Job 36:22–37:24 (NIV84)

²² “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? ²³ Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’? ²⁴ Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song. ²⁵ All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar. ²⁶ How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. ²⁷ “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; ²⁸ the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. ²⁹ Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? ³⁰See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. ³¹ This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. ³² He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. ³³ His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach. ¹ “At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. ² Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. ³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. ⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. ⁵ God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. ⁶ He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ ⁷ So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor. ⁸ The animals take cover; they remain in their dens. ⁹ The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds. ¹⁰ The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. ¹¹ He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. ¹² At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them. ¹³ He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love. ¹⁴ “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. ¹⁵ Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? ¹⁶ Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? ¹⁷ You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, ¹⁸ can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze? ¹⁹ “Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness. ²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak? Would any man ask to be swallowed up? ²¹ Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean. ²² Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty. ²³ The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. ²⁴ Therefore, men revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”

Matthew 12:9–21 (NIV84)

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” ¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. ¹⁵ Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, ¹⁶warning them not to tell who he was. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁸ “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. ²¹ In his name the nations will put their hope.”