Job 25-27
New American Standard Bible
Bildad Says Mankind Is Inferior
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “(A)Dominion and awe [a]belong to Him
Who makes peace in (B)His heights.
3 Is there any number to (C)His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?
4 How then can mankind be (D)righteous with God?
Or how can anyone who is born of woman be (E)pure?
5 If even (F)the moon has no brightness
And the (G)stars are not pure in His sight,
6 How much less (H)man, that (I)maggot,
And a son of man, that worm!”
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job responded,
2 “What a help you are to [b](J)the weak!
You have saved the arm (K)without strength!
3 What advice you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [c]provided!
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [d]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [e](L)departed spirits are made to tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 [f](M)Sheol is naked before Him,
And [g](N)Abaddon has no covering.
7 He (O)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He (P)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 He [h](Q)obscures the face of the [i]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 He has inscribed a (R)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (S)boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 With His power He (T)quieted the sea,
And by His (U)understanding He shattered [j](V)Rahab.
13 By His breath the (W)heavens are [k]cleared;
His hand has pierced (X)the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint (Y)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty (Z)thunder, who can understand?”
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job again took up his (AA)discourse and said,
2 “As God lives, (AB)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, (AC)who has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as [l]life is in me,
And the [m](AD)breath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will (AE)my tongue mutter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, (AF)I will not [n]give up my integrity.
6 I have (AG)kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.
The State of the Godless
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked,
And [o]my opponent as the criminal.
8 For what is (AH)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires (AI)his [p]life?
9 Will God (AJ)hear his cry
When (AK)distress comes upon him?
10 Or will he take (AL)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will instruct you in the [q]power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?
13 “This is (AM)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which (AN)tyrants receive from the Almighty:
14 Though his sons are many, [r]they are destined (AO)for the sword;
And his (AP)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And [s]their (AQ)widows will not be able to weep.
16 Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, (AR)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He has built his (AS)house like the [t]spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
19 He lies down rich, but never [u]again;
He opens his eyes, and (AT)it no longer exists.
20 (AU)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away (AV)in the night.
21 The east (AW)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him (AX)away from his place.
22 For it will hurl at him (AY)without mercy;
He will certainly try to (AZ)flee from its [v]power.
23 People will [w]clap their hands at him,
And will (BA)whistle at him from their places.
Footnotes
- Job 25:2 Lit are with Him
- Job 26:2 Lit no strength
- Job 26:3 Lit made known
- Job 26:4 Lit breath has gone forth
- Job 26:5 Or shades; Heb Rephaim
- Job 26:6 I.e., the netherworld
- Job 26:6 I.e., the place of destruction
- Job 26:9 Lit covers
- Job 26:9 Or throne
- Job 26:12 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Job 26:13 Lit beauty
- Job 27:3 Lit breath
- Job 27:3 Or spirit
- Job 27:5 Lit remove from me
- Job 27:7 Lit one who rises up against me
- Job 27:8 Or soul
- Job 27:11 Lit hand
- Job 27:14 Lit the sword is for them
- Job 27:15 As in ancient versions; Heb his
- Job 27:18 As in ancient versions; Heb moth
- Job 27:19 As in ancient versions; Heb will be gathered
- Job 27:22 Lit hand
- Job 27:23 I.e., mock and ridicule him
Acts 12
New American Standard Bible
Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance
12 Now about that time [a]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm. 2 And he (A)had James the brother of John (B)executed with a sword. 3 When he saw that it (C)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were [b](D)the days of Unleavened Bread.) 4 When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four [c](E)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after (F)the Passover to bring him before the people. 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God [d]intensely by the church.
6 On [e]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (G)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. 7 And behold, (H)an angel of the Lord suddenly (I)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And (J)his chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Put on your belt and [f]strap 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 continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing (K)a vision. 10 Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which (L)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 When Peter (M)came [g]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that (N)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all [h]that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (O)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and (P)were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, (Q)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, (R)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, “It is (S)his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But (T)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to [i](U)James and (V)the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to [j]what could have become of Peter. 19 When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they (W)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to (X)Caesarea and was spending time there.
Death of Herod
20 Now he was very angry with the people of (Y)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because (Z)their country was supported with grain from the king’s country. 21 On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the [k]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. 22 The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 And immediately (AA)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and [l]died.
24 But (AB)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
25 And (AC)Barnabas and (AD)Saul returned (AE)when they had fulfilled their [m]mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them (AF)John, who was also called Mark.
Footnotes
- Acts 12:1 I.e., Herod Agrippa I
- Acts 12:3 I.e., Passover week
- Acts 12:4 Lit quaternions; a quaternion was composed of four soldiers
- Acts 12:5 Or constantly
- Acts 12:6 Lit that night
- Acts 12:8 Lit bind
- Acts 12:11 Lit in himself
- Acts 12:11 Lit the expectation of the people of the Jews
- Acts 12:17 Or Jacob
- Acts 12:18 Lit what therefore had become
- Acts 12:21 Or judgment seat
- Acts 12:23 Lit expired
- Acts 12:25 Lit ministry
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