Job 3-4
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Lament
3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed [a]the day of his birth. 2 And Job [b]said,
3 “(A)May the day on which I was to be born perish,
As well as the night which said, ‘A [c]boy is conceived.’
4 May that day be darkness;
May God above not care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 May (B)darkness and black gloom claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year;
May it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold, may that night be barren;
May no joyful shout enter it.
8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Who are [d]prepared to (C)disturb Leviathan.
9 May the stars of its twilight be darkened;
May it wait for light but have none,
And may it not see the [e]breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “(D)Why did I not die [f]at birth,
Come out of the womb and pass away?
12 Why were the knees there in front of me,
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
13 For now I (E)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With (F)kings and (G)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt (H)ruins for themselves;
15 Or with (I)rulers (J)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 Or like a miscarriage which is [g]hidden, I would not exist,
As infants that never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the [h]weary are at (K)rest.
18 The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is (L)light given to one burdened with grief,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who [i](M)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for (N)hidden treasures;
22 Who are filled with jubilation,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man (O)whose way is hidden,
And whom (P)God has shut off?
24 For (Q)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And (R)my cries pour out like water.
25 For [j](S)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread [k]encounters me.
26 I (T)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But (U)who can refrain [l]from speaking?
3 Behold, (V)you have taught many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have helped the stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened [m]feeble knees.
5 But now it comes to you, and you (W)are impatient;
It (X)touches you, and you are horrified.
6 Is your [n](Y)fear of God not (Z)your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 “Remember now, (AA)who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
8 According to what I have seen, (AB)those who [o]plow wrongdoing
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
9 By (AC)the breath of God they perish,
And (AD)by the [p]blast of His anger they come to an end.
10 The (AE)roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
11 The (AF)lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the (AG)cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 “Now a word (AH)was brought to me secretly,
And my ear received a (AI)whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting (AJ)thoughts from visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made [q]all my bones shake.
15 Then a [r]spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
16 Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can (AK)mankind be righteous [s]before God?
Can a man be pure [t]before his (AL)Maker?
18 (AM)He puts no trust even in His servants;
And He accuses His angels of error.
19 How much more those who live in (AN)houses of clay,
Whose (AO)foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
20 (AP)Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unregarded, they (AQ)perish forever.
21 Is their (AR)tent-cord not pulled out within them?
They die, yet (AS)without wisdom.’
Footnotes
- Job 3:1 Lit his day
- Job 3:2 Lit answered and said
- Job 3:3 Lit man-child
- Job 3:8 Or skillful
- Job 3:9 Lit eyelids of dawn
- Job 3:11 Lit from the womb
- Job 3:16 I.e., buried
- Job 3:17 Lit weary of strength
- Job 3:21 Lit wait
- Job 3:25 Lit I fear a fear, and it comes
- Job 3:25 Lit comes to me
- Job 4:2 Lit in words
- Job 4:4 Lit knees giving way
- Job 4:6 Or reverence for
- Job 4:8 I.e., devise
- Job 4:9 Lit wind
- Job 4:14 Lit the multitude of
- Job 4:15 Or wind passed over
- Job 4:17 Lit from
- Job 4:17 Lit from
Acts 7:44-60
New American Standard Bible
44 “Our fathers had (A)the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it (B)according to the pattern which he had seen. 45 Our fathers in turn received it, and they also (C)brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the [a]nations that God drove out from our fathers, until the time of David. 46 [b](D)David found favor in God’s sight, and (E)asked that he might [c]find a dwelling place for the [d]house of Jacob. 47 But it was (F)Solomon who built a house for Him. 48 However, (G)the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
49 ‘(H)Heaven is My throne,
And the earth is the footstool of My feet;
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord,
‘Or what place is there for My rest?
50 (I)Was it not My hand that made all these things?’
51 “You men who are (J)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 (K)Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of (L)the Righteous One, and (M)you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; 53 you who received the Law as (N)ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”
Stephen Put to Death
54 Now when they heard this, they were (O)infuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But he, being (P)full of the Holy Spirit, (Q)looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing (R)at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the (S)heavens opened and (T)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one [e]mind. 58 When they had (U)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and (V)the witnesses (W)laid aside their cloaks at the feet of (X)a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he (Y)called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he (Z)fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, (AA)do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he [f](AB)fell asleep.
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