Job Replies: The Lord Has Done This

12 Then Job answered and said:

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ² He killed ^(A)James the brother of John ^(B)with the sword, ³ and when he saw ^(C)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during ^(D)the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him ^(E)in prison, delivering him over to four ^(F)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest ^(G)prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Peter Is Rescued

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(H)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(I)an angel of the Lord ^(J)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. ^(K)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(L)the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and ^(M)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but ^(N)thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. ^(O)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(P)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that ^(Q)the Lord has sent his angel and ^(R)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(S)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(T)were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, ^(U)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter's voice, ^(V)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is ^(W)his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(X)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to ^(Y)James and to ^(Z)the brothers.”^[a] Then he departed and went to another place.

³³ They answered him, ^(A)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(B)everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin. ^35 (C)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(D)the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^(E)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ^38 (F)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ^(G)from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹ They answered him, ^(H)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(I)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now ^(J)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^(K)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, ^(L)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ^(M)one Father—even God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, ^(N)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for ^(O)I came from God and ^(P)I am here. ^(Q)I came not of my own accord, but ^(R)he sent me. ^43 (S)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ^(T)bear to hear my word. ^44 (U)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ^(V)He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(W)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^(X)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ^47 (Y)Whoever is of God hears the words of God. ^(Z)The reason why you do not hear them is that ^(AA)you are not of God.”