Job's Summary Defense

29 And Job again (A)took up his discourse, and said:

“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me,
when his (B)lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness,
as I was in my prime,[a]
    when the (C)friendship of God was upon my tent,
when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my (D)children were all around me,
when my steps were (E)washed with (F)butter,
    and (G)the rock poured out for me streams of (H)oil!
When I went out to (I)the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
the princes refrained from talking
    and (J)laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their (K)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I (L)delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 (M)The blessing of him who was (N)about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused (O)the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I (P)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and (Q)a turban.
15 I was (R)eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out (S)the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I (T)broke (U)the fangs of the unrighteous
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 (V)Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my (W)nest,
    and I shall multiply my days as (X)the sand,
19 my (Y)roots spread out to (Z)the waters,
    with the dew all night on my (AA)branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
    and my (AB)bow ever (AC)new in my hand.’

21 “Men listened to me and waited
    and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
    and my word (AD)dropped upon them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
    and they (AE)opened their mouths as for the (AF)spring rain.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
    and (AG)the light of my (AH)face they did not cast down.
25 I chose their way and sat as chief,
    and I lived like (AI)a king among his troops,
    like one who comforts mourners.

30 “But now they (AJ)laugh at me,
    men who are (AK)younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to set with the dogs of my flock.
What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
    (AL)men whose (AM)vigor is gone?
Through want and hard hunger
    they (AN)gnaw (AO)the dry ground by night in (AP)waste and desolation;
they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
    and the roots of the broom tree for their food.[b]
(AQ)They are driven out from human company;
    they shout after them as after a thief.
In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
    in holes of the earth and of (AR)the rocks.
Among the bushes they (AS)bray;
    under (AT)the nettles they huddle together.
A senseless, a nameless brood,
    they have been whipped out of the land.

“And now I have become their (AU)song;
    I am (AV)a byword to them.
10 They (AW)abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
    they do not hesitate to (AX)spit at the sight of me.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
    they have cast off restraint[c] in my presence.
12 On my (AY)right hand the rabble rise;
    they push away my feet;
    they (AZ)cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path;
    they promote my (BA)calamity;
    they need no one to help them.
14 As through a wide (BB)breach they come;
    amid the crash they roll on.
15 (BC)Terrors are turned upon me;
    my honor is pursued as by the wind,
    and my prosperity has passed away like (BD)a cloud.

16 “And now my soul is (BE)poured out within me;
    days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 (BF)The night (BG)racks my bones,
    and the pain that (BH)gnaws me takes no rest.
18 With great force my garment is (BI)disfigured;
    it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
19 God[d] has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like (BJ)dust and ashes.
20 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
    I stand, and you only look at me.
21 You have (BK)turned cruel to me;
    with the might of your hand you (BL)persecute me.
22 (BM)You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
    and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
23 (BN)For I know that you will bring me to death
    and to the house appointed for (BO)all living.

24 “Yet does not one in a (BP)heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
    and in his disaster cry for help?[e]
25 Did not I (BQ)weep for him whose day was hard?
    Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26 But (BR)when I hoped for good, evil came,
    and when I waited for light, (BS)darkness came.
27 My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
    days of affliction (BT)come to meet me.
28 I (BU)go about darkened, but not by the sun;
    I stand up in (BV)the assembly and cry for help.
29 I am a brother of (BW)jackals
    and a companion of (BX)ostriches.
30 My (BY)skin turns black and falls from me,
    and my (BZ)bones burn with heat.
31 My (CA)lyre is (CB)turned to mourning,
    and my (CC)pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Notas al pie

  1. Job 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days
  2. Job 30:4 Or warmth
  3. Job 30:11 Hebrew the bridle
  4. Job 30:19 Hebrew He
  5. Job 30:24 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Job’s Final Defense

29 Job continued his discourse:(A)

“How I long for the months gone by,(B)
    for the days when God watched over me,(C)
when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!(D)
Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
    when God’s intimate friendship(E) blessed my house,(F)
when the Almighty was still with me
    and my children(G) were around me,(H)
when my path was drenched with cream(I)
    and the rock(J) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(K)

“When I went to the gate(L) of the city
    and took my seat in the public square,
the young men saw me and stepped aside(M)
    and the old men rose to their feet;(N)
the chief men refrained from speaking(O)
    and covered their mouths with their hands;(P)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(Q)
    and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(R)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
    and those who saw me commended me,(S)
12 because I rescued the poor(T) who cried for help,
    and the fatherless(U) who had none to assist them.(V)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(W)
    I made the widow’s(X) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(Y) as my clothing;
    justice was my robe and my turban.(Z)
15 I was eyes(AA) to the blind
    and feet to the lame.(AB)
16 I was a father to the needy;(AC)
    I took up the case(AD) of the stranger.(AE)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
    and snatched the victims(AF) from their teeth.(AG)

18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
    my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(AH)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(AI)
    and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(AJ)
20 My glory will not fade;(AK)
    the bow(AL) will be ever new in my hand.’(AM)

21 “People listened to me expectantly,
    waiting in silence for my counsel.(AN)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(AO)
    my words fell gently on their ears.(AP)
23 They waited for me as for showers
    and drank in my words as the spring rain.(AQ)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face(AR) was precious to them.[a](AS)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(AT)
    I dwelt as a king(AU) among his troops;
    I was like one who comforts mourners.(AV)

30 “But now they mock me,(AW)
    men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to put with my sheep dogs.(AX)
Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
    since their vigor had gone from them?
Haggard from want and hunger,
    they roamed[b] the parched land(AY)
    in desolate wastelands(AZ) at night.(BA)
In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(BB)
    and their food[c] was the root of the broom bush.(BC)
They were banished from human society,
    shouted at as if they were thieves.
They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
    among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(BD)
They brayed(BE) among the bushes(BF)
    and huddled in the undergrowth.
A base and nameless brood,(BG)
    they were driven out of the land.(BH)

“And now those young men mock me(BI) in song;(BJ)
    I have become a byword(BK) among them.
10 They detest me(BL) and keep their distance;
    they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(BM)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(BN) and afflicted me,(BO)
    they throw off restraint(BP) in my presence.
12 On my right(BQ) the tribe[d] attacks;
    they lay snares(BR) for my feet,(BS)
    they build their siege ramps against me.(BT)
13 They break up my road;(BU)
    they succeed in destroying me.(BV)
    ‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(BW)
    amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(BX) overwhelm me;(BY)
    my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
    my safety vanishes like a cloud.(BZ)

16 “And now my life ebbs away;(CA)
    days of suffering grip me.(CB)
17 Night pierces my bones;
    my gnawing pains never rest.(CC)
18 In his great power(CD) God becomes like clothing to me[e];
    he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(CE)
    and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(CF)

20 “I cry out to you,(CG) God, but you do not answer;(CH)
    I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(CI)
    with the might of your hand(CJ) you attack me.(CK)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(CL)
    you toss me about in the storm.(CM)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(CN)
    to the place appointed for all the living.(CO)

24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(CP)
    when he cries for help in his distress.(CQ)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(CR)
    Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(CS)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
    when I looked for light, then came darkness.(CT)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(CU)
    days of suffering confront me.(CV)
28 I go about blackened,(CW) but not by the sun;
    I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(CX)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(CY)
    a companion of owls.(CZ)
30 My skin grows black(DA) and peels;(DB)
    my body burns with fever.(DC)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(DD)
    and my pipe(DE) to the sound of wailing.

Notas al pie

  1. Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  2. Job 30:3 Or gnawed
  3. Job 30:4 Or fuel
  4. Job 30:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Job 30:18 Hebrew; Septuagint power he grasps my clothing

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed (A)James the brother of John (B)with the sword, and when he saw (C)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during (D)the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him (E)in prison, delivering him over to four (F)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest (G)prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Peter Is Rescued

Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (H)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, (I)an angel of the Lord (J)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. (K)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And (L)the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and (M)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but (N)thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. (O)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter (P)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that (Q)the Lord has sent his angel and (R)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (S)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and (T)were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, (U)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, (V)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is (W)his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But (X)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to (Y)James and to (Z)the brothers.”[a] Then he departed and went to another place.

18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and (AA)ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

The Death of Herod

20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and (AB)having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain,[b] they asked for peace, because (AC)their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately (AD)an angel of the Lord struck him down, because (AE)he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

24 But (AF)the word of God increased and multiplied.

25 (AG)And Barnabas and Saul returned from[c] Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them (AH)John, whose other name was Mark.

Notas al pie

  1. Acts 12:17 Or brothers and sisters
  2. Acts 12:20 That is, trusted personal attendant
  3. Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to

Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

12 It was about this time that King Herod(A) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John,(B) put to death with the sword.(C) When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,(D) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(E) After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.(F)

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.(G)

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,(H) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel(I) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.(J)

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.(K) 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,(L) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself(M) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me(N) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,(O) where many people had gathered and were praying.(P) 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.(Q) 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed(R) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”(S)

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand(T) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James(U) and the other brothers and sisters(V) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.(W)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea(X) and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;(Y) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.(Z)

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel(AA) of the Lord struck him down,(AB) and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God(AC) continued to spread and flourish.(AD)

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

25 When Barnabas(AE) and Saul had finished their mission,(AF) they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.(AG)

Notas al pie

  1. Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to