Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Sickness and Medicine
1 Give doctors the honor they
deserve, for the Lord gave
them their work to do. note
2 Their skill
came from the Most High, and kings
reward them for it.
3 Their knowledge
gives them a position of importance,
and powerful people hold
them in high regard.
4 The Lord created medicines
from the earth, and a sensible person
will not hesitate to use them.
5 Didn't a tree once make bitter water
fit to drink, so that the Lord's
power note might be known? note
6 He gave
medical knowledge to human beings,
so that we would praise him for
the miracles he performs.
7
8 The
druggist mixes these medicines, and
the doctor will use them to cure diseases
and ease pain. There is no end
to the activities of the Lord, who
gives health to the people of the
world.
9 Son, when you get sick, don't ignore
it. Pray to the Lord, and he will
make you well.
10 Confess all your
sins and determine that in the future
you will live a righteous life.
11 Offer
incense and a grain offering, as fine
as you can afford. note
12 Then call the
doctor—for the Lord created him—
and keep him at your side; you need
him.
13 There are times when you
have to depend on his skill.
14 The
doctor's prayer is that the Lord will
make him able to ease his patients'
pain and make them well again.
15 As for the person who sins against
his Creator, he deserves to be sick.
Mourning for the Dead
16 Son, when someone dies, you
should mourn. Weep and wail to
show how deeply you feel the loss.
Prepare the body in the proper way,
and be present at the burial.
17 Weep
bitterly and passionately; observe
the proper period of mourning for
the person. Mourn for a whole day
or maybe two, to keep people from
talking, but then pull yourself together
and reconcile yourself to the
loss.
18 Grief can undermine your
health and even lead to your own
death.
19 Grief lingers on after the
death of a loved one, but it is not
wise to let it lead you into poverty.
-- --
20 Don't lose yourself in sorrow;
drive it away. noteRemember that we
must all die sometime.
21 There is no
way to bring the dead person back.
All your sorrow does him no good,
and it hurts you. Don't forget that.
22 You will die, just as he did. Today
it was his turn; tomorrow it will be
yours.
23 When the dead have been
laid to rest, let the memory of them
fade. Once they are gone, take courage. note
Scholarship and Other Occupations
24 A scholar must have time to
study if he is going to be wise; he
must be relieved of other responsibilities.
25 How can a farm hand gain
knowledge, when his only ambition
is to drive the oxen and make them
work, when all he knows to talk
about is livestock?
26 He takes great
pains to plow a straight furrow and
will work far into the night to feed
the animals.
27 It is the same with the artist and
the craftsman, who work night and
day engraving precious stones, carefully
working out new designs. They
take great pains to produce a lifelike
image, and will work far into the
night to finish the work.
28 It is the same with the blacksmith
at his anvil, planning what he
will make from a piece of iron. The
heat from the fire sears his skin as
he sweats away at the forge. The
clanging of the hammer deafens
him note as he carefully watches the object
he is working take shape. He
takes great pains to complete his
task, and will work far into the night
to bring it to perfection.
29 It is the same with the potter,
sitting at his wheel and turning it
with his feet, always concentrating
on his work, concerned with how
many objects he can produce.
30 He
works the clay with his feet until he
can shape it with his hands; then he
takes great pains to glaze it properly,
-- --
and will work far into the night
to clean out the kiln.
31 All of these people are skilled
with their hands, each of them an
expert at his own craft.
32 Without
such people there could be no cities;
no one would live or visit where
these services were not available.
33 These people are not sought out to
serve on the public councils, and
they never attain positions of great
importance. They do not serve as
judges, and they do not understand
legal matters. They have no education
and are not known for their wisdom.
You never hear them quoting
proverbs.
34 But the work they do
holds this world together. When
they do their work, it is the same as
offering prayer. note
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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