Job 29-30

English Standard Version

Job's Summary Defense

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

²“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me,
³when his ^(B)lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness,
⁴as I was in my prime,^[a]
    when the ^(C)friendship of God was upon my tent,
⁵when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my ^(D)children were all around me,
⁶when my steps were ^(E)washed with ^(F)butter,
    and ^(G)the rock poured out for me streams of ^(H)oil!
⁷When I went out to ^(I)the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
⁸the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
⁹the princes refrained from talking
    and ^(J)laid their hand on their mouth;
¹⁰the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their ^(K)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
¹¹When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved,
¹²because 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.
¹⁴I ^(P)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and ^(Q)a turban.
¹⁵I was ^(R)eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
¹⁶I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out ^(S)the cause of him whom I did not know.
¹⁷I ^(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,
¹⁹my ^(Y)roots spread out to ^(Z)the waters,
    with the dew all night on my ^(AA)branches,
²⁰my 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.
²²After I spoke they did not speak again,
    and my word ^(AD)dropped upon them.
²³They waited for me as for the rain,
    and they ^(AE)opened their mouths as for the ^(AF)spring rain.
²⁴I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
    and ^(AG)the light of my ^(AH)face they did not cast down.
²⁵I 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.
²What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
    ^(AL)men whose ^(AM)vigor is gone?
³Through want and hard hunger
    they ^(AN)gnaw ^(AO)the dry ground by night in ^(AP)waste and desolation;
⁴they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
    and the roots of the broom tree for their food.^[b]
⁵^(AQ)They are driven out from human company;
    they shout after them as after a thief.
⁶In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
    in holes of the earth and of ^(AR)the rocks.
⁷Among the bushes they ^(AS)bray;
    under ^(AT)the nettles they huddle together.
⁸A senseless, a nameless brood,
    they have been whipped out of the land.

⁹“And now I have become their ^(AU)song;
    I am ^(AV)a byword to them.
¹⁰They ^(AW)abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
    they do not hesitate to ^(AX)spit at the sight of me.
¹¹Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
    they have cast off restraint^[c] in my presence.
¹²On my ^(AY)right hand the rabble rise;
    they push away my feet;
    they ^(AZ)cast up against me their ways of destruction.
¹³They break up my path;
    they promote my ^(BA)calamity;
    they need no one to help them.
¹⁴As 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.
¹⁸With great force my garment is ^(BI)disfigured;
    it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
¹⁹God^[d] has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like ^(BJ)dust and ashes.
²⁰I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
    I stand, and you only look at me.
²¹You 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]
²⁵Did not I ^(BQ)weep for him whose day was hard?
    Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
²⁶But ^(BR)when I hoped for good, evil came,
    and when I waited for light, ^(BS)darkness came.
²⁷My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
    days of affliction ^(BT)come to meet me.
²⁸I ^(BU)go about darkened, but not by the sun;
    I stand up in ^(BV)the assembly and cry for help.
²⁹I am a brother of ^(BW)jackals
    and a companion of ^(BX)ostriches.
³⁰My ^(BY)skin turns black and falls from me,
    and my ^(BZ)bones burn with heat.
³¹My ^(CA)lyre is ^(CB)turned to mourning,
    and my ^(CC)pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Footnotes

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

Psalm 143

English Standard Version

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    ^(A)give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your ^(B)faithfulness answer me, in your ^(C)righteousness!
²^(D)Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous ^(E)before you.

³For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    ^(F)he has crushed my life to the ground;
    ^(G)he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴Therefore my spirit ^(H)faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

⁵^(I)I remember the days of old;
    ^(J)I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
⁶^(K)I stretch out my hands to you;
    ^(L)my soul thirsts for you like ^(M)a parched land. Selah

⁷^(N)Answer me quickly, O Lord!
    ^(O)My spirit fails!
^(P)Hide not your face from me,
    ^(Q)lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸^(R)Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I ^(S)trust.
^(T)Make me know the way I should go,
    ^(U)for to you I lift up my soul.

⁹^(V)Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
    I have fled to you for refuge.^[a]
¹⁰^(W)Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
^(X)Let your good Spirit ^(Y)lead me
    on ^(Z)level ground!

¹¹^(AA)For your name's sake, O Lord, ^(AB)preserve my life!
    In your righteousness ^(AC)bring my soul out of trouble!
¹²And in your steadfast love you will ^(AD)cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your ^(AE)servant.

Footnotes

Psalm 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered

Acts 10-12

English Standard Version

Peter and Cornelius

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of ^(A)what was known as the Italian Cohort, ²a devout man ^(B)who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. ³^(C)About the ninth hour of the day^[a] ^(D)he saw clearly in a vision ^(E)an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” ⁴And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms ^(F)have ascended ^(G)as a memorial before God. ⁵And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. ⁶He is lodging ^(H)with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, ⁸and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter's Vision

⁹The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, ^(I)Peter went up ^(J)on the housetop about ^(K)the sixth hour^[b] to pray. ¹⁰And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into ^(L)a trance ¹¹and saw ^(M)the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. ¹²In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. ¹³And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ¹⁴But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; ^(N)for I have never eaten anything that is ^(O)common or ^(P)unclean.” ¹⁵And the voice came to him again a second time, ^(Q)“What God has made clean, do not call common.” ¹⁶This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

¹⁷Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what ^(R)the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, ^(S)the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate ¹⁸and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. ¹⁹And while Peter was pondering ^(T)the vision, ^(U)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰Rise and go down and ^(V)accompany them without hesitation,^[c] for I have sent them.” ²¹And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” ²²And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and ^(W)God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by ^(X)a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and ^(Y)to hear what you have to say.” ²³So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and ^(Z)some of ^(AA)the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and ^(AB)fell down at his feet and ^(AC)worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, ^(AD)“Stand up; I too am a man.” ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. ²⁸And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew ^(AE)to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but ^(AF)God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. ²⁹So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

³⁰And Cornelius said, ^(AG)“Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at ^(AH)the ninth hour,^[d] and behold, ^(AI)a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, ^(AJ)your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ ³³So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear the Good News

³⁴So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that ^(AK)God ^(AL)shows no partiality, ³⁵but ^(AM)in every nation anyone who fears him and ^(AN)does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶As for ^(AO)the word that he sent to Israel, ^(AP)preaching good news of ^(AQ)peace through Jesus Christ (^(AR)he is Lord of all), ³⁷you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, ^(AS)beginning ^(AT)from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸how ^(AU)God anointed Jesus of Nazareth ^(AV)with the Holy Spirit and with ^(AW)power. He went about doing good and healing all ^(AX)who were oppressed by the devil, ^(AY)for God was with him. ³⁹And ^(AZ)we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. ^(BA)They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰but ^(BB)God raised him on ^(BC)the third day and made him to ^(BD)appear, ⁴¹^(BE)not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as ^(BF)witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²And ^(BG)he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify ^(BH)that he is the one appointed by God to be judge ^(BI)of the living and the dead. ⁴³^(BJ)To him ^(BK)all the prophets bear witness that ^(BL)everyone who believes in him receives ^(BM)forgiveness of sins ^(BN)through his name.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴While Peter was still saying these things, ^(BO)the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵And the believers from among ^(BP)the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because ^(BQ)the gift of the Holy Spirit ^(BR)was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶For they were hearing them ^(BS)speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷^(BT)“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit ^(BU)just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he ^(BV)commanded them ^(BW)to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Peter Reports to the Church

11 Now the apostles and ^(BX)the brothers^[e] who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ^(BY)the circumcision party^[f] criticized him, saying, ³^(BZ)“You went to uncircumcised men and ^(CA)ate with them.” ⁴But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ⁵^(CB)“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. ⁶Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. ⁷And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ ¹⁰This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. ¹²And the Spirit told me to go with them, ^(CC)making no distinction. ^(CD)These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. ¹³And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; ¹⁴^(CE)he will declare to you a message by which ^(CF)you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵As I began to speak, ^(CG)the Holy Spirit fell on them ^(CH)just as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ^(CI)‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷If then ^(CJ)God gave ^(CK)the same gift to them as he gave to us ^(CL)when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(CM)who was I ^(CN)that I could stand in God's way?” ¹⁸When they heard these things they fell silent. And they ^(CO)glorified God, saying, ^(CP)“Then to the Gentiles also God has ^(CQ)granted ^(CR)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹^(CS)Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists^[g] also, ^(CT)preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹And ^(CU)the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed ^(CV)turned to the Lord. ²²The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³When he came and saw ^(CW)the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord ^(CX)with steadfast purpose, ²⁴for he was a good man, ^(CY)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people ^(CZ)were added to the Lord. ²⁵So Barnabas went to ^(DA)Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called ^(DB)Christians.

²⁷Now in these days ^(DC)prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸And one of them named ^(DD)Agabus stood up and foretold ^(DE)by the Spirit that there would be a great ^(DF)famine over all the world (this took place in the days of ^(DG)Claudius). ²⁹So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, ^(DH)to send relief to ^(DI)the brothers^[h] living in Judea. ³⁰^(DJ)And they did so, sending it to ^(DK)the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ²He killed ^(DL)James the brother of John ^(DM)with the sword, ³and when he saw ^(DN)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during ^(DO)the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴And when he had seized him, he put him ^(DP)in prison, delivering him over to four ^(DQ)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest ^(DR)prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Peter Is Rescued

⁶Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(DS)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷And behold, ^(DT)an angel of the Lord ^(DU)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. ^(DV)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(DW)the chains fell off his hands. ⁸And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and ^(DX)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but ^(DY)thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. ^(DZ)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹When Peter ^(EA)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that ^(EB)the Lord has sent his angel and ^(EC)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹²When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(ED)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(EE)were praying. ¹³And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, ^(EF)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴Recognizing Peter's voice, ^(EG)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is ^(EH)his angel!” ¹⁶But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷But ^(EI)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 ^(EJ)James and to ^(EK)the brothers.”^[i] Then he departed and went to another place.

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

The Death of Herod

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

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

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