2 Oh that my vexation were but weighed, And all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas: Therefore have my words been rash.
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up: The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? Or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6 Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7 My soul refuseth to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me.
8 Oh that I might have my request; And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
9 Even that it would please God to crush me; That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
10 And be it still my consolation, Yea, let me exult in pain that spareth not, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is mine end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?
13 Is it not that I have no help in me, And that wisdom is driven quite from me?
14 To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend; Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, As the channel of brooks that pass away;
16 Which are black by reason of the ice, And wherein the snow hideth itself:
17 What time they wax warm, they vanish; When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
18 The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside; They go up into the waste, and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked, The companies of Sheba waited for them.
20 They were put to shame because they had hoped; They came thither, and were confounded.
21 For now ye are nothing; Ye see a terror, and are afraid.
22 Did I say, Give unto me? Or, Offer a present for me of your substance?
23 Or, Deliver me from the adversary's hand? Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?
24 Teach me, and I will hold my peace; And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25 How forcible are words of uprightness! But your reproof, what doth it reprove?
26 Do ye think to reprove words, Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind?
27 Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless, And make merchandise of your friend.
28 Now therefore be pleased to look upon me; For surely I shall not lie to your face.
29 Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice; Yea, return again, my cause is righteous.
30 Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern mischievous things?
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)