Monday in Season after Pentecost

1Verse 1. And the LORD said to Job: 2Verse 2. “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.” 3Verse 3. Then Job answered the LORD: 4Verse 4. “Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth. 5Verse 5. I have spoken once, but I have no answer — twice, but I have nothing to add.” 6Verse 6. Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7Verse 7. “Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me. 8Verse 8. Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself? 9Verse 9. Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His? 10Verse 10. Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory. 11Verse 11. Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low. 12Verse 12. Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand. 13Verse 13. Bury them together in the dust; imprison them in the grave. 14Verse 14. Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can save you. 15Verse 15. Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox. 16Verse 16. See the strength of his loins and the power in the muscles of his belly. 17Verse 17. His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18Verse 18. His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are rods of iron. 19Verse 19. He is the foremost of God’s works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20Verse 20. The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby. 21Verse 21. He lies under the lotus plants, hidden among the reeds of the marsh. 22Verse 22. The lotus plants conceal him in their shade; the willows of the brook surround him. 23Verse 23. Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth. 24Verse 24. Can anyone capture him as he looks on, or pierce his nose with a snare?[’’]

1Verse 1. When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2Verse 2. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3Verse 3. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice. 4Verse 4. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5Verse 5. “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.” 6Verse 6. But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7Verse 7. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. 8Verse 8. Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9Verse 9. Now listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.” 10Verse 10. So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11Verse 11. He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. 12Verse 12. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13Verse 13. And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14Verse 14. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. 15Verse 15. He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. 16Verse 16. And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use. 17Verse 17. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18Verse 18. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”