Job 25-26

English Standard Version

Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

25 Then ^(A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

²“Dominion and fear are with God;^[a]
    he makes peace in his high heaven.
³Is there any number to his ^(B)armies?
    Upon whom does his ^(C)light not arise?
⁴How then can man be ^(D)in the right before God?
    How can he who is ^(E)born of woman be ^(F)pure?
⁵Behold, even the moon is not bright,
    and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
⁶^(G)how much less man, who is ^(H)a maggot,
    and ^(I)the son of man, who is a worm!”

Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable

26 Then Job answered and said:

²“How you have ^(J)helped him who has no power!
    How you have saved ^(K)the arm that has no strength!
³How you have ^(L)counseled him who has no wisdom,
    and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
⁴With whose help have you uttered words,
    and whose breath ^(M)has come out from you?
⁵The ^(N)dead tremble
    under the waters and their inhabitants.
⁶Sheol is ^(O)naked before God,^[b]
    and ^(P)Abaddon has no covering.
⁷He ^(Q)stretches out the north over ^(R)the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
⁸He ^(S)binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
⁹He covers the face of the full moon^[c]
    and ^(T)spreads over it his cloud.
¹⁰He has inscribed ^(U)a circle on the face of the waters
    at the boundary between light and darkness.
¹¹^(V)The pillars of heaven tremble
    and are astounded at his ^(W)rebuke.
¹²By his power he ^(X)stilled the sea;
    by his understanding he shattered ^(Y)Rahab.
¹³^(Z)By his wind the heavens were made fair;
    his hand pierced ^(AA)the fleeing serpent.
¹⁴Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ^(AB)ways,
    and how small ^(AC)a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Footnotes

Job 25:2 Hebrew him
Job 26:6 Hebrew him
Job 26:9 Or his throne

Acts 28:1-16

English Standard Version

Paul on Malta

28 After we were brought safely through, ^(A)we then learned that ^(B)the island was called Malta. ²^(C)The native people^[a] showed us unusual ^(D)kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. ⁴When ^(E)the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ^(F)“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, ^(G)Justice^[b] has not allowed him to live.” ⁵He, however, ^(H)shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, ^(I)they changed their minds and ^(J)said that he was a god.

⁷Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and ^(K)prayed, and ^(L)putting his hands on him, healed him. ⁹And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰They also honored us greatly,^[c] and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

¹¹After three months we set sail in ^(M)a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods^[d] as a figurehead. ¹²Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. ¹³And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁴There we found ^(N)brothers^[e] and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵And ^(O)the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, ^(P)Paul thanked God and took courage. ¹⁶And when we came into Rome, ^(Q)Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.

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Footnotes

Acts 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4
Acts 28:4 Or justice
Acts 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors
Acts 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux
Acts 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21

Psalm 91:1-6

English Standard Version

My Refuge and My Fortress

91 He who dwells in ^(A)the shelter of the Most High
will abide in ^(B)the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say^[a] to the Lord, “My ^(C)refuge and my ^(D)fortress,
my God, in whom I ^(E)trust.”

³For he will deliver you from ^(F)the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴He will ^(G)cover you with his pinions,
    and under his ^(H)wings you will ^(I)find refuge;
    his ^(J)faithfulness is ^(K)a shield and buckler.
⁵^(L)You will not fear ^(M)the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

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Footnotes

Psalm 91:2 Septuagint He will say

Proverbs 19:22-24

English Standard Version

²²What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
    and a poor man is better than a liar.
²³The fear of the Lord ^(A)leads to life,
    and whoever has it rests ^(B)satisfied;
    he will ^(C)not be visited by harm.
²⁴^(D)The sluggard buries his hand in ^(E)the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.