¹⁶ As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling.

¹⁷ She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation!

¹⁸ And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very ^[a]moment.

¹⁹ But when her owners discovered that their hope of profit was gone, they caught hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the forum (marketplace), [where trials are held].

²⁰ And when they had brought them before the magistrates, they declared, These fellows are Jews and they are throwing our city into great confusion.

²¹ They encourage the practice of customs which it is unlawful for us Romans to accept or observe!

²² The crowd [also] joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the clothes off of them and commanded that they be beaten with rods.

²³ And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.

²⁴ He, having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them,

²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened.

²⁷ When the jailer, startled out of his sleep, saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he supposed that the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸ But Paul shouted, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!

²⁹ Then [the jailer] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling and terrified he fell down before Paul and Silas.

³⁰ And he brought them out [of the dungeon] and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?

³¹ And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [^[b]give yourself up to Him, ^[c] take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.

³² And they declared the Word of the Lord [the doctrine concerning the ^[d]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] to him and to all who were in his house.

³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and ^[e]bathed [them because of their bloody] wounds, and he was baptized immediately and all [the members of] his [household].

³⁴ Then he took them up into his house and set food before them; and he ^[f]leaped much for joy and exulted with all his family that he believed in God [accepting and joyously welcoming what He had made known through Christ].

³⁵ But when it was day, the magistrates sent policemen, saying, Release those fellows and let them go.

³⁶ And the jailer repeated the words to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent to release you and let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace.

³⁷ But Paul answered them, They have beaten us openly and publicly, without a trial and uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now thrust us out secretly? No, indeed! Let them come here themselves and conduct us out!

³⁸ The police reported this message to the magistrates, and they were frightened when they heard that the prisoners were Roman citizens;

³⁹ So they came themselves and [striving to appease them by entreaty] apologized to them. And they brought them out and asked them to leave the city.

⁴⁰ So [Paul and Silas] left the prison and went to Lydia’s house; and when they had seen the brethren, they warned and urged and consoled and encouraged them and departed.

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from and shunned evil [because it was wrong].

² And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

³ He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great body of servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.

⁴ His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them.^(A)

⁵ And when the days of their feasting were over, Job sent for them to purify and hallow them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed or disowned God in their hearts. Thus did Job at all [such] times.

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them.^(B)

⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.

⁸ And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong]?

⁹ Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job [reverently] fear God for nothing?

¹⁰ Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

¹¹ But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.

¹² And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon the man himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

¹³ And there was a day when [Job’s] sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house [on his birthday],

¹⁴ And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

¹⁵ And the Sabeans swooped down upon them and took away [the animals]. Indeed, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

¹⁶ While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The fire of God (lightning) has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

¹⁷ While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The Chaldeans divided into three bands and made a raid upon the camels and have taken them away, yes, and have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

¹⁸ While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house,

¹⁹ And behold, there came a great [whirlwind] from the desert, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.

²⁰ Then Job arose and rent his robe and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped

²¹ And said, Naked (without possessions) came I [into this world] from my mother’s womb, and naked (without possessions) shall I depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed (praised and magnified in worship) be the name of the Lord!

²² In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly.

2 Again there was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

² And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan (the adversary and the accuser) answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.

³ And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns all evil [because it is wrong]? And still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.

⁴ Then Satan answered the Lord, Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has will he give for his life.

⁵ But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse and renounce You to Your face.

⁶ And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.

⁷ So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with loathsome and painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

⁸ And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes.

⁹ Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast your blameless uprightness? Renounce God and die!

¹⁰ But he said to her, You speak as one of the impious and foolish women would speak. What? Shall we accept [only] good at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune and what is of a bad nature? In [spite of] all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

¹¹ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, for they had made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him.

¹² And when they looked from afar off and saw him [disfigured] beyond recognition, they lifted up their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe, and they cast dust over their heads toward the heavens.

¹³ So they sat down with [Job] on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief and pain were very great.