13th December

¹ Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,² Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?³ Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?⁴ Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.⁵ For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.⁶ Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.⁷ Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?⁸ Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?⁹ What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?¹⁰ With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.¹¹ Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?¹² Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,¹³ That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?¹⁴ What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?¹⁵ Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.¹⁶ How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?¹⁷ I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;¹⁸ Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:¹⁹ Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.²⁰ The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.²¹ A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.²² He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.²³ He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.²⁴ Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.²⁵ For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.²⁶ He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:²⁷ Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.²⁸ And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.²⁹ He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.³⁰ He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.³¹ Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.³² It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.³³ He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.³⁴ For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.³⁵ They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

¹ I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.² And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.³ For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.⁴ Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.⁵ Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:⁶ Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!⁷ Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?⁸ Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.⁹ Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!¹⁰ Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.¹¹ For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.¹² Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!¹³ Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?¹⁴ For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.¹⁵ Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!¹⁶ Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.¹⁷ For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.¹⁸ What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?¹⁹ Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.²⁰ But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

¹ Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;² While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.³ Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;⁴ But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.⁵ For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:⁶ Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.⁷ Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.⁸ Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:⁹ Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.¹⁰ For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:¹¹ Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.¹² For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.¹³ And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?¹⁴ But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:¹⁶ Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.¹⁷ For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.¹⁸ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:¹⁹ By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;²⁰ Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.²¹ The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:²² Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

¹ Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;² That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.³ For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:⁴ Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:⁵ Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.⁶ For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.⁷ But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.⁸ And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.⁹ Use hospitality one to another without grudging.¹⁰ As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.¹¹ If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.¹² Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.¹⁴ If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.¹⁶ Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.¹⁷ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?¹⁸ And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?¹⁹ Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

¹ The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:² Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;³ Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.⁴ And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.⁵ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:⁹ Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.¹¹ To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.¹² By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.¹³ The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.¹⁴ Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.