Daily Text and Bible Reading: Sunday, June 9 [Press play below]

6.1 Job then said in reply:
6.2 “If only my anguish could be fully weighed And put on scales together with my calamity!
6.3 For now it is heavier than the sands of the seas. That is why my words have been wild talk.
6.4 For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me, And my spirit is drinking their venom; The terrors from God are lined up against me.
6.5 Will a wild donkey cry out when it has grass, Or will a bull bellow when it has fodder?
6.6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt, Or is there flavor in the juice of a mallow?
6.7 I have refused to touch such things. They are like contamination in my food.
6.8 O that my request would be realized And that God would grant my desire!
6.9 That God would be willing to crush me, And that he would reach out his hand and do away with me!
6.10 For even that would bring me comfort; I would leap for joy despite the unrelenting pain, For I have not denied the sayings of the Holy One.
6.11 Do I have the strength to keep waiting? And what end awaits me, that I should continue to live?
6.12 Is my strength like that of rock? Or is my flesh made of copper?
6.13 Is there any way that I can help myself When all my means of support has been driven from me?
6.14 Anyone who withholds loyal love from his fellow man Will forsake the fear of the Almighty.
6.15 My own brothers have been as treacherous as a winter stream, Like the water of winter streams that dry up.
6.16 They are darkened by ice, And in them the melting snow is hidden.
6.17 But in due season they become waterless and come to an end; When it becomes hot, they dry up.
6.18 Their course is diverted; They flow into the desert and vanish.
6.19 The caravans of Tema look for them; The travelers from Sheba wait for them.
6.20 They are ashamed because of their misplaced trust; They come there only to be disappointed.
6.21 For this is how you have become to me; You have seen the terror of my calamity, and you are afraid.
6.22 Have I said, ‘Give me something,’ Or requested that you make a gift for me from your wealth?
6.23 Have I asked to be rescued from the hand of an enemy Or to be saved from oppressors?
6.24 Instruct me, and I will be silent; Help me to understand my mistake.
6.25 Honest words are not painful! But what benefit can be found in your reproof?
6.26 Are you scheming to reprove my words, A desperate man’s sayings, which the wind blows away?
6.27 You would also cast lots over an orphan And sell your own friend!
6.28 So now turn and look at me, For I would not lie to your very faces.
6.29 Reconsider, please—do not misjudge me— Yes, reconsider, for my righteousness is yet intact.
6.30 Is my tongue speaking unjustly? Does my palate not discern that something is wrong?

7.1 “Is not the life of mortal man on earth like compulsory labor, And are not his days like those of a hired worker?
7.2 Like a slave, he longs for the shadow, And like a hired worker, he waits for his wages.
7.3 Thus I have been assigned months of futility And nights of misery have been counted out for me.
7.4 When I lie down I ask, ‘When will I get up?’ But as the night drags on, I toss restlessly until the dawning of the day.
7.5 My flesh is covered with maggots and clods of dirt; My skin is full of scabs and pus.
7.6 My days go by more quickly than a weaver’s shuttle, And they come to an end without hope.
7.7 Remember that my life is wind, That my eye will never again see happiness.
7.8 The eye that sees me now will see me no more; Your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone.
7.9 Like a cloud that fades and vanishes, The one who goes down to the Grave does not come back up.
7.10 He will not return again to his house, And his place will acknowledge him no more.
7.11 Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in my bitter distress!
7.12 Am I the sea or a sea monster, That you should set a guard over me?
7.13 When I say, ‘My couch will comfort me; My bed will help ease my misery,’
7.14 Then you terrify me with dreams And frighten me with visions,
7.15 So that I would choose suffocation, Yes, death rather than this body of mine.
7.16 I loathe my life; I do not want to go on living. Leave me alone, for my days are like a breath.
7.17 What is mortal man that you should concern yourself with him And fix your attention on him?
7.18 Why do you inspect him every morning And test him every moment?
7.19 Will you not look away from me And leave me alone long enough to swallow my saliva?
7.20 If I have sinned, how could I harm you, the Observer of mankind? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?
7.21 Why do you not pardon my transgression And excuse my error? For soon I will lie down in the dust, And you will look for me, but I will be gone.”

8.1 Bildad the Shuhite then said in reply:
8.2 “How long will you keep speaking like this? The words of your mouth are but a mighty wind!
8.3 Will God pervert justice, Or will the Almighty pervert righteousness?
8.4 If your sons sinned against him, He let them be punished for their revolt;
8.5 But if you would just look to God And plead with the Almighty for favor,
8.6 And if you were truly pure and upright, He would pay attention to you And restore you to your rightful place.
8.7 And though your beginning was small, Your future would be great.
8.8 Ask, please, the former generation, And pay attention to the things their fathers found out.
8.9 For we were born only yesterday, and we know nothing, Because our days on earth are a shadow.
8.10 Will they not instruct you And tell you what they know?
8.11 Will a papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh? Will a reed grow tall without water?
8.12 While it is still in the bud, not yet plucked off, It will dry up before any other plant.
8.13 This is the outcome of all who forget God, For the hope of the godless will perish,
8.14 Whose confidence is in vain And whose trust is as fragile as a spider’s web.
8.15 He will lean against his house, but it will not keep standing; He will try to hold on to it, but it will not last.
8.16 He is a moist plant in the sunlight, And his shoots spread out in the garden.
8.17 In a heap of stones, his roots become entwined; He looks for a house among the stones.
8.18 But when he is uprooted from his place, That place will deny him and say, ‘I have never seen you.’
8.19 Yes, that is how he will disappear; Then others will spring up from the dust.
8.20 Surely God will not reject those who keep integrity; Nor will he support evil men,
8.21 For he will yet fill your mouth with laughter And your lips with shouts of joy.
8.22 Those hating you will be clothed with shame, And the tent of wicked ones will be no more.”

9.1 Job said in reply:
9.2 “For a fact I know that this is so. But how can mortal man be in the right in a case with God?
9.3 If someone wishes to argue with Him, That one could not answer one of His questions in a thousand.
9.4 He is wise in heart and mighty in power. Who can resist him and come off uninjured?
9.5 He moves mountains without anyone knowing it; He overturns them in his anger.
9.6 He shakes the earth out of its place, So that its pillars tremble.
9.7 He commands the sun not to shine And seals off the light of the stars;
9.8 He spreads out the heavens by himself, And he treads upon the high waves of the sea.
9.9 He made the Ash, the Kesil, and the Kimah constellations, And the constellations of the southern sky;
9.10 He does great and unsearchable things, Wonderful things that cannot be counted.
9.11 He passes by me, and I cannot see him; He moves past me, but I do not discern him.
9.12 When he snatches something, who can resist him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
9.13 God will not restrain his anger; Even the helpers of Rahab will bow down to him.
9.14 How much more when I answer him Must I choose my words carefully to argue with him!
9.15 Even if I were in the right, I would not answer him. I could only plead for mercy from my judge.
9.16 If I call out to him, will he answer me? I do not believe that he will listen to my voice,
9.17 For he crushes me with a storm And multiplies my wounds for no reason.
9.18 He does not let me catch my breath; He keeps filling me with bitter things.
9.19 If it is a matter of power, he is the strong one. If it is a matter of justice, he says: ‘Who can call me to account?’
9.20 If I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; Even if I keep my integrity, he will declare me guilty.
9.21 Even if I keep my integrity, I am not confident about myself; I reject this life of mine.
9.22 It is all the same. That is why I say, ‘He destroys the innocent and the wicked alike.’
9.23 If a flash flood should cause sudden death, He would mock at the despair of the innocent.
9.24 The earth has been handed over to the wicked; He covers the eyes of its judges. If it is not he, then, who is it?
9.25 Now my days are swifter than a runner; They run away without seeing good.
9.26 They glide by like reed boats, Like eagles that swoop down on their prey.
9.27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression and be cheerful,’
9.28 I would still be afraid because of all my pains, And I know you would not find me innocent.
9.29 I would be found guilty. So why should I struggle in vain?
9.30 If I wash myself in water from melting snow, And I cleanse my hands in lye,
9.31 Then you would dip me in a pit, So that even my own garments would detest me.
9.32 For he is not a man like me that I may answer him, That we should go to court together.
9.33 There is no person to decide between us, Who could serve as our judge.
9.34 If he would stop beating me And not let his terror frighten me,
9.35 Then I would speak to him unafraid, For it is not in me to speak out of fear.