Remain 2026

Job 27–28

Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity

27:1 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

2   “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
    and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3   as long as my breath is in me,
    and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4   my lips will not speak falsehood,
    and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5   Far be it from me to say that you are right;
    till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6   I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
    my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
7   “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
    and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8   For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,
    when God takes away his life?
9   Will God hear his cry
    when distress comes upon him?
10   Will he take delight in the Almighty?
    Will he call upon God at all times?
11   I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
    what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12   Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
    why then have you become altogether vain?
13   “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
    and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14   If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
    and his descendants have not enough bread.
15   Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
    and his widows do not weep.
16   Though he heap up silver like dust,
    and pile up clothing like clay,
17   he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
    and the innocent will divide the silver.
18   He builds his house like a moth’s,
    like a booth that a watchman makes.
19   He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
    he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
20   Terrors overtake him like a flood;
    in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
21   The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
    it sweeps him out of his place.
22   It hurls at him without pity;
    he flees from its power in headlong flight.
23   It claps its hands at him
    and hisses at him from its place.

Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?

28:1   “Surely there is a mine for silver,
    and a place for gold that they refine.
2   Iron is taken out of the earth,
    and copper is smelted from the ore.
3   Man puts an end to darkness
    and searches out to the farthest limit
    the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4   He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
    they are forgotten by travelers;
    they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
5   As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
    but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6   Its stones are the place of sapphires,
    and it has dust of gold.
7   “That path no bird of prey knows,
    and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.
8   The proud beasts have not trodden it;
    the lion has not passed over it.
9   “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
    and overturns mountains by the roots.
10   He cuts out channels in the rocks,
    and his eye sees every precious thing.
11   He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
    and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12   “But where shall wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?
13   Man does not know its worth,
    and it is not found in the land of the living.
14   The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15   It cannot be bought for gold,
    and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16   It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
    in precious onyx or sapphire.
17   Gold and glass cannot equal it,
    nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18   No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
    the price of wisdom is above pearls.
19   The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
    nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20   “From where, then, does wisdom come?
    And where is the place of understanding?
21   It is hidden from the eyes of all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
22   Abaddon and Death say,
    ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23   “God understands the way to it,
    and he knows its place.
24   For he looks to the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
25   When he gave to the wind its weight
    and apportioned the waters by measure,
26   when he made a decree for the rain
    and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27   then he saw it and declared it;
    he established it, and searched it out.
28   And he said to man,
  ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
    and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

1 Corinthians 10:1–22

Warning Against Idolatry

10:1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Psalm 105:1–9

Tell of All His Wondrous Works

105:1   Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
2   Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
3   Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4   Seek the LORD and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
5   Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6   O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
7   He is the LORD our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.
8   He remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9   the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,

Proverbs 22:9–12

9   Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
    for he shares his bread with the poor.
10   Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
    and quarreling and abuse will cease.
11   He who loves purity of heart,
    and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12   The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
    but he overthrows the words of the traitor.