shall be over my house, and to your word* all my people shall submit. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust. From the ash heap he lifts up the needy, to cause them to sit with noble people and to cause them to inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth belong to Yahweh and he has set the inhabited world on them.

¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be a son for me, whom I will punish when he does wrong, with a rod of men and with blows of the _⌊human beings_⌋.* ¹⁵ But my loyal love shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever." '"

⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars."

³ For Mordecai the Jew was second-in-command to King Ahasuerus. He was great for the Jews and popular with many of his brothers, for he sought good for his people, _⌊interceding for the welfare of all his descendants_⌋.*

³ Then* his livestock came to be seven thousand sheep and goats and three thousand camels and five hundred pairs* of oxen and five hundred female donkeys, and he had very many slaves, and that man was greater than all the people of the east.

¹² So* Yahweh blessed Job's latter days more than his beginning. _⌊Thus he had_⌋* fourteen thousand sheep and goats and six thousand camels and a thousand pair of oxen and a thousand female donkeys.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of Yahweh is on those who fear him, on those who hope* for his loyal love

¹⁵ The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry for help.

⁷⁰ And he chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds. ⁷¹ He brought him from following nursing ewes to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. ⁷² And he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skillfulness of his hands.

⁷ He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is steadfast, secure* in Yahweh. ⁸ His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his enemies. ⁹ _⌊He gives lavishly_⌋* to the needy; his righteousness endures forever. His horn rises high in honor. ¹⁰ The wicked* sees it and is vexed. He gnashes his teeth and _⌊becomes weak_⌋.* The desire of the wicked* perishes.

⁷ He raises the helpless from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, ⁸ to seat them with princes, with the princes of his people.

¹⁷ Yahweh your God is in your midst; a mighty warrior who saves. He shall rejoice over you with joy; he renews* you in his love; he will exult over you with singing.

³ But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.*

²⁷ And you* put my feet in the block, and you* watch all my paths; you carve a mark on the soles of my feet.*

⁶ know then that God has wronged me and has surrounded me with his net.

¹⁸ He spares his life from the pit and his life from passing over the river of death. ¹⁹ "And he is reproved with pain on his bed, even* with the strife of his bones continually,

⁵ The ropes of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

¹⁰ Those who sat in darkness and gloom, prisoners of misery and iron—

³ The ropes of death encircled me, and the distresses of Sheol found me. I found trouble and grief.

²² His iniquities shall ensnare him, the evildoer, and in the vanity of his sin he shall be caught.

⁹ He has blocked my ways with dressed stones; he has made my paths crooked.

²¹ "And Yahweh was angry with me _⌊because of you_⌋,* and he swore _⌊that I would not cross the Jordan_⌋* and _⌊that I would not go to the good land_⌋* that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance. ²² For I am going to die in this land; I am not going to cross the Jordan, but you are going to cross, and you are going to take possession of this good land.

¹¹ So Yahweh brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria upon them, and they took Manasseh captive with hooks, and they bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon. ¹² And when he was in distress he entreated Yahweh his God and greatly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors* ¹³ and prayed to him. And God responded to him and heard his plea and let him return to Jerusalem to his kingdom. And Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.

² I will say to God, 'You should not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me.

²⁵ Because he stretched out his hand against God, and he was arrogant to Shaddai;

¹⁰ Treat them as guilty, O God; let them fall because of their plans. Because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

¹² Blessed is the man, O Yah, whom you instruct and teach from your law,

⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted, I was going astray, but now I heed your word.

⁷¹ It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn your statutes.

¹² For our transgressions are numerous before you, and our sins _⌊testify_⌋* against us. Indeed, our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities:

³⁹ Why should any living person complain about his sin? ⁴⁰ Let us test and examine our ways; let us return to Yahweh.

²⁸ And if he sees and he returns from all of his transgressions that he did, surely he will live; he will not die! ²⁹ And yet they, the house of Israel, say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Are not my ways fair, house of Israel? _⌊Are not your ways unfair?_⌋* ³⁰ "Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one* according to his ways," _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. "Repent* and turn around from all of your transgression, and it will not be as a stumbling block of iniquity to you. ³¹ Throw _⌊away from yourselves_⌋* all of your transgressions that you committed,* and make _⌊for yourselves_⌋* a new heart and new spirit, and so why will you die, house of Israel?

¹⁷ "But when he* came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have an abundance _⌊of food_⌋,* and I am dying here from hunger! ¹⁸ I will set out and* go to my father and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and _⌊in your sight_⌋!* ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your hired workers.'

²⁰ Now the law came in as a side issue, in order that the trespass could increase, but where sin increased, grace was present in greater abundance,

³² But if we* are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.

¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and worthy of all acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

¹³ Yahweh warned Israel and Judah by the hand of his every prophet, with every seer saying, "Turn from all of your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my ordinances, according to all the law which I commanded your ancestors,* which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets."

¹⁶ then he opens the ear of men, and _⌊he frightens them with a warning_⌋* ¹⁷ to turn human beings aside from their deeds, and he keeps man from pride. ¹⁸ He spares his life from the pit and his life from passing over the river of death. ¹⁹ "And he is reproved with pain on his bed, even* with the strife of his bones continually, ²⁰ _⌊so that_⌋* his life loathes bread, and his inner self* loathes _⌊appetizing food_⌋.* ²¹ His flesh is wasted away from sight, and his bones, which are invisible, are bared. ²² And _⌊he_⌋* draws near to the pit and his life to the killers. ²³ "If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand,* to declare to a human being his uprightness

¹⁵ He delivers the afflicted by his misery, and he opens their ears by the adversity.

⁶ A sacrifice and offering you do not desire. _⌊My ears you have opened_⌋.* Burnt offering and sin offering you have not demanded.

²² "_⌊How long_⌋,* O simple ones, will you love simplicity? And how long will scoffers delight in their scoffing, and fools hate knowledge? ²³ May you turn to my argument!* Behold, I shall pour out my spirit upon you; I will make my words known to you.

⁴ "To you, O _⌊people_⌋,* I call, and my cry is to the children of humankind. ⁵ Learn prudence, O simple ones; fools, learn _⌊intelligence_⌋.*

⁴ "Whoever is simple, let him turn here." As for the one who lacks _⌊sense_⌋,* she says to him, ⁵ "Come, eat with my bread; drink with the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Lay aside simplicity and live; walk in the way of understanding."

¹⁶ Wash! Make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes! Cease to do evil! ¹⁷ Learn to do good! Seek justice! Rescue the oppressed! Defend the orphan! Plead for the widow! ¹⁸ "Come now, and let us argue," says Yahweh. "Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and you are obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. ²⁰ But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

⁸ Neither have you heard, nor have you known, nor from _⌊of old_⌋* has your ear been opened. For I knew you would deal treacherously, very treacherously, and you are called a rebel from the womb.

¹⁷ Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel:
"I am Yahweh your God, _⌊who teaches_⌋* you to profit, leads you in the way you should go.

⁵ The Lord Yahweh has opened an ear for me, and I, I was not rebellious. I did not turn backwards;

⁶ Seek Yahweh _⌊while he lets himself be found_⌋;* call him _⌊while he is_⌋* near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of sin his thoughts. And let him return to Yahweh, that* he may take pity on him, and to our God, for he will _⌊forgive manifold_⌋.*

³ For thus says Yahweh to the men* of Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up for yourselves prepared virgin soil, and you must not sow among thornbushes. ⁴ Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and remove the foreskins of your hearts,* men* of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath goes forth like the fire and burns, and there is no one who extinguishes it,* because of the evil of your deeds."

³ Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Make your ways and your deeds good and let me dwell with you in this place. ⁴ Do not trust in _⌊the deceitful words_⌋,* _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, they are the temple of Yahweh.' ⁵ For if you truly make your ways and your deeds good, if you truly do justice between a man and his neighbor, ⁶ you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, you do not shed innocent blood in this place, and you do not go after other gods _⌊to your harm_⌋,* ⁷ then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors* _⌊forever and ever_⌋.*

¹ Return to Yahweh your God, O Israel, for you have stumbled because of your sin.

⁸ Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!

¹⁹ Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out,

¹⁴ And a certain woman _⌊named_⌋* Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a merchant dealing in purple cloth who showed reverence for God, was listening. The Lord opened _⌊her_⌋* heart to pay attention to what was being said by Paul.

³⁰ Therefore although* God has overlooked the times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent,

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!

³⁰ _⌊In your distress_⌋* when* all these things have found you in the _⌊latter days_⌋,* then* you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice.

¹³ "If you yourself* direct your heart and stretch out your hands to him— ¹⁴ if iniquity* is in your hand, put it far away, and you must not let wickedness reside in your tents— ¹⁵ surely then you will lift up your face without* blemish, and you will be firmly established and will not fear.* ¹⁶ For you yourself* will forget your misery; you will remember it as water that has flowed past. ¹⁷ "_⌊And your life will be brighter than noon_⌋;* its darkness will be like the morning. ¹⁸ And you will have confidence because there is hope; and you will be well protected—_⌊you will sleep in safety_⌋.* ¹⁹ And you will lie down, and _⌊no one will make you afraid_⌋;* _⌊and many will entreat your favor_⌋.*

¹¹ They send out their little ones like the flock, and their children dance around.

²¹ "Please reconcile yourself with him, and be at peace; _⌊in this way_⌋,* good will come to you.

²³ If you return to Shaddai, you will be restored; if you remove wickedness from your tent,

² The same fate comes to everyone:
to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the wicked,* to the clean and to the unclean, to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice. As with the good man, so also to the sinner; as with those who swear an oath, so also those who fear oaths. ³ This is the _⌊injustice_⌋* that is done under the sun: the same fate comes to everyone. Also the hearts of _⌊humans_⌋* are full of evil; delusion is in their hearts during their lives, and then they die.

¹⁹ If you are willing and you are obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

²³ But I only commanded them this word, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Obey my voice, and I will be to you God, and you will be to me people, and you must walk in all of the way that I command you, so that it goes well with you.'

¹³ Now _⌊therefore_⌋* amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent of the disaster that he has spoken over you.

¹⁷ But thanks be to God that you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted,

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he* was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

⁵ You have lived self-indulgently on the earth* and have lived luxuriously. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

⁷ As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give to her so much torment and mourning, because in her heart she said, 'I sit as a queen, and am not a widow, and I will never see mourning!'

¹⁵ "Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your countrymen,* and to him you shall listen. ¹⁶ This is _⌊according to all that you asked_⌋* from Yahweh your God at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, _⌊saying_⌋,* '_⌊I do not want again to hear_⌋* the voice of Yahweh my God, and I do not want to see again this great fire, so that I may not die!' ¹⁷ And Yahweh said to me, 'They are right in what they have said. ¹⁸ I will raise up a prophet for them _⌊from among their countrymen_⌋* like you, and I will place* my words into his mouth, and he shall speak to them _⌊everything that I command him_⌋.* ¹⁹ _⌊And then_⌋* the man that will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will hold accountable. ²⁰ However, the prophet that behaves presumptuously by speaking a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, and who speaks in the name of other gods, then that prophet shall die.' ²¹ And if you say _⌊to yourself_⌋,* 'How can we know the word that Yahweh has not spoken to him?' ²² Whenever what the prophet spoke in the name of Yahweh, the thing does not take place and does not come about, that is the thing that Yahweh has not spoken to him.* Presumptuously the prophet spoke it; you shall not fear that* prophet."

¹⁵ But with _⌊whoever is standing here_⌋* with us _⌊today_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh our God, and with _⌊whoever is not standing here_⌋* with us _⌊today_⌋.* ¹⁶ For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we traveled through the midst of the nations that you traveled* through. ¹⁷ And you have seen their detestable things and their idols of wood and stone, silver, and gold that were among them, ¹⁸ so that _⌊there is not_⌋* among you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe _⌊whose heart_⌋* turns _⌊today_⌋* from being with Yahweh our God to go to serve the gods of these nations, so that there is not among you a root sprouting poison and wormwood. ¹⁹ And then when he hears the words of this oath, then* _⌊he will assure himself_⌋* in his heart, _⌊saying_⌋,* '_⌊Safety shall be mine even though I go in the stubbornness of my heart_⌋,'* thereby destroying the well-watered land along with the parched.* ²⁰ Yahweh will not be willing to forgive him, for by then the anger of Yahweh will smoke, and his passion against that man and all the curses written in this scroll will descend on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven.

²¹ Is not their tent cord pulled up within them? They die, but* not in* wisdom.'

²² _⌊He cannot trust that he will return_⌋* from darkness, and he himself* is destined for the sword.

²⁰ But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

¹¹ Woe to the wicked!* It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him.

²¹ So he said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me and will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come!" ²² Then the Jews began to say,* "Perhaps he will kill himself, because he is saying, 'Where I am going you cannot come.'" ²³ And he said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are from this world; I am not from this world. ²⁴ Thus I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins."

⁸ but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress for every _⌊human being_⌋* who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek,

¹⁴ Behold, you stand in the place of your fathers, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more _⌊Yahweh's fierce anger_⌋* against Israel.

¹³ And they said to them, "You shall not bring the captives here, for it is as guilt against Yahweh upon us. You yourselves plan to add to our sins and to our guilt, but our guilt is very great, and there is great anger against Israel."

²² And in the time of his distress, King Ahaz continued to act unfaithfully against Yahweh.

⁴ "_⌊What is worse_⌋,* you yourself* are doing away with fear, and you are lessening meditation _⌊before_⌋* God.

⁸ for what is the hope of the godless when he cuts them off, when God takes away his life? ⁹ Will God hear his cry of distress when distress comes upon him? ¹⁰ Or, in Shaddai will he find delight? Will he call upon God at all times?

⁹ "Because of the multitude of oppressions, they cry out; they cry for help because of the arm of the mighty. ¹⁰ But* no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,

⁸ "And if they are tied up with fetters, if they are caught in the cords of misery,

¹² And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?' But _⌊he could say nothing_⌋.* ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, 'Tie him up _⌊hand and foot_⌋* and* throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!'

⁵ But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

⁵ And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we may know* them."

²⁴ Yahweh rained down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh. ²⁵ And he overthrew those cities and the whole plain, and the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground.

⁷ And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh killed him. ⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to the wife of your brother and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." ⁹ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be for him, so whenever he went in to the wife of his brother he would waste it on the ground* so as not to give offspring to his brother. ¹⁰ And what he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so he killed him also.

¹ And Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, and they put fire in them and placed incense on it;* then* they presented _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh illegitimate fire, which he had not commanded them. ² So* fire went out _⌊from before_⌋* Yahweh, and it consumed them so that* they died _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh.

¹⁷ "No woman _⌊of Israel_⌋* shall be a temple prostitute, and no man _⌊of Israel_⌋* shall be a male shrine prostitute.

³² It will be paid in full _⌊before his time_⌋,* and his branch will not flourish.

²³ This one dies _⌊in full prosperity_⌋,* _⌊completely_⌋* at ease and secure. ²⁴ His vats are full with milk and the marrow of his bones is moist. ²⁵ Yet* another dies with a bitter inner self* and has not tasted prosperity.

¹⁶ who were snatched away _⌊before their time_⌋,* whose foundation was washed away by a current?

⁸ However, they shall be his servants, that they might know my service and the service of the kingdoms of other countries."

¹⁰ So* he opens their ear to the discipline, and he commands that they return from mischief.

⁸ He has walled up my way so that* I cannot pass; and he has set darkness upon my paths.

¹⁰ Then* Yahweh returned Job's fortune when he prayed to him on behalf of his friends. Thus* Yahweh increased _⌊all that Job had twice as much as before_⌋.* ¹¹ So* all his brothers and all his sisters and all those who had known him _⌊before_⌋* came to him, and they ate bread* with him in his house and showed sympathy to him and comforted him for all the disaster* that Yahweh had brought upon him. Then* each one gave to him one piece of money, and each one gave to him one ornamental ring of gold. ¹² So* Yahweh blessed Job's latter days more than his beginning. _⌊Thus he had_⌋* fourteen thousand sheep and goats and six thousand camels and a thousand pair of oxen and a thousand female donkeys. ¹³ _⌊And he had_⌋* seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ And he called the name of the first Jemimah and the name of the second Keziah and the name of the third Qeren-Happuk. ¹⁵ And beautiful women were not found in all the land like Job's daughters, and their father gave to them an inheritance in the midst of their brothers. ¹⁶ And Job lived after this one hundred and forty years, and he saw his sons and his _⌊grandsons_⌋* for four generations. ¹⁷ Then* Job died old and full of days.

¹⁹ So he brought me out to a spacious place. He delivered me because he delighted in me.

⁵ You prepare before me a table in the presence of my oppressors. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.

⁸ And you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a broad place.

⁸ They are refreshed with the _⌊fullness_⌋* of your house,* and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

¹ For the music director. Of David. A psalm.*
I waited patiently for Yahweh, And he inclined to me and heard my cry for help. ² And so he brought me up from the roaring pit,* from the miry clay. And he put my feet upon a rock; he made my steps steady. ³ Then he put a new song in my mouth, a praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and will trust Yahweh.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the best and richest food, and with joyful lips my mouth will praise.

⁵ Out of my distress I called to Yah.* Yah answered me, setting me in a broad place.

⁶ And on this mountain Yahweh of hosts will make for all peoples a _⌊rich feast_⌋,* a feast of aged wines, fat filled with marrow, filtered aged wine.

² Why do you weigh out money for what is not food, and your labor for _⌊what cannot satisfy_⌋?* Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul take pleasure in _⌊rich_⌋* food.

¹⁴ Therefore, Look! I am going to allure her and bring her into the desert, and _⌊I will speak tenderly to her_⌋.*

⁵ I could* encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would* ease the pain.

¹¹ or it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.

⁸ And he goes on the road in company with instigators of mischief, and walks with men of wickedness.

³⁶ Would that Job were tested up to the end because his answers are like those from men of mischief,

³² who, although they* know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same things, but also they approve of those who do them.

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
"Come out from her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins, and so that you will not receive her plagues,

²⁴ _⌊so that_⌋* he is gracious to him, and he says, 'Deliver him from descending into the pit; I have found a ransom.'

⁵ Then he speaks to them in his wrath, and in his fury he terrifies them:

¹² Kiss the Son lest he be angry and you perish on the way, for his anger burns quickly. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

¹⁰ Remove from me your affliction. By the opposition of your hand I perish.

⁷ Surely a man cannot redeem a brother. He cannot give to God his ransom ⁸ (since* the redemption price for their life is costly and it always fails),

⁵ O Lord, at your right hand he will shatter kings in the day of his anger.

⁶ that struck the peoples in wrath, a blow without ceasing, that ruled the nations in anger _⌊with unrestrained persecution_⌋.*

¹⁶ "Son of man,* look! I am taking from you what is pleasing to your eyes with a plague,* but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not run down.

⁷ But when he* saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

⁶ who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony at the proper time,

³ how will we escape if we* neglect so great a salvation which had its beginning when it* was spoken through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard,

¹³ God will not turn back his anger; beneath him the helpers of Rahab bow.

²⁰ In a moment they die, and in the middle of the night the people are shaken, and they pass away, and they take away the mighty _⌊effortlessly_⌋.*

¹⁶ The king is not saved by the greatness of an army. The warrior is not delivered by the greatness of strength. ¹⁷ The horse is a false hope for victory, nor can it save by the greatness of its power.

² Treasures of wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

⁴ Wealth does not profit on the day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death.

²¹ _⌊Rest assured_⌋,* the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring* of the righteous will escape.

²⁰ On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silver and its idols of gold, which they made for it to worship, to the rodents* and to the bats—

³⁶ And the angel of Yahweh set out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When* they rose in the morning, look! All of them were dead corpses.

¹⁸ Moreover, their silver and their gold will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of Yahweh. And in the fire of his zeal, the whole land shall be consumed, for a terrifying end he shall make for all the inhabitants of the land.

³ Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and it will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days.

²⁹ _⌊And_⌋* in the middle of the night, Yahweh struck all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the prison house and every firstborn of an animal.

³⁵ It happened in that night that an angel of Yahweh went out, and he struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Assyria. When they got up early in the morning, look! All of them were dead corpses.

²⁰ "Why does he* give light to one in misery and life to those bitter of soul, ²¹ who wait for death, but* _⌊it does not come_⌋,* and search* for it more than for treasures,

⁹ that* God would decide that* he would crush me, that he would let loose his hand and _⌊kill me_⌋.*

¹⁵ So* my inner self* will choose* strangling— death more than my _⌊existence_⌋.*

¹³ "_⌊O that_⌋* you would conceal me in Sheol, that you would hide me _⌊until your wrath is past_⌋,* that you would appoint a set time for me and remember me.

¹³ If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I spread my couch in the darkness, ¹⁴ if I call to the pit, 'You are my father,' to the maggot, 'You are my mother or* my sister,'

²⁵ Therefore he knows their works, and he overturns them in the night _⌊so that_⌋* they are crushed.

³² By his evildoing, the wicked will be overthrown, and the righteous will find refuge in his death.

³ When the clouds are full, they empty rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or whether it falls to the north, the place where the tree falls—there it will be.

³⁰ _⌊That same night_⌋* Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed.

²⁰ But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your life* is demanded from you, and the things which you have prepared—whose will they be?'

²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to depart to his own place."

² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. ³ Whenever they say "Peace and security," then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of _⌊a pregnant woman_⌋*, and they will not possibly escape.

⁷ What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water? ⁸ And he goes on the road in company with instigators of mischief, and walks with men of wickedness. ⁹ Indeed, he says, 'A man does not profit when he takes delight in God.'

³ If you ask what it profits you: 'How do I benefit _⌊by refraining from my sin_⌋?'*

¹⁸ If I had considered evil in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

⁴ Therefore speak with them, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Every person from the house of Israel who brings up his idols into his heart and _⌊places before himself_⌋* a stumbling block of his guilt* and yet he comes to the prophet, I Yahweh, I will respond to him through this act* with respect to the multitude* of his idols,

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, "We have no need on this matter _⌊to present a defense to you_⌋.* ¹⁷ _⌊If it is so_⌋,* our God, whom we serve, is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire. And from your hand, O king, let him rescue us. ¹⁸ And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that _⌊we will not serve your gods_⌋,* and the statue of gold* that you have set up we will not worship."

¹⁰ Now _⌊when_⌋* Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (_⌊now he had windows in his upper room that were open_⌋* toward Jerusalem), and three times _⌊daily_⌋* he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, _⌊just as_⌋* he had been doing _⌊previously_⌋.*

²⁹ And if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell.

²¹ But he does not have a root in himself, but _⌊lasts only a little while_⌋,* and when* affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away.

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

⁴⁰ And they summoned the apostles, beat them,* commanded them* not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.* ⁴¹ So they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin* rejoicing, because they had been considered worthy to be dishonored for the sake of the name.

²⁵ choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God rather than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin,

¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, _⌊if God wills it_⌋*, than for doing evil.

¹⁵ By all means do not let anyone of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ But if someone suffers as a Christian, he must not be ashamed, but must glorify God with this name.

⁷ Yahweh makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and also exalts. ⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust. From the ash heap he lifts up the needy, to cause them to sit with noble people and to cause them to inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth belong to Yahweh and he has set the inhabited world on them.

¹¹ who teaches us more than the animals of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?'

⁷ rather God is the judge; one he brings low, and another he lifts up.

¹⁰ Will the one who instructs nations not rebuke, the one who teaches humankind knowledge?

⁵ Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,

¹³ And all your children shall be pupils of Yahweh, and the peace of your children shall be great.

⁵ "I have made the earth with humankind and animals* that are on the face of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever is right in my eyes. ⁶ And now I myself have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and also the animals* of the field I have given to him to serve him. ⁷ And all the nations will serve him, and his son, and _⌊his grandson_⌋,* until the coming of the time of _⌊his own_⌋* land. Then many nations and great kings will let him work. ⁸ "But it will be that the nation or kingdom that will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put his neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, and with the famine, and with the plague," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "until I have destroyed it with my hand.

³⁸ "Look, days are coming," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and the city will be rebuilt for Yahweh, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

²⁵ you will be driven away _⌊from human society_⌋* and _⌊you will dwell_⌋* with the animals* of the field, and you will be caused to graze grass like the oxen _⌊yourself_⌋,* and you will be watered with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time will pass over you until that you have acknowledged that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind, and _⌊to whom he wills_⌋* he gives it.

³² and you will be driven away from _⌊human society_⌋* and your dwelling will be with the animals* of the field and they will cause you to graze the grass like oxen, and seven times will pass over you, until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind and that he gives it to whom he wills.'

¹⁸ _⌊O king_⌋,* the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your _⌊predecessor_⌋.*

⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.

⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.'* Everyone who hears from the Father and learns comes to me.

¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God.

¹⁰ "Therefore, listen to me, _⌊people who have sense_⌋:* far be it from God _⌊that he should commit wickedness_⌋* and that Shaddai _⌊should do wrong_⌋.*

¹³ Who gave him charge over the earth? Or* who laid on him the whole world? ¹⁴ If he should set his heart to it, and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself, ¹⁵ all flesh would perish together, and humankind would return to dust. ¹⁶ "But* if you have understanding, hear this; listen to _⌊what I say_⌋.* ¹⁷ Shall he who hates justice really govern? Or will you* declare the Righteous One, the Mighty, guilty?— ¹⁸ the one who says to a king, 'You worthless man,' to noblemen, 'You wicked man,' ¹⁹ who _⌊shows no partiality to officials_⌋* and who _⌊does not take note of the noble more than of the insignificant_⌋,* for all of them are the work of his hands? ²⁰ In a moment they die, and in the middle of the night the people are shaken, and they pass away, and they take away the mighty _⌊effortlessly_⌋.* ²¹ "Indeed, his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he sees all his steps. ²² There is no darkness, and there is no deep shadow where instigators of mischief might hide themselves. ²³ Indeed, he has not yet appointed a time for man to go to God in the judgment. ²⁴ He shatters the mighty without investigation, and he sets others in their place. ²⁵ Therefore he knows their works, and he overturns them in the night _⌊so that_⌋* they are crushed. ²⁶ He strikes them _⌊where the wicked stood_⌋,* _⌊where there are onlookers_⌋,* ²⁷ because they have turned aside from him and have not understood any of his ways, ²⁸ so that they cause the cry of distress from the helpless to come to him, and he hears the cry of distress from the needy, ²⁹ but he remains quiet, and who can condemn? And he hides his face, and who can behold him? Yet* he is over a nation and over a person alike, ³⁰ so that godless human beings should not reign, nor those who ensnare the people. ³¹ "Indeed, does anyone say to God, 'I have endured chastisement; I will not act corruptly again; ³² teach me yourself _⌊what I cannot see_⌋;* if I have done wrong, I will not repeat it'? ³³ _⌊According to your judgment_⌋,* must he repay it because you rejected this? Indeed, you must choose, and not I, so* declare what you know.

⁸ "Indeed, would you annul my justice? Would you condemn me, so that you might be righteous?

¹³ Who has measured up the spirit of Yahweh or informed him as _⌊his counselor_⌋*? ¹⁴ With whom has he consulted, that* he enlightened him* and taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and made the way of understanding known to him?

⁵ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God, who inflicts wrath, is not unjust, is he? (I am speaking according to a human perspective.)

³⁴ "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?*

¹⁶ "For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?"* But we have the mind of Christ.

¹¹ in whom also we were chosen, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

¹⁹ _⌊And do this so that you do not lift_⌋* your eyes toward heaven and _⌊observe_⌋* the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heaven, and be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that Yahweh your God has allotted to all of the peoples under all of the heaven.

¹³ "With him are wisdom and powerful deeds, and to him belong counsel and understanding. ¹⁴ If he tears down, then* it will not be rebuilt; if he shuts a man in, then* he cannot be freed. ¹⁵ Look, if he withholds the water,* then* they dry up; and if he sends them out, then* they overwhelm the land. ¹⁶ "Strength and sound wisdom are with him; the deceived and the deceiver are his.* ¹⁷ He leads counselors away stripped, and he makes fools of judges. ¹⁸ He loosens the fetters of kings, and he binds a loincloth on their loins. ¹⁹ He leads priests away stripped, and he overthrows _⌊the members of ancient families_⌋.* ²⁰ He deprives the trustworthy of speech, and he takes away the discretion of elders. ²¹ He pours contempt on noblemen, and he loosens the girdle of the mighty. ²² "He uncovers mysteries out of darkness, and he brings deep shadow to the light. ²³ He makes the nations great, then* he destroys them; he expands the nations, then* he guides them. ²⁴ He strips away the insight of the heads of the earth's people, and he makes them wander in _⌊a pathless wasteland_⌋.* ²⁵ They grope in the dark _⌊without_⌋* light, and he makes them stagger like a* drunkard.

⁵ "The spirits of the dead tremble below the waters and their inhabitants. ⁶ Sheol is naked before him, and there is no covering for Abaddon. ⁷ He stretches out the north over emptiness; he hangs the earth _⌊over nothing_⌋.* ⁸ He ties up the water in its clouds, and the cloud is not torn open beneath it.* ⁹ He covers the face of the full moon;* he spreads his cloud over it. ¹⁰ _⌊He has described a circle_⌋* on the face of the water _⌊between light and darkness_⌋.* ¹¹ "The pillars of heaven tremble, and they are astounded at his rebuke.

¹ For the music director. A psalm of David.*
The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands. ² _⌊Every day_⌋* they pour forth speech, and _⌊every night_⌋* they tell knowledge. ³ There is no speech and there are no words; their sound is inaudible. ⁴ Yet in all the world their line* goes out, and their words to the end of the world. In them* he has pitched a tent for the sun,

⁵ Because they do not regard the works of Yahweh, nor the work of his hands, he will destroy them and not rebuild them.

³ Magnify Yahweh with me, and let us exalt his name together.

¹⁶ But as for me, I will sing of your strength, and I will hail your loyal love in the morning, because you have been my high stronghold and a refuge in my _⌊time_⌋* of trouble.

¹⁸ Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things.

⁸ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, and there are no works like yours. ⁹ All the nations that you have made will come and bow down* before you, O Lord, and glorify your name. ¹⁰ For you are great and doing wondrous things; you alone are God.

⁴ For you, O Yahweh, have made me glad by your work; by the deeds of your hands I sing for joy. ⁵ How great are your deeds, O Yahweh; how very deep are your thoughts.

²⁴ How many are your works, O Yahweh; all of them you have done in wisdom. The earth is full of your creatures.

⁸ Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love, and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,

¹⁵ Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,

² The works of Yahweh are great, studied* by all who delight in them. ³ Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. ⁴ He has made his wonders _⌊to be remembered_⌋;* Yahweh is gracious and compassionate.

⁸ They are sustained forever and ever, done with faithfulness and uprightness.

⁵ and they will sing of the ways of Yahweh, because Yahweh's glory is great.

¹⁰ All your works will praise you, O Yahweh, and your faithful ones will bless* you. ¹¹ They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power, ¹² to make known to the children of humankind his mighty deeds, and the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.

³ How great are his signs and wonders, how strong is his kingdom, _⌊an everlasting kingdom_⌋;* and his sovereignty is from generation to generation.

³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth,* and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride."

⁴⁶ And Mary said,
"My soul exalts the Lord,

²⁷ For will God really dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens could not contain you! _⌊How could_⌋* this house that I have built?

⁵ Are your days as the days of human beings, or your years as the days of man,

⁷ "Can you find out the essence of God, or can you find out _⌊the ultimate limits_⌋* of Shaddai? ⁸ _⌊It is higher than the heaven_⌋;* what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know? ⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.

¹⁴ Look, these are the outer fringes of his ways, and _⌊how faint is the word_⌋* that we hear of him! But* who can understand the thunder of his power?"

⁵ "God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; he does great things, and we cannot comprehend.

² Before the mountains were born and you brought forth the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

²⁴ I say, "My God, do not carry me off from my life in the middle of my days." Your years continue throughout all generations. ²⁵ Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶ They will perish, but you will endure. And like a garment they will all wear out, you will replace them like clothing, and they will be set aside. ²⁷ But you are the same, and your years do not end.

³ Great is Yahweh, and very worthy of praise, and his greatness is unsearchable.

¹² For now we see through a mirror _⌊indirectly_⌋*, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know completely, just as I have also been completely known.

¹² and like a robe you will roll them up, and like a garment they will be changed; but you are the same, and your years will not run out."*

⁸ Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.

⁵ _⌊before any plant of the field was_⌋* on earth, and before _⌊any plant of the field_⌋* had sprung up, because Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no human being to cultivate the ground, ⁶ but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—

⁹ He is doing great and _⌊unsearchable_⌋* things, marvelous things _⌊without number_⌋*—

³³ His thundering tells about him; the livestock also tell _⌊concerning what rises_⌋.*

²⁵ "Who has cut open a channel for the torrents and a way for the _⌊thunder bolts_⌋,* ²⁶ to bring rain on a land _⌊where no one lives_⌋,* a desert _⌊where no humans live_⌋,* ²⁷ to satisfy desert and wasteland, and to cause the ground to put forth the rising of grass? ²⁸ Is there a father for the rain, or who fathered the drops of dew?

³⁴ Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that* a flood of water may cover you?

⁹ You care for* the land* and water it; you greatly enrich it. The stream of God is filled with waters. You provide their grain, for so you have established it. ¹⁰ You drench its furrows, penetrating its ridges. With rains you soften it; its growth you bless. ¹¹ You crown the year with your _⌊bounty_⌋,* and your wagon paths drip with _⌊richness_⌋.* ¹² They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the hills gird themselves with joy. ¹³ The pasturelands put on flocks, and the valleys clothe themselves with grain. They shout in triumph; they even sing.

⁸ who covers the heavens with clouds, who provides rain for the earth, who causes grass to grow on the mountains.

⁸ fire and hail, snow and cloud,* stormy wind doing his bidding,*

⁶ And I will make it a wasteland; it shall not be pruned and hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers* and thornbushes.* And concerning the clouds, I will command _⌊them not to send_⌋* rain down upon it.

²² Are there any among the idols of the nation who cause rain to pour? Or can the heavens give showers? Is it not you, O Yahweh our God? Therefore, we hope in you, for you do all these things.

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month—on that day all the springs of the great deep were split open, and the windows of heaven were opened. ¹² And the rain came upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

¹¹ Also, he loads down thick clouds with moisture; his lightning scatters the clouds. ¹² And _⌊they_⌋* turn around by his guidance to accomplish all that he has commanded them on the face of _⌊the habitable world_⌋.* ¹³ Whether as _⌊correction_⌋* or for his land, or as loyal love, he lets it happen.

²⁰ With his knowledge, depths broke open, and clouds dropped dew.

⁴⁴ It happened that at the seventh time, he said, "Look, there is a small cloud, as the hand of a man, coming up from the sea." Then Elijah said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Harness your horses and go down, lest the rain stop you.'" ⁴⁵ _⌊In no time_⌋* the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was heavy rain. Ahab rode and he went to Jezreel,

² Listen carefully to his voice's thunder and the rumbling that goes out from his mouth. ³ He lets it loose under all the heavens, and his lightning to the earth's corners. ⁴ After it, his voice roars; it thunders _⌊with his majestic voice_⌋,* and he does not restrain it when his voice is heard. ⁵ "God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; he does great things, and we cannot comprehend.

⁹ at my making the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,

³⁷ Who can number the clouds with wisdom? Or* who can tilt heaven's jars,

¹³ And Yahweh thundered from the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice with hail and coals of fire.

³ The voice of Yahweh is over the waters; the God of glory thunders. Yahweh is over many waters. ⁴ The voice of Yahweh is powerful. The voice of Yahweh is majestic. ⁵ The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars. Yahweh shatters even the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ And he makes them skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷ The voice of Yahweh flashes* flames of fire. ⁸ The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness. Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹ The voice of Yahweh causes deer* to give birth and strips the forests bare. And at his temple all in it say, "Glory!" ¹⁰ Yahweh sits enthroned at the flood, and Yahweh sits as king forever.

¹⁶ Waters saw you, O God; waters saw you and they trembled. Surely the deeps shook. ¹⁷ The clouds poured out water. The skies _⌊thundered_⌋.* Your arrows also _⌊flew about_⌋.* ¹⁸ The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;* lightnings lit the world; the earth shook and quaked. ¹⁹ Your way was through the sea, and your path* through many waters. Yet your footprints were not discerned.*

³ the one who sets beams in the waters for his upper chambers, who makes clouds his chariot, who rides* on the wings of the wind,

⁷ At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they ran off.

³ Yahweh is slow to anger but great in power; he will certainly not allow the guilty to go unpunished. _⌊He marches_⌋* in storm wind and in gale; storm clouds are the dust of his feet.

¹⁰ When the mountains saw you they writhed; a torrent of waters swept by; the deep gave its voice; it raised its hands on high.

⁹ And God said, "Let the waters under heaven* be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear." And it was so.

²² And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* entered the middle of the sea on the dry land. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left.

²⁸ And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the charioteers—all the army of Pharaoh coming after them into the sea. Not _⌊even_⌋* one survived among them.

⁴ The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he cast into the sea, and his choice adjutants were sunk in the _⌊Red Sea_⌋.* ⁵ The deep waters covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.

⁸ "Or who shut the sea in with doors at its bursting, when it went out of the womb, ⁹ at my making the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, ¹⁰ and I prescribed my rule for it, and I set bars and doors, ¹¹ and I said, 'You shall come up to here, but* you shall not go further, and here it will set a boundary _⌊for your proud surging waves_⌋'?*

²⁵ "Who has cut open a channel for the torrents and a way for the _⌊thunder bolts_⌋,*

³⁴ Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that* a flood of water may cover you? ³⁵ Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go? And will they say to you, 'Here we are'?

¹¹ He made darkness his hiding place; all about him his covering was a darkness of waters, _⌊thick clouds_⌋.* ¹² From the brightness before him his clouds passed over with hail and coals of fire. ¹³ And Yahweh thundered from the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice with hail and coals of fire. ¹⁴ And he shot his arrows and scattered them,* and many lightning bolts and routed them. ¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea became visible, and the foundations of the world were uncovered by your rebuke, O Yahweh, by the _⌊blast_⌋* of the wind of your nose. ¹⁶ He reached* from on high; he seized me. He drew me from many waters.

⁵ He established the earth on her foundations, so that it will not be moved forever and ever. ⁶ You covered it with the deep as with a garment. The waters stood above the mountains. ⁷ At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they ran off. ⁸ They ascended the mountains and drained though the valleys to the place that you established* for them. ⁹ You set a boundary that they may not cross over, so that they would not return to cover the earth.

²⁴ For just as the lightning shines forth, flashing from one place under heaven to another place under heaven, so the Son of Man will be in his day.

¹⁷ And I, behold, I am about to bring the flood waters over the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heaven;* everything that is on the earth shall perish.

¹⁷ And the flood came forty days and forty nights upon the earth. And the waters increased, and lifted the ark, and it rose up from the earth. ¹⁸ And the waters prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth. And the ark went upon the surface* of the waters. ¹⁹ And the waters prevailed _⌊overwhelmingly_⌋* upon the earth, and they covered all the high mountains which were under the entire heaven.* ²⁰ _⌊The waters swelled fifteen cubits above the mountains, covering them_⌋.* ²¹ And every living thing that moved on the earth perished—the birds, and the domesticated animals, and the wild animals, and everything that swarmed on the earth, and all humankind. ²² Everything in whose nostrils was _⌊the breath of life_⌋,* among all that was on dry land, died. ²³ And he* blotted out every living thing upon the surface of the ground, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven;* they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained. ²⁴ And the waters prevailed over the earth one hundred and fifty days.

²⁴ Yahweh rained down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh.

²³ And Moses stretched out his staff to the heavens, and Yahweh gave thunder* and hail, and fire went to the earth, and Yahweh caused hail to rain on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ And there was hail, and fire was flashing back and forth in the midst of the very severe hail, the like of which was not in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. ²⁵ And the hail struck in all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, from human to animal, and the hail struck all the vegetation of the field and smashed every tree of the field.

² And you shall remember all of the way that Yahweh your God led you during these forty years in the desert in order to humble you and to test you to know what is in your heart, whether you would diligently keep his commandments or not.

¹⁵ the one leading you in the great and terrible desert infested with _⌊dangerous_⌋* snakes* and scorpions* and parched ground, where there is* no water, and the one bringing out water for you from flint rock,

¹¹ And as they were fleeing from Israel, they were on the slope of Beth-horon, and Yahweh threw huge stones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah; and more died by the hail stones than those whom the _⌊Israelites_⌋* killed by the sword.

¹⁰ Yahweh will shatter* his adversaries;* he will thunder against them in the heavens. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and will exalt the might of his anointed one.

¹⁰ _⌊While_⌋* Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for the battle against Israel. But Yahweh thundered against the Philistines with a great noise on that day and threw them into confusion so that they were defeated before Israel.

¹⁸ So Samuel called out to Yahweh, and Yahweh brought thunder and rain that same day, so all the people feared Yahweh and Samuel greatly.

¹³ Whether as _⌊correction_⌋* or for his land, or as loyal love, he lets it happen.

²² Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow, or* have you seen the storehouses of the hail, ²³ which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?

²⁶ to bring rain on a land _⌊where no one lives_⌋,* a desert _⌊where no humans live_⌋,* ²⁷ to satisfy desert and wasteland, and to cause the ground to put forth the rising of grass?

¹³ You are the one who _⌊waters_⌋* the mountains from his upper chambers. The earth is full* with the fruit of your labors: ¹⁴ who causes grass to grow for the cattle and herbs for the service of humankind, to bring forth food from the earth, ¹⁵ and wine that makes glad the heart of man, so that their faces shine from oil, and bread that strengthens the heart of man.

²⁷ They all wait for you to give them their food _⌊at the proper time_⌋.* ²⁸ You give to them; they gather it. You open your hand, they are filled with what is good.

²⁵ The one who gives food to all flesh, for his loyal love endures forever.

¹⁷ And yet he did not leave himself without witness by* doing good, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you* with food and your hearts with gladness."

²¹ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the heavens so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt and so that a person can feel darkness." ²² And Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens, and there was darkness of night in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see his brother, and _⌊because of it no one could move from where they were_⌋* for three days, but there was light for the _⌊Israelites_⌋* in their dwellings.

⁹ He covers the face of the full moon;* he spreads his cloud over it.

¹² And _⌊they_⌋* turn around by his guidance to accomplish all that he has commanded them on the face of _⌊the habitable world_⌋.*

¹⁵ Do you know _⌊how God commands them_⌋* and how he causes his cloud's lightning to shine?

¹¹ He made darkness his hiding place; all about him his covering was a darkness of waters, _⌊thick clouds_⌋.*

⁷ He causes clouds to rise from the edge of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain; he brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ who covers the heavens with clouds, who provides rain for the earth, who causes grass to grow on the mountains. ⁹ He gives to the animal its food, and to the young ravens that cry.

²⁰ But when* neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and with not a little bad weather confronting us,* finally all hope was abandoned that we would be saved.

¹⁴ Yahweh thundered from heaven, and the Most High _⌊uttered his voice_⌋.*

⁴¹ Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the noise of rain." ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink while Elijah went to the top of Carmel, bent down to the earth, and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ Then he said to his servant, "Please go and look in the direction of the sea." So he went up and looked; then he said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go back," seven times.

²⁹ "Moreover, _⌊can anyone understand_⌋* the spreading of clouds, the thundering of his dwelling place?

² Listen carefully to his voice's thunder and the rumbling that goes out from his mouth.

⁴ Because of the ground, which is cracked because there was no rain on the ground. The farmers are ashamed, they cover their heads.* ⁵ For even the doe in the field gives birth and forsakes her young,* because there is no green growth. ⁶ And wild asses stand on the barren heights, they gasp for breath like the jackals. Their eyes fail because there is no vegetation."

¹⁸ How the beasts* groan; the herds of cattle wander around because there is no pasture for them; the flocks of sheep are in distress.

²² Do not fear, wild animals of the field, because the pastures of the desert have put forth new green shoots, because the tree has produced its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded their produce.