Job 11-12

New International Version

Zophar

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite^(A) replied:

²“Are all these words to go unanswered?^(B)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?^(C)
³Will your idle talk^(D) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?^(E)
⁴You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless^(F)
    and I am pure^(G) in your sight.’
⁵Oh, how I wish that God would speak,^(H)
    that he would open his lips against you
⁶and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,^(I)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.^(J)

⁷“Can you fathom^(K) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸They are higher^(L) than the heavens^(M) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below^(N)—what can you know?^(O)
⁹Their measure^(P) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.^(Q)

¹⁰“If he comes along and confines you in prison
    and convenes a court, who can oppose him?^(R)
¹¹Surely he recognizes deceivers;
    and when he sees evil, does he not take note?^(S)
¹²But the witless can no more become wise
    than a wild donkey’s colt^(T) can be born human.^[a]^(U)

¹³“Yet if you devote your heart^(V) to him
    and stretch out your hands^(W) to him,^(X)
¹⁴if you put away^(Y) the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil^(Z) to dwell in your tent,^(AA)
¹⁵then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;^(AB)
    you will stand firm^(AC) and without fear.^(AD)
¹⁶You will surely forget your trouble,^(AE)
    recalling it only as waters gone by.^(AF)
¹⁷Life will be brighter than noonday,^(AG)
    and darkness will become like morning.^(AH)
¹⁸You will be secure, because there is hope;
    you will look about you and take your rest^(AI) in safety.^(AJ)
¹⁹You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,^(AK)
    and many will court your favor.^(AL)
²⁰But the eyes of the wicked will fail,^(AM)
    and escape will elude them;^(AN)
    their hope will become a dying gasp.”^(AO)

Job

12 Then Job replied:

²“Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
    and wisdom will die with you!^(AP)
³But I have a mind as well as you;
    I am not inferior to you.
    Who does not know all these things?^(AQ)

⁴“I have become a laughingstock^(AR) to my friends,^(AS)
    though I called on God and he answered^(AT)—
    a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!^(AU)
⁵Those who are at ease have contempt^(AV) for misfortune
    as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.^(AW)
⁶The tents of marauders are undisturbed,^(AX)
    and those who provoke God are secure^(AY)—
    those God has in his hand.^[b]

⁷“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,^(AZ)
    or the birds in the sky,^(BA) and they will tell you;^(BB)
⁸or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
⁹Which of all these does not know^(BC)
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?^(BD)
¹⁰In his hand is the life^(BE) of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.^(BF)
¹¹Does not the ear test words
    as the tongue tastes food?^(BG)
¹²Is not wisdom found among the aged?^(BH)
    Does not long life bring understanding?^(BI)

¹³“To God belong wisdom^(BJ) and power;^(BK)
    counsel and understanding are his.^(BL)
¹⁴What he tears down^(BM) cannot be rebuilt;^(BN)
    those he imprisons cannot be released.^(BO)
¹⁵If he holds back the waters,^(BP) there is drought;^(BQ)
    if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.^(BR)
¹⁶To him belong strength and insight;^(BS)
    both deceived and deceiver are his.^(BT)
¹⁷He leads rulers away stripped^(BU)
    and makes fools of judges.^(BV)
¹⁸He takes off the shackles^(BW) put on by kings
    and ties a loincloth^[c] around their waist.^(BX)
¹⁹He leads priests away stripped^(BY)
    and overthrows officials long established.^(BZ)
²⁰He silences the lips of trusted advisers
    and takes away the discernment of elders.^(CA)
²¹He pours contempt on nobles^(CB)
    and disarms the mighty.^(CC)
²²He reveals the deep things of darkness^(CD)
    and brings utter darkness^(CE) into the light.^(CF)
²³He makes nations great, and destroys them;^(CG)
    he enlarges nations,^(CH) and disperses them.^(CI)
²⁴He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;^(CJ)
    he makes them wander in a trackless waste.^(CK)
²⁵They grope in darkness with no light;^(CL)
    he makes them stagger like drunkards.^(CM)

Footnotes

Job 11:12 Or wild donkey can be born tame
Job 12:6 Or those whose god is in their own hand
Job 12:18 Or shackles of kings / and ties a belt

Acts 19

New International Version

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos^(A) was at Corinth,^(B) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.^(C) There he found some disciples ²and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit^(D) when^[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴Paul said, “John’s baptism^(E) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(F) ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^(G) ⁶When Paul placed his hands on them,^(H) the Holy Spirit came on them,^(I) and they spoke in tongues^[b]^(J) and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in all.

⁸Paul entered the synagogue^(K) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^(L) ⁹But some of them^(M) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.^(N) So Paul left them. He took the disciples^(O) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This went on for two years,^(P) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia^(Q) heard the word of the Lord.^(R)

¹¹God did extraordinary miracles^(S) through Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured^(T) and the evil spirits left them.

¹³Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits^(U) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus^(V) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,^(W) they were all seized with fear,^(X) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^[c] ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord^(Y) spread widely and grew in power.^(Z)

²¹After all this had happened, Paul decided^[d] to go to Jerusalem,^(AA) passing through Macedonia^(AB) and Achaia.^(AC) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”^(AD) ²²He sent two of his helpers,^(AE) Timothy^(AF) and Erastus,^(AG) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia^(AH) a little longer.

The Riot in Ephesus

²³About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.^(AI) ²⁴A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. ²⁵He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.^(AJ) ²⁶And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus^(AK) and in practically the whole province of Asia.^(AL) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.^(AM) ²⁷There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

²⁸When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”^(AN) ²⁹Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius^(AO) and Aristarchus,^(AP) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,^(AQ) and all of them rushed into the theater together. ³⁰Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples^(AR) would not let him. ³¹Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

³²The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.^(AS) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. ³³The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned^(AT) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. ³⁴But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”^(AU)

³⁵The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,^(AV) doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? ³⁶Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ³⁷You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples^(AW) nor blasphemed our goddess. ³⁸If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen^(AX) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.^(AY) They can press charges. ³⁹If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” ⁴¹After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.