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Job 6-8
English Standard Version
Job 6-8
English Standard Version
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
6 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
3 For then it would be heavier than (A)the sand of the sea;
therefore my words have been rash.
4 For (B)the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass,
or the ox low over his fodder?
6 Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt,
or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?[a]
7 My appetite refuses to touch them;
they are as food that is loathsome to me.[b]
8 “Oh that I might have my request,
and that God would fulfill my hope,
9 that it would (C)please God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
10 This would be my comfort;
I would even exult[c] in pain (D)unsparing,
for I have not denied the words of (E)the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
13 Have I any help in me,
when resource is driven from me?
14 “He who (F)withholds[d] kindness from a (G)friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My (H)brothers are (I)treacherous as a torrent-bed,
as torrential (J)streams that pass away,
16 which are dark with ice,
and where the snow hides itself.
17 When they melt, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The caravans turn aside from their course;
they go up into (K)the waste and perish.
19 The caravans of (L)Tema look,
the travelers of (M)Sheba hope.
20 They are (N)ashamed because they were confident;
they come there and are (O)disappointed.
21 For you have now become nothing;
you see my calamity and are afraid.
22 Have I said, ‘Make me a gift’?
Or, ‘From your wealth offer a bribe for me’?
23 Or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary's hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of (P)the ruthless’?
24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;
make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How forceful are upright words!
But what does reproof from you reprove?
26 Do you think that you can reprove words,
when the speech of a despairing man is (Q)wind?
27 You would even (R)cast lots over the fatherless,
and bargain over your friend.
28 “But now, be pleased to look at me,
for I will not lie to your face.
29 (S)Please turn; let no injustice be done.
Turn now; my vindication is at stake.
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope
7 “Has not man (T)a hard service on earth,
and are not his (U)days like the days of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave who longs for (V)the shadow,
and like (W)a hired hand who looks for his (X)wages,
3 so I am allotted months of (Y)emptiness,
(Z)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 (AA)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with (AB)worms and (AC)dirt;
my skin hardens, then (AD)breaks out afresh.
6 My days are (AE)swifter than (AF)a weaver's shuttle
and come to their end without hope.
7 “Remember that my life is a (AG)breath;
my eye will never again see good.
8 (AH)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
while your eyes are on me, (AI)I shall be gone.
9 As (AJ)the cloud fades and vanishes,
so he who (AK)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
10 he (AL)returns no more to his house,
nor does his (AM)place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore I will not (AN)restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will (AO)complain in (AP)the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (AQ)a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 (AR)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than my (AS)bones.
16 I (AT)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
(AU)Leave me alone, for my days are (AV)a breath.
17 (AW)What is man, that you make so much of him,
and that you set your heart on him,
18 (AX)visit him every morning
and (AY)test him every moment?
19 How long will you not (AZ)look away from me,
nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
Why have you made me (BA)your mark?
Why have I become a burden to you?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in (BB)the earth;
you will (BC)seek me, (BD)but I shall not be.”
Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent
8 Then (BE)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long will you say these things,
and the words of your mouth be a (BF)great wind?
3 (BG)Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
4 If your (BH)children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
5 If you will seek God
and (BI)plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will (BJ)rouse himself for you
and (BK)restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
(BL)your latter days will be very great.
8 “For (BM)inquire, please, of bygone ages,
and consider what (BN)the fathers have searched out.
9 For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,
for our days on earth are (BO)a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you
and utter words out of their understanding?
11 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
12 While yet in flower and not cut down,
they (BP)wither before any other plant.
13 Such are the paths of all who (BQ)forget God;
(BR)the hope of (BS)the godless shall perish.
14 His confidence is severed,
and his trust is (BT)a spider's web.[e]
15 He leans against his (BU)house, but it does not stand;
he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.
16 He is a lush plant before the sun,
and his (BV)shoots spread over his garden.
17 His roots entwine the stone heap;
he looks upon a house of stones.
18 If he is destroyed from his (BW)place,
then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have never (BX)seen you.’
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way,
and out of (BY)the soil others will spring.
Job 6-8
New International Version
Job 6-8
New International Version
Job
6 Then Job replied:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and all my misery be placed on the scales!(A)
3 It would surely outweigh the sand(B) of the seas—
no wonder my words have been impetuous.(C)
4 The arrows(D) of the Almighty(E) are in me,(F)
my spirit drinks(G) in their poison;(H)
God’s terrors(I) are marshaled against me.(J)
5 Does a wild donkey(K) bray(L) when it has grass,
or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(M)
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[a]?(N)
7 I refuse to touch it;
such food makes me ill.(O)
8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant what I hope for,(P)
9 that God would be willing to crush(Q) me,
to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(R)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(S)—
my joy in unrelenting pain(T)—
that I had not denied the words(U) of the Holy One.(V)
11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
What prospects, that I should be patient?(W)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
Is my flesh bronze?(X)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,(Y)
now that success has been driven from me?
14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend(Z)
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.(AA)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,(AB)
as the streams that overflow
16 when darkened by thawing ice
and swollen with melting snow,(AC)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
and in the heat(AD) vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
they go off into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema(AE) look for water,
the traveling merchants of Sheba(AF) look in hope.
20 They are distressed, because they had been confident;
they arrive there, only to be disappointed.(AG)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
you see something dreadful and are afraid.(AH)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
pay a ransom(AI) for me from your wealth,(AJ)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?(AK)
24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet;(AL)
show me where I have been wrong.(AM)
25 How painful are honest words!(AN)
But what do your arguments prove?
26 Do you mean to correct what I say,
and treat my desperate words as wind?(AO)
27 You would even cast lots(AP) for the fatherless(AQ)
and barter away your friend.
28 “But now be so kind as to look at me.
Would I lie to your face?(AR)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;(AS)
reconsider, for my integrity(AT) is at stake.[b](AU)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?(AV)
Can my mouth not discern(AW) malice?
7 “Do not mortals have hard service(AX) on earth?(AY)
Are not their days like those of hired laborers?(AZ)
2 Like a slave longing for the evening shadows,(BA)
or a hired laborer waiting to be paid,(BB)
3 so I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me.(BC)
4 When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’(BD)
The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.(BE)
5 My body is clothed with worms(BF) and scabs,
my skin is broken and festering.(BG)
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,(BH)
and they come to an end without hope.(BI)
7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath;(BJ)
my eyes will never see happiness again.(BK)
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no longer;
you will look for me, but I will be no more.(BL)
9 As a cloud vanishes(BM) and is gone,
so one who goes down to the grave(BN) does not return.(BO)
10 He will never come to his house again;
his place(BP) will know him no more.(BQ)
11 “Therefore I will not keep silent;(BR)
I will speak out in the anguish(BS) of my spirit,
I will complain(BT) in the bitterness of my soul.(BU)
12 Am I the sea,(BV) or the monster of the deep,(BW)
that you put me under guard?(BX)
13 When I think my bed will comfort me
and my couch will ease my complaint,(BY)
14 even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify(BZ) me with visions,(CA)
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,(CB)
rather than this body of mine.(CC)
16 I despise my life;(CD) I would not live forever.(CE)
Let me alone;(CF) my days have no meaning.(CG)
17 “What is mankind that you make so much of them,
that you give them so much attention,(CH)
18 that you examine them every morning(CI)
and test them(CJ) every moment?(CK)
19 Will you never look away from me,(CL)
or let me alone even for an instant?(CM)
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,(CN)
you who see everything we do?
Why have you made me your target?(CO)
Have I become a burden to you?[c](CP)
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
and forgive my sins?(CQ)
For I will soon lie down in the dust;(CR)
you will search for me, but I will be no more.”(CS)
Bildad
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite(CT) replied:
2 “How long will you say such things?(CU)
Your words are a blustering wind.(CV)
3 Does God pervert justice?(CW)
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?(CX)
4 When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.(CY)
5 But if you will seek God earnestly
and plead(CZ) with the Almighty,(DA)
6 if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf(DB)
and restore you to your prosperous state.(DC)
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous(DD) will your future be.(DE)
8 “Ask the former generation(DF)
and find out what their ancestors learned,
9 for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,(DG)
and our days on earth are but a shadow.(DH)
10 Will they not instruct(DI) you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?(DJ)
11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?(DK)
Can reeds(DL) thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass.(DM)
13 Such is the destiny(DN) of all who forget God;(DO)
so perishes the hope of the godless.(DP)
14 What they trust in is fragile[d];
what they rely on is a spider’s web.(DQ)
15 They lean on the web,(DR) but it gives way;
they cling to it, but it does not hold.(DS)
16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots(DT) over the garden;(DU)
17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
and looks for a place among the stones.
18 But when it is torn from its spot,
that place disowns(DV) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’(DW)
19 Surely its life withers(DX) away,
and[e] from the soil other plants grow.(DY)
Footnotes
- Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Job 6:29 Or my righteousness still stands
- Job 7:20 A few manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition and Septuagint; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text I have become a burden to myself.
- Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
Acts 12
English Standard Version
Acts 12
English Standard Version
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.
18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and (AA)ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.
The Death of Herod
20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and (AB)having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain,[b] they asked for peace, because (AC)their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately (AD)an angel of the Lord struck him down, because (AE)he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But (AF)the word of God increased and multiplied.
25 (AG)And Barnabas and Saul returned from[c] Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them (AH)John, whose other name was Mark.
Footnotes
- Acts 12:17 Or brothers and sisters
- Acts 12:20 That is, trusted personal attendant
- Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to
Acts 12
New International Version
Acts 12
New International Version
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
12 It was about this time that King Herod(A) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John,(B) put to death with the sword.(C) 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,(D) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(E) 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.(F)
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.(G)
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,(H) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel(I) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.(J)
8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.(K) 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,(L) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself(M) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me(N) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,(O) where many people had gathered and were praying.(P) 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.(Q) 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed(R) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”(S)
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand(T) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James(U) and the other brothers and sisters(V) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.(W)
Herod’s Death
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea(X) and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;(Y) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.(Z)
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel(AA) of the Lord struck him down,(AB) and he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God(AC) continued to spread and flourish.(AD)
Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
25 When Barnabas(AE) and Saul had finished their mission,(AF) they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.(AG)
Footnotes
- Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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