Bible in a Year.

On the eighth day, we witness human impatience and divine faithfulness. Genesis 16-17 recounts the birth of Ishmael through Hagar and the establishment of the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, now 99 years old. Job 5-6 continues the dialogue on suffering, with Eliphaz offering his perspective and Job responding with brutal and honest anguish. Proverbs 1:20-33 personifies wisdom as a woman crying out in the streets, warning of the consequences of ignoring her advice and promising safety to those who listen.

Chapter 16

1. Now Sarai the wife of Abram, had brought forth no children; having a handmaid, an Egyptian, named Agar,

2. She said to her husband: Behold, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed to her request,

3. She took Agar the Egyptian her handmaid, ten years after they first dwelt in the land of Chanaan, and gave her to her husband to wife.

4. And he went in to her. But she, perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress.

5. And Sarai said to Abram: Thou dost unjustly with me: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom, and she perceiving herself to be with child, despiseth me. The Lord judge between me and thee.

6. And Abram made answer, and said to her: Behold thy handmaid is in thy own hand, use her its it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai afflicted her, she ran away.

7. And the angel of the Lord having found her, by a fountain of water in the wilderness, which is in the way to Sur in the desert,

8. He said to her: Agar, handmaid of Sarai, whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she answered: I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress.

9. And the angel of the Lord said to her: Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hand.

10. And again he said: I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, and it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11. And again: Behold, said he, thou art with child, and thou shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Ismael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

12. He shall be a wild man: his hand will be against all men, and all men's hands against him: and he shall pitch his tents over against all his brethren.

13. And she called the name of the Lord that spoke unto her: Thou the God who hast seen me. For she said: Verily here have I seen the hinder parts of him that seeth me.

14. Therefore she called that well, The well of him that liveth and seeth me. The same is between Cades and Bared.

15. And Agar brought forth a son to Abram: who called his name Ismael.

16. Abram was fourscore and six years old when Agar brought him forth Ismael.

Chapter 17

1. And after he began to be ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to him: and said unto him: I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be perfect.

2. And I will make my covenant between me and thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly.

3. Abram tell flat on his face.

4. And God said to him: I AM, and my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father. of many nations.

5. Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram: but thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations.

6. And I will make thee increase, exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

7. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy sad after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8. And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession, and I will be their God.

9. Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10. This is my covenant which you shall observe, between me and you, and thy seed after thee: All the male kind of you shall be circumcised:

11. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a h sign of the covenant between me and you.

12. An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations: he that is born in the house, as well as the bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock:

13. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant.

14. The male, whose dash of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken my covenant.

15. God said also to Abraham: Sarai thy wife thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara.

16. And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless, and he shell become nations, and kings of people shall spring from him.

17. Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth?

18. And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.

19. And God said to Abraham: Sara thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him.

20. And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.

21. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bring forth to thee at this time in the next year.

22. And when he had left oil speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.

23. And Abraham took Ismael his son, and all that were born in his house: and all whom he had bought, every male among the men of his house: and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin forthwith the very same day, as God had commanded him.

24. Abraham was ninety and nine years old, when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin.

25. And Ismael his son was full thirteen years old at the time of his circumcision.

27. And all the men of his house, as well they that were born in his house, as the bought servants and strangers were circumcised with him.

28. The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised and Ismael his son.

Chapter 5

1. Call now if there be any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the saints.

2. Anger indeed killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the little one.

3. I have seen a fool with a strong root, and I cursed his beauty immediately.

4. His children shall be far from safety, and shall be destroyed in the gate, and there shall be none to deliver them.

5. Whose harvest the hungry shall eat, and the armed man shall take him by violence, and the thirsty shall drink up his riches.

6. Nothing upon earth is done without a voice cause, and sorrow doth not spring out of the ground.

7. Man is born to labour and the bird to fly.

8. Wherefore I will pray to the Lord, and address my speech to God:

9. Who doth great things and unsearchable and wonderful things without number:

10. Who giveth rain upon the face of the earth, and watereth all things with waters:

11. Who setteth up the humble on high, and comforteth with health those that mourn.

12. Who bringeth to nought the designs of the malignant, so that their hands cannot accomplish what they had begun:

13. Who catcheth the wise in their craftiness, and disappointeth the counsel of the wicked:

14. They shall meet with darkness in the day, and grope at noonday as in the night.

15. But he shall save the needy from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the violent.

16. And to the needy there shall he hope, but iniquity shall draw in her mouth.

17. Blessed is the mall whom God correcteth: refuse not therefore the chastising of the lord:

18. For he woundeth, and cureth: he striketh, and his hands shall heal.

19. In six troubles he shall deliver thee, and in the seventh, evil shall not touch thee.

20. In famine he shall deliver thee from death: and in battle, from the hand of the sword.

21. Thou shalt he hidden from the scourge of the tongue: and thou shalt not fear calamity when it cometh.

22. In destruction and famine then shalt laugh: and thou shalt not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

23. But thou shalt have a covenant with the stones of the lands, and the beasts of the earth shall be at pence with thee.

24. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle is in peace, and visiting thy beauty thou shalt not sin.

25. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be multiplied, and thy offspring like the grass of the earth.

26. Thou shalt enter into the grave in abundance, as a heap of wheat is brought in its season.

27. Behold, this is even so, as we have searched oat: which thou having heard, consider it thoroughly in thy mind.

Chapter 6

1. But Job answered, and said:

2. O that my sins, whereby I have deserved wrath, and the calamity that I suffer, were weighed in a balance.

3. As the sand of the sea this would appear heavier: therefore my words are full of sorrow :

4. For the arrows of the Lord are in me, the rage whereof drinketh up my spirit, and the terrors of the Lord war against me.

5. Will the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or will the ox low when he standeth before a full manger?

6. Or can an unsavoury thing be eaten, that is not seasoned with salt? or can a man taste that which when tasted bringeth death?

7. The things which before my soul would not touch, now, through anguish are my meats.

8. Who will grant that my request may come: and that God may give me what I look for?

9. And that he that hath begun may destroy me, that he may let loose his hand, and cut me off?

10. And that this may be my comfort, that afflicting me with sorrow, he spare not, nor I contradict the words of the Holy One.

11. For what is my strength, that I can hold out? or what is my end that I should keep patience?

12. My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh of brass.

13. Behold there is no help for me in myself, and my familiar friends also are departed from me.

14. He that taketh away mercy from his friend, forsaketh the fear of the Lord.

15. My brethren have passed by me, as the torrent that passeth swiftly in the valleys.

16. They that fear the hoary frost, the snow shall fall upon them.

17. At the time when they shall be scattered they shall perish: and after it groweth hot they shall be melted out of their place.

18. The paths of their steps are entangled: they shall walk in vain, and shall perish.

19. Consider the paths of Thema, the ways of Saba, and wait a little while.

20. They are confounded, because I have hoped: they are come also even unto me, and are covered with shame.

21. Now you are come: and now seeing my affliction you are afraid.

22. Did I say: Bring to me, and give me of your substance?

23. Or deliver me from the hand of the enemy, and rescue me out of the hand of the mighty?

24. Teach me, and I will hold my peace: and if I have been ignorant in any thing, instruct me.

25. Why have you detracted the words of truth, whereas there is none of you that can reprove me?

26. You dress up speeches only to rebuke, and you utter words to the wind.

27. You rush in upon the fatherless, and you endeavour to overthrow your friend.

28. However finish what you have begun, give ear, and see whether I lie.

29. Answer, I beseech you, without contention: and speaking that which is just, judge ye.

30. And you shall not And iniquity in my tongue, neither shall folly sound in my mouth.

20. Wisdom preacheth abroad, she uttereth her voice in the streets:

21. At the head of multitudes she crieth out, in the entrance of the gates of the city she uttereth her words, saying:

22. O children, how long will you love childishness, and fools covet those things which are hurtful to themselves, and the unwise hate knowledge?

23. Turn ye at my reproof: behold I will utter my spirit to you, and will shew you my words.

24. Because I called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and there was none that regarded.

25. You have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions.

26. I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock when that shall come to you which you feared.

27. When sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction, as a tempest, shall be at hand: when tribulation and distress shall come upon you:

28. Then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear: they shall rise in the morning and shall not find me:

29. Because they have hated instruction and received not the fear of the Lord,

30. Nor consented to my counsel, but despised all my reproof.

31. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and shall be filled with their own devices.

32. The turning away of little ones shall kill them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

33. But he that shall hear me, shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy abundance, without fear of evils.