Job 23-24
Christian Standard Bible
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
23 Then Job answered:
2 Today also my complaint is bitter.[a](A)
His[b] hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 If only I knew how to find him,
so that I could go to his throne.
4 I would plead my case before him(B)
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how[c] he would answer me;
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he prosecute(C) me forcefully?
No, he would certainly pay attention to me.
7 Then an upright man could reason(D) with him,
and I would escape from my Judge[d](E) forever.
8 If I go east, he is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.(F)
9 When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him;
when he turns south, I cannot find him.
10 Yet he knows the way I have taken;[e]
when he has tested me,(G) I will emerge as pure gold.
11 My feet have followed in his tracks;
I have kept to his way(H) and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands from his lips;
I have treasured[f] the words(I) from his mouth
more than my daily food.
13 But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him?
He does what he desires.(J)
14 He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me,
and he has many more things like these in mind.[g]
15 Therefore I am terrified(K) in his presence;
when I consider this, I am afraid of him.
16 God has made my heart faint;(L)
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not destroyed[h] by the darkness,(M)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
24 Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment?(N)
Why do those who know him never see his days?
2 The wicked displace boundary markers.
They steal a flock and provide pasture for it.
3 They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless(O)
and take the widow’s ox as collateral.
4 They push the needy off the road;
the poor of the land are forced into hiding.(P)
5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
the poor go out to their task of foraging for food;
the desert provides nourishment for their children.
6 They gather their fodder in the field
and glean the vineyards of the wicked.
7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked,
having no covering against the cold.(Q)
8 Drenched by mountain rains,
they huddle against[i] the rocks, shelterless.
9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast;
the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral.[j]
10 Without clothing, they wander about naked.
They carry sheaves but go hungry.(R)
11 They crush olives in their presses;[k]
they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
12 From the city, men[l] groan;
the mortally wounded cry for help,
yet God pays no attention to this crime.(S)
13 The wicked are those who rebel against the light.
They do not recognize its ways
or stay on its paths.
14 The murderer rises at dawn
to kill the poor and needy,
and by night he becomes a thief.
15 The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight,
thinking, “No eye will see me,”
and he covers his face.
16 In the dark they break[m] into houses;
by day they lock themselves in,[n]
never experiencing the light.
17 For the morning is like darkness to them.
Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness!
18 They float[o] on the surface of the water.
Their section of the land is cursed,
so that they never go to their vineyards.
19 As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow,
so Sheol(T) steals those who have sinned.
20 The womb forgets them;
worms feed on them;
they are remembered(U) no more.
So injustice is broken like a tree.
21 They prey on[p] the childless woman who is unable to conceive,
and do not deal kindly with the widow.
22 Yet God drags away[q] the mighty by his power;
when he rises up, they have no assurance of life.
23 He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it,(V)
but his eyes(W) watch over their ways.
24 They are exalted for a moment, then gone;
they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else.[r]
They wither like heads of grain.(X)
25 If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar(Y)
and show that my speech is worthless?
Footnotes
- 23:2 Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads rebellion
- 23:2 LXX, Syr; MT reads My
- 23:5 Lit the words
- 23:7 Or judgment
- 23:10 Lit way with me
- 23:12 LXX, Vg read treasured in my bosom
- 23:14 Lit these with him
- 23:17 Or silenced
- 24:8 Lit they embrace
- 24:9 Text emended; MT reads breast; they seize collateral against the poor
- 24:11 Lit olives between their rows
- 24:12 One Hb ms, Syr read the dying
- 24:16 Lit dig
- 24:16 Lit they seal for themselves
- 24:18 Lit are insignificant
- 24:21 LXX, Tg read They harm
- 24:22 Or God prolongs the life of
- 24:24 LXX reads like a mallow plant in the heat
Acts 27:13-44
Christian Standard Bible
Storm-Tossed Ship
13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 But before long, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island. 15 Since the ship was caught and unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda,[a] we were barely able to get control of the skiff. 17 After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along. 18 Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day.(A) 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope was fading that we would be saved.
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. 22 Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23 For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me(B) 24 and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.(C) 26 But we have to run aground on some island.”(D)
27 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found it to be a hundred twenty feet[b] deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet[c] deep. 29 Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.
33 When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34 So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.”(E) 35 After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat.(F) 36 They all were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 In all there were 276 of us on the ship.(G) 38 When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.
Shipwreck
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could.(H) 40 After cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41 But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.(I)
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Psalm 90:10-17
Christian Standard Bible
10 Our lives last[a] seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[b] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(A)
11 Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.(B)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[c](C)
13 Lord—how long?
Turn and have compassion on your servants.(D)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(E)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(F)
16 Let your work be seen by your servants,
and your splendor by their children.(G)
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!(H)
Proverbs 19:20-21
Christian Standard Bible
21 Many plans are in a person’s heart,
but the Lord’s decree will prevail.(B)
Footnotes
- 19:20 Lit in your end
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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