Job and His Family in Uz

1 There was a man ^(A)in the land of Uz, whose name was ^(B)Job; and that man was ^(C)blameless and upright, and one who ^(D)feared God and ^[a]shunned evil. ² And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³ Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the ^[b]people of the East.

⁴ And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and ^[c]sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning ^(E)and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and ^(F)cursed^[d] God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Satan Attacks Job’s Character

⁶ Now ^(G)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[e]Satan also came among them. ⁷ And the Lord said to ^[f]Satan, “From where do you come?”

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From ^(H)going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[g]considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and ^[h]shuns evil?”

⁹ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ^10 (I)Have You not ^[i]made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? ^(J)You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ^11 (K)But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely ^(L)curse^[j] You to Your face!”

¹² And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[k]power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses His Property and Children

¹³ Now there was a day ^(M)when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; ¹⁴ and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ when the ^[l]Sabeans ^[m]raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and ^[n]consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ^(N)“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and suddenly a great wind came from ^[o]across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²⁰ Then Job arose, ^(O)tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he ^(P)fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said:

^22 (U)In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Satan Attacks Job’s Health

2 Again ^(V)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

^(W)Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

³ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ^(X)a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he ^(Y)holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, ^(Z)to ^[p]destroy him without cause.”

⁴ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ^5 (AA)But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his ^(AB)bone and his flesh, and he will surely ^[q]curse You to Your face!”

^6 (AC)And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils ^(AD)from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸ And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself ^(AE)while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? ^[r]Curse God and die!”

¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. ^(AF)Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” ^(AG)In all this Job did not ^(AH)sin with his lips.

Job’s Three Friends

¹¹ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the ^(AI)Temanite, Bildad the ^(AJ)Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come ^(AK)and mourn with him, and to comfort him. ¹² And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and ^(AL)sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. ¹³ So they sat down with him on the ground ^(AM)seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now in those days, ^(A)when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the ^(B)Hellenists,^[a] because their widows were neglected ^(C)in the daily distribution. ² Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ^(D)“It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, ^(E)seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this ^(F)business; ⁴ but we ^(G)will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, ^(H)a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and ^(I)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and ^(J)Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, ⁶ whom they set before the apostles; and ^(K)when they had prayed, ^(L)they laid hands on them.

⁷ Then ^(M)the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many ^(N)of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of ^[b]faith and power, did great ^(O)wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰ And ^(P)they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. ^11 (Q)Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. ¹³ They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak ^[c]blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; ^14 (R)for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

7 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

² And he said, ^(S)“Brethren and fathers, listen: The ^(T)God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in ^(U)Haran, ³ and said to him, ^(V)‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then ^(W)he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was ^(X)dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. ⁵ And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, ^(Y)He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. ⁶ But God spoke in this way: ^(Z)that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into ^(AA)bondage and oppress them four hundred years. ^7 (AB)‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will ^(AC)judge,’ said God, ^(AD)‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.’ ^8 (AE)Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; ^(AF)and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; ^(AG)and Isaac begot Jacob, and ^(AH)Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.

The Patriarchs in Egypt

^9 (AI)“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, ^(AJ)sold Joseph into Egypt. ^(AK)But God was with him ¹⁰ and delivered him out of all his troubles, ^(AL)and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. ^11 (AM)Now a famine and great ^[d]trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. ^12 (AN)But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. ¹³ And the ^(AO)second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. ^14 (AP)Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and ^(AQ)all his relatives to him, ^[e]seventy-five people. ^15 (AR)So Jacob went down to Egypt; ^(AS)and he died, he and our fathers. ¹⁶ And ^(AT)they were carried back to Shechem and laid in ^(AU)the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.

God Delivers Israel by Moses

¹⁷ “But when ^(AV)the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, ^(AW)the people grew and multiplied in Egypt ¹⁸ till another king ^(AX)arose who did not know Joseph. ¹⁹ This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, ^(AY)making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. ^20 (AZ)At this time Moses was born, and ^(BA)was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. ²¹ But ^(BB)when he was set out, ^(BC)Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. ²² And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was ^(BD)mighty in words and deeds.

^23 (BE)“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. ²⁴ And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. ²⁵ For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. ²⁶ And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ ²⁷ But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ^(BF)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ ^29 (BG)Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he ^(BH)had two sons.

^30 (BI)“And when forty years had passed, an Angel ^[f]of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, ³² saying, ^(BJ)‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. ^33 (BK)‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. ³⁴ I have surely ^(BL)seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will ^(BM)send you to Egypt.” ’

³⁵ “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ^(BN)‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer ^(BO)by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. ^36 (BP)He brought them out, after he had ^(BQ)shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, ^(BR)and in the Red Sea, ^(BS)and in the wilderness forty years.

Israel Rebels Against God

³⁷ “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ^(BT)‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. ^(BU)Him^[g] you shall hear.’

^38 (BV)“This is he who was in the ^[h]congregation in the wilderness with ^(BW)the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, ^(BX)the one who received the living ^(BY)oracles^[i] to give to us, ³⁹ whom our fathers ^(BZ)would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, ^40 (CA)saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ^41 (CB)And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and ^(CC)rejoiced in the works of their own hands. ⁴² Then ^(CD)God turned and gave them up to worship ^(CE)the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:

God’s True Tabernacle

⁴⁴ “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses ^(CH)to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, ^45 (CI)which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, ^(CJ)whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the ^(CK)days of David, ^46 (CL)who found favor before God and ^(CM)asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. ^47 (CN)But Solomon built Him a house.

⁴⁸ “However, ^(CO)the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

⁵¹ “You ^(CR)stiff-necked^[j] and ^(CS)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (CT)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of ^(CU)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ^53 (CV)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen the Martyr

^54 (CW)When they heard these things they were ^[k]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, ^(CX)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the ^(CY)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, “Look! ^(CZ)I see the heavens opened and the ^(DA)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸ and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And ^(DB)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, ^(DC)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ^(DD)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.