20 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite and said:

² “Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste.

³ I have heard the rebuke of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.

⁴ Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,

⁵ that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

⁶ Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds,

⁷ yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung; they that have seen him shall say, ‘Where is he?’

⁸ He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found; yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

⁹ The eye also which saw him shall see him no more, neither shall his place any more behold him.

¹⁰ His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.

¹¹ His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.

¹² “Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue,

¹³ though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still within his mouth,

¹⁴ yet his meat in his stomach is turned; it is the gall of asps within him.

¹⁵ He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God shall cast them out of his belly.

¹⁶ He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper’s tongue shall slay him.

¹⁷ He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.

¹⁸ That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down; according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.

¹⁹ Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor, because he hath violently taken away a house which he built not,

²⁰ surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly; he shall not save of that which he desired.

²¹ There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods.

²² In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits; every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.

²³ When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of His wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.

²⁴ He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

²⁵ It is drawn and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall; terrors are upon him.

²⁶ All darkness shall be hid in his secret places; a fire not blown upon shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.

²⁷ The heaven shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him.

²⁸ The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of His wrath.

²⁹ “This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.”

21 But Job answered and said:

² “Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.

³ Suffer me that I may speak; and after I have spoken, mock on.

⁴ “As for me, is my complaint to man? And if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?

⁵ Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth!

⁶ Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.

⁷ Why do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

⁸ Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes.

⁹ Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

¹⁰ Their bull breeds, and faileth not; their cow calveth and casteth not her calf.

¹¹ They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

¹² They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

¹³ They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

¹⁴ Therefore they say unto God, ‘Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways.

¹⁵ What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?’

¹⁶ Lo, their good is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷ “How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! And how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in His anger.

¹⁸ They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

¹⁹ God layeth up his iniquity for his children; He rewardeth him, and he shall know it.

²⁰ His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

²¹ For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?

²² “Shall any teach God knowledge, seeing He judgeth those that are high?

²³ One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.

²⁴ His milk pails are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.

²⁵ And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

²⁶ They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

²⁷ “Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

²⁸ For ye say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? And where are the dwelling places of the wicked?’

²⁹ Have ye not asked them that go along the way? And do ye not know their tokens,

³⁰ that the wicked are reserved for the day of destruction? They shall be brought forth on the day of wrath.

³¹ Who shall declare his way to his face? And who shall repay him what he hath done?

³² Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.

³³ The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.

³⁴ “How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?”

²⁴ And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.

²⁵ And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶ But Peter took him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself also am a man.”

²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

²⁸ And he said unto them, “Ye know that it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to keep company with or to come unto one of another nation. But God hath shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

²⁹ Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying as soon as I was sent for. I ask therefore, with what intent ye have sent for me?”

³⁰ And Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms have been remembered in the sight of God.

³² Send therefore to Joppa and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodged in the house of one Simon, a tanner, by the seaside. He, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.’

³³ Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou hast done well, that thou hast come. Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee from God.”

³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “In truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons,

³⁵ but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted by Him.

³⁶ The Word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) —

³⁷ that Word, I say, ye know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

³⁹ And we are witnesses of all things which He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem — He whom they hanged on a tree and slew.

⁴⁰ Him God raised up the third day and showed Him openly,

⁴¹ not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

⁴² And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the Judge of the quick and dead.

⁴³ To Him all the prophets bear witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all those who heard the Word.

⁴⁵ And those of the Circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Ghost was poured out also on the Gentiles.

⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

⁴⁷ “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we?”

⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they entreated him to tarry certain days.

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