¹³ Now Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John [Mark] separated himself from them and went back to Jerusalem,

¹⁴ But they [themselves] came on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue there and sat down.

¹⁵ After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders [of the worship] of the synagogue sent to them saying, Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation or consolation or encouragement for the people, say it.

¹⁶ So Paul arose, and motioning with his hand said, Men of Israel and you who reverence and fear God, listen!

¹⁷ The God of this people Israel selected our forefathers and made this people great and important during their stay in the land of Egypt, and then with an uplifted arm He led them out from there.^(A)

¹⁸ And for about forty years ^[a]like a fatherly nurse He cared for them in the wilderness and endured their behavior.^(B)

¹⁹ When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them [the Hebrews] their land as an inheritance [distributing it to them by lot; all of which took] about 450 years.^(C)

²⁰ After that, He gave them judges until the prophet Samuel.

²¹ Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

²² And when He had deposed him, He raised up David to be their king; of him He bore witness and said, I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart, who will do all My will and carry out My program fully.^(D)

²³ Of this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior [in the person of Jesus], according to His promise.

²⁴ Before His coming John had [already] preached baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

²⁵ And as John was ending his course, he asked, What or ^[b]who do you secretly think that I am? I am not He [the Christ. No], but note that after me One is coming, the sandals of Whose feet I am not worthy to untie!

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26 But Job answered,

² How you have helped him who is without power! How you have sustained the arm that is without strength!

³ How you have counseled him who has no wisdom! And how plentifully you have declared to him sound knowledge!

⁴ With whose assistance have you uttered these words? And whose spirit [inspired what] came forth from you?

⁵ The shades of the dead tremble underneath the waters and their inhabitants.

⁶ Sheol (the place of the dead) is naked before God, and Abaddon (the place of destruction) has no covering [from His eyes].

⁷ He it is Who spreads out the northern skies over emptiness and ^[a]hangs the earth upon or over nothing.

⁸ He holds the waters bound in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once], and the cloud is not rent under them.

⁹ He covers the face of His throne and spreads over it His cloud.

¹⁰ He has placed an enclosing limit [the horizon] upon the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

¹¹ The pillars of the heavens tremble and are astonished at His rebuke.

¹² He stills or stirs up the sea by His power, and by His understanding He smites proud Rahab.

¹³ By His breath the heavens are garnished; His hand pierced the [swiftly] fleeing serpent.^(A)

¹⁴ Yet these are but [a small part of His doings] the outskirts of His ways or the mere fringes of His force, the faintest whisper of His voice! Who dares contemplate or who can understand the thunders of His full, magnificent power?

27 Job again took up his discourse and said,

² As God lives, Who has taken away my right and denied me justice, and the Almighty, Who has vexed and embittered my life,

³ As long as my life is still whole within me, and the breath of God is [yet] in my nostrils,

⁴ My lips shall not speak untruth, nor shall my tongue utter deceit.

⁵ God forbid that I should justify you—saying you are right [in your accusations against me]; till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me.

⁶ My uprightness and my right standing with God I hold fast and will not let them go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days and it shall not reproach me as long as I live.

⁷ Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.

⁸ For what is the hope of the godless and polluted, even though he has gained [in this world], when God cuts him off and takes away his life?

⁹ Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?

¹⁰ Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

¹¹ I will teach you regarding the hand and handiwork of God; that which is with the Almighty [God’s actual treatment of the wicked man] will I not conceal.

¹² Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain [cherishing foolish notions]?

¹³ This [which I am about to tell] is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage which oppressors shall receive from the Almighty:

¹⁴ If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring will not have sufficient bread.

¹⁵ Those who survive him, [the pestilence] will bury, and [their] widows will make no lamentation.

¹⁶ Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up clothing like clay,

¹⁷ He may prepare it, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸ He builds his house like a moth or a spider, like a booth which a watchman makes [to last for a season].

¹⁹ [The wicked] will lie down rich, but does it not again; he opens his eyes, and [his wealth] is gone.

²⁰ Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly loosened] flood; a windstorm steals him away in the night.

²¹ The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

²² For [God and the storm] hurl at him without pity and unsparingly [their thunderbolts of wrath]; he flees in haste before His power.

²³ [God causes] men to clap their hands at him [in malignant joy] and hiss him out of his place.