Day 233 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

Job 26

1 But Job answered and said, 2 To whom dost thou attach thyself, or whom art thou going to assist? is it not he that [has] much strength, and [he] who has a strong arm? 3 To whom hast thou given counsel? is it not to him who has all wisdom? whom wilt thou follow? is it not one who has the greatest power? 4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose breath is it that has come forth from thee? 5 Shall giants be born from under the water and the inhabitants thereof? 6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north wind upon nothing, and he upon nothing hangs the earth; 8 binding water in his clouds, and the cloud is not rent under it. 9 He keeps back the face of his throne, stretching out his cloud upon it. 10 He has encompassed the face of the water by an appointed ordinance, until the end of light and darkness. 11 The pillars of heaven are prostrate and astonished at his rebuke. 12 He has calmed the sea with [his] might, and by [his] wisdom the whale has been overthrown. 13 And the barriers of heaven fear him, and by a command he has slain the apostate dragon. 14 Behold, these are parts of his way; and we will hearken to him at the least intimation of his word: but the strength of his thunder who knows, when he shall employ [it]?

Job 27

1 And Job further continued and said in his parable, 2 [As] God lives, who has thus judged me; and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul; 3 verily, while my breath is yet in [me], and the breath of God which remains to me is in my nostrils, 4 my lips shall not speak evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts. 5 Far be it from me that I should justify you till I die; for I will not let go my innocence, 6 but keeping fast to [my] righteousness I will by no means let it go: for I am not conscious to myself of having done any thing amiss. 7 Nay rather, but let mine enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me, as the destruction of transgressors. 8 For what is the hope of the ungodly, that he holds to it? will he indeed trust in the Lord [and] be saved? 9 Will God hear his prayer? or, when distress has come upon him, 10 has he any confidence before him? or will [God] hear him as he calls upon him? 11 Yet now I will tell you what is in the hand of the Lord: I will not lie concerning the things which are with the Almighty. 12 Behold, ye all know that ye are adding vanity to vanity. 13 This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord, and the possession of oppressors shall come upon them from the Almighty. 14 And if their children be many, they shall be for slaughter: and if they grow up, they shall beg. 15 And they that survive of him shall utterly perish, and no one shall pity their widows. 16 Even if he should gather silver as earth, and prepare gold as clay; 17 all these things shall the righteous gain, and the truehearted shall possess his wealth. 18 And his house is gone like moths, and like a spider's web. 19 The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is not. 20 Pains have come upon him as water, and darkness has carried him away by night. 21 And a burning wind shall catch him, and he shall depart, and it shall utterly drive him out of his place. 22 And [God] shall cast [trouble] upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand. 23 He shall cause [men] to clap their hands against them, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 28

1 For there is a place for the silver, whence it comes, and a place for the gold, whence it is refined. 2 For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone. 3 He has set a bound to darkness, and he searches out every limit: a stone [is] darkness, and the shadow of death. 4 There is a cutting off of the torrent by reason of dust: so they that forget the right way are weakened; they are removed from [among] men. 5 [As for] the earth, out of it shall come bread: under it has been turned up as it were fire. 6 Her stones are the place of the sapphire: and [her] dust [supplies] man with gold. 7 [There is] a path, the fowl has not known it, neither has the eye of the vulture seen it: 8 neither have the sons of the proud trodden it, a lion has not passed upon it. 9 He has stretched forth his hand on the sharp [rock], and turned up mountains by the roots: 10 and he has interrupted the whirlpools of rivers, and mine eye has seen every precious thing. 11 And he has laid bare the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light. 12 But whence has wisdom been discovered? and what is the place of knowledge? 13 A mortal has not known its way, neither indeed has it been discovered among men. 14 The depth said, It is not in me: and the sea said, It is not with me. 15 One shall not give fine gold instead of it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it. 16 Neither shall it be compared with gold of Sophir, with the precious onyx and sapphire. 17 Gold and crystal shall not be equalled to it, neither shall vessels of gold be its exchange. 18 Coral and fine pearl shall not be mentioned: but do thou esteem wisdom above the most precious things. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equalled to it; it shall not be compared with pure gold. 20 Whence then is wisdom found? and of what kind is the place of understanding? 21 It has escaped the notice of every man, and has been hidden from the birds of the sky. 22 Destruction and Death said, We have heard the report of it. 23 God has well ordered the way of it, and he knows the place of it. 24 For he surveys the whole [earth] under heaven, knowing the things in the earth: 25 all that he has made; the weight of the winds, the measures of the water. 26 When he made [them], thus he saw and numbered them, and made a way for the pealing of the thunder. 27 Then he saw it, and declared it: he prepared it [and] traced it out. 28 And he said to man, Behold, godliness is wisdom; and to abstain from evil is understanding.