1 Thessalonians 1

Salutation
1:1 From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you!

Thanksgiving for Response to the Gospel
1:2 We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly in our prayers,

1:3 because we recall in the presence of our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:4 We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 1:5 in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you).

1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction. 1:7 As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8 For from you the message of the Lord has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, so that we do not need to say anything. 1:9 For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

Job 8

Bildad’s First Speech to Job
8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said:

8:2 “How long will you speak these things,
seeing that the words of your mouth
are like a great wind?

8:3 Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?

8:4 If your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.

8:5 But if you will look to God,
and make your supplication to the Almighty,

8:6 if you become pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself for you,
and will restore your righteous abode.

8:7 Your beginning will seem so small,
since your future will flourish.

8:8 “For inquire now of the former generation,
and pay attention to the findings
of their ancestors;

8:9 For we were born yesterday and do not have knowledge,
since our days on earth are but a shadow.

8:10 Will they not instruct you and speak to you,
and bring forth words
from their understanding?

8:11 Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish without water?

8:12 While they are still beginning to flower
and not ripe for cutting,
they can wither away
faster than any grass!

8:13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless perishes,

8:14 whose trust is in something futile,
whose security is a spider’s web.

8:15 He leans against his house but it does not hold up,
he takes hold of it but it does not stand.

8:16 He is a well-watered plant in the sun,
its shoots spread over its garden.

8:17 It wraps its roots around a heap of stones
and it looks for a place among stones.

8:18 If he is uprooted from his place,
then that place will disown him, saying,
‘I have never seen you!’

8:19 Indeed, this is the joy of his way,
and out of the earth others spring up.

8:20 “Surely, God does not reject a blameless man,
nor does he grasp the hand
of the evildoers.

8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with gladness.

8:22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”

Scripture quoted from The NET Bible®, New English Translation, Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C., reprinted with permission from Bible.org. For further study, see articles on Bible.org and the NETBible study environment at NETBible.org.

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