17th December

¹ But Job answered and said,² Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.³ Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on.⁴ As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?⁵ Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.⁶ Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.⁷ Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?⁸ Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.⁹ Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.¹⁰ Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.¹¹ They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.¹² They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.¹³ They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.¹⁴ Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.¹⁵ What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?¹⁶ Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.¹⁷ How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.¹⁸ They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.¹⁹ God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.²⁰ His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.²¹ For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?²² Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.²³ One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.²⁴ His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.²⁵ And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.²⁶ They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.²⁷ Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.²⁸ For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?²⁹ Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,³⁰ That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.³¹ Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?³² Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.³³ The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.³⁴ How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

¹ Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!² She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.³ Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.⁴ Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.⁵ The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.⁶ I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.⁷ I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.⁸ Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.⁹ For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.¹¹ In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.¹² I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.¹³ The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.¹⁴ Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.¹⁵ The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.¹⁶ In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.¹⁷ The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.¹⁸ I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.¹⁹ Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.²⁰ At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.

¹ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.² Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.³ And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.⁴ Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.⁵ And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.⁶ Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.⁷ Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.⁸ He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.⁹ Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.¹⁰ In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.¹¹ For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.¹² Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.¹³ Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.¹⁵ Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.¹⁶ Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.¹⁷ But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.¹⁹ And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.²⁰ For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.²¹ Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.²² And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.²³ And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.²⁴ And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

¹ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.² Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:³ And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.⁴ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.⁵ They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.⁶ We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.⁷ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.⁹ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.¹² No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.¹³ Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.¹⁴ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.¹⁵ Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.¹⁷ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.¹⁹ We love him, because he first loved us.²⁰ If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?²¹ And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.