Job 13-14
English Standard Version
Job Continues: Still I Will Hope in God
13 “Behold, my eye has seen all this,
my ear has heard and understood it.
2 (A)What you know, I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
3 (B)But I would speak to the Almighty,
and I desire to (C)argue my case with God.
4 As for you, (D)you whitewash with lies;
(E)worthless physicians are you all.
5 Oh that you would (F)keep silent,
and it would be your wisdom!
6 Hear now my argument
and listen to the pleadings of my lips.
7 Will you (G)speak falsely for God
and speak (H)deceitfully for him?
8 Will you show partiality toward him?
Will you (I)plead the case for God?
9 Will it be well with you when he (J)searches you out?
Or (K)can you deceive him, as one deceives a man?
10 He will surely rebuke you
if in secret you show partiality.
11 Will not his (L)majesty terrify you,
and the dread of him fall upon you?
12 Your maxims are proverbs of (M)ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
13 “Let me have silence, and I will speak,
and let come on me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and (N)put my life in my hand?
15 (O)Though he slay me, I will (P)hope in him;[a]
yet I will (Q)argue my ways to his face.
16 This will be my salvation,
that the godless shall not come before him.
17 (R)Keep listening to my words,
and let my declaration be in your ears.
18 Behold, I have (S)prepared my case;
I know that I shall be in the right.
19 (T)Who is there who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.
20 Only grant me two things,
then I will not (U)hide myself from your face:
21 (V)withdraw your hand far from me,
and let not (W)dread of you terrify me.
22 (X)Then call, and I will answer;
or let me speak, and you reply to me.
23 How many are my iniquities and my sins?
(Y)Make me know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why (Z)do you hide your face
and (AA)count me as your enemy?
25 Will you frighten (AB)a driven leaf
and pursue dry (AC)chaff?
26 For you (AD)write bitter things against me
and make me inherit (AE)the iniquities of my youth.
27 You put my feet in (AF)the stocks
and (AG)watch all my paths;
you set a limit for[b] the soles of my feet.
28 Man[c] wastes away like (AH)a rotten thing,
like a garment that is (AI)moth-eaten.
Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All
14 “Man who is (AJ)born of a woman
is (AK)few of days and (AL)full of trouble.
2 He comes out like (AM)a flower and (AN)withers;
he flees like (AO)a shadow and continues not.
3 And do you (AP)open your eyes on such a one
and (AQ)bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can bring (AR)a clean thing out of an unclean?
There is not one.
5 Since his (AS)days are determined,
and (AT)the number of his months is with you,
and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6 (AU)look away from him and leave him alone,[d]
that he may enjoy, like (AV)a hired hand, his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root grow old in the earth,
and (AW)its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put out (AX)branches like a young plant.
10 But a man dies and is laid low;
man breathes his last, and (AY)where is he?
11 (AZ)As waters fail from a lake
and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so a man lies down and rises not again;
till (BA)the heavens are no more he will not awake
or be (BB)roused out of his sleep.
13 Oh that you would (BC)hide me in (BD)Sheol,
that you would (BE)conceal me (BF)until your wrath be past,
that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my (BG)service I would (BH)wait,
till my renewal[e] should come.
15 You would (BI)call, and I would answer you;
you would long for the (BJ)work of your hands.
16 For then you would (BK)number my steps;
you would not keep (BL)watch over my sin;
17 my transgression would be (BM)sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.
18 “But the mountain falls and (BN)crumbles away,
and (BO)the rock is removed from its place;
19 the waters wear away the stones;
the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so you destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
you change his countenance, and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and he (BP)does not know it;
they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,
and he mourns only for himself.”
Acts 24
English Standard Version
Paul Before Felix at Caesarea
24 And (A)after five days the high priest (B)Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before (C)the governor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:
“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, (D)most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain[a] you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, (E)one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of (F)the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 (G)He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.[b] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”
9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.
10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied:
“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11 You can verify that (H)it is not more than twelve days since I (I)went up (J)to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and (K)they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 (L)Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to (M)the Way, which they call (N)a sect, (O)I worship (P)the God of our fathers, believing everything (Q)laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 (R)having (S)a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be (T)a resurrection (U)of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always (V)take pains to have a (W)clear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now (X)after several years (Y)I came to bring alms to (Z)my nation and to present (AA)offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me (AB)purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But (AC)some Jews from Asia— 19 (AD)they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing (AE)that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”
Paul Kept in Custody
22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of (AF)the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he (AG)should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that (AH)none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about (AI)faith (AJ)in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned (AK)about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. (AL)When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped (AM)that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius (AN)Festus. And (AO)desiring to do the Jews a favor, (AP)Felix left Paul in prison.
Psalm 89:28-34
English Standard Version
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my (A)covenant will stand firm[a] for him.
29 I will establish his (B)offspring forever
and his (C)throne as (D)the days of the heavens.
30 (E)If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,[b]
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with (F)the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my (G)covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:28 Or will remain faithful
- Psalm 89:30 Or my just decrees
Proverbs 19:7-9
English Standard Version
7 (A)All a poor man's brothers hate him;
(B)how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.[a]
8 (C)Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will (D)discover good.
9 (E)A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who (F)breathes out lies will perish.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:7 The meaning of the Hebrew sentence is uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.