Old/New Testament
Bildad Answers
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “God rules and must be honored.
He set up order in his high heaven.
3 No one can count God’s armies.
His light shines on all people.
4 So no man can be good in the presence of God.
No one born to a woman can be pure.
5 Even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes.
6 Man is much less! He is like an insect.
He is only a worm!”
Job Answers Bildad
26 Then Job answered:
2 “You are no help to a person who has no strength!
You have given no help to one whose arm is weak!
3 You have given advice to me as if I had no wisdom!
This is not great wisdom you have shown!
4 Who has helped you say these words?
And where did you get these words you speak?
5 “The spirits of the dead beneath the waters shake.
And so do those that live in the waters.
6 Death is naked before God.
Destruction is uncovered before him.
7 God stretches the northern sky out over empty space.
And he hangs the earth on nothing.
8 God wraps up the waters in his thick clouds.
But the clouds do not break under the weight of the water.
9 God covers the face of the full moon.
He spreads his clouds over it.
10 God draws the horizon like a circle on the water
at the place where light and darkness meet.
11 Heaven’s foundations shake
when he thunders at them.
12 God’s power controls the sea.
By his wisdom he destroyed Rahab, the sea monster.
13 God breathes, and the sky becomes clear.
God’s hand stabs the gliding snake.
14 And these are only a small part of God’s works.
We only hear a small whisper of him.
So who can understand God’s thundering power?”
27 And Job continued speaking:
2 “As surely as God lives, he has taken away my rights.
God All-Powerful has made me unhappy.
3 As long as I am alive
and God’s breath of life is in my nose,
4 My lips will not speak evil.
And my tongue will not tell a lie.
5 I will never agree you are right.
Until I die, I will never stop saying I was innocent.
6 I will hold tightly to the right things I said.
My sense of right and wrong does not bother me at all.
7 “Let my enemies be like evil people.
Let them be like those who are not fair!
8 What hope does a wicked person have when he dies?
He has no hope when God takes his life away.
9 God will not listen to his cry
when trouble comes to him.
10 He will not find joy in God All-Powerful,
even though he calls out to God all the time.
11 “I will teach you about the power of God.
I will not hide the ways of God All-Powerful.
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
So why are we having all this talk that means nothing?
13 “Here is what God has planned for evil people.
This is what cruel people will get from God All-Powerful:
14 They may have many children, but the sword will kill them.
The children who are left will never have enough to eat.
15 Then they will die and be buried.
And the widows will not even cry for them.
16 The evil person may heap up silver like piles of dirt.
He may have so many clothes they are like piles of clay.
17 But good people will wear what the evil person has gathered.
And those who are not guilty of wrong will divide up his silver.
18 The house the evil person builds is like a spider’s web.
It is like a hut that a guard builds.
19 The evil person is rich when he goes to bed, but he is rich for the last time.
When he opens his eyes, everything is gone.
20 Fears come over him like a flood.
A storm snatches him away in the night.
21 The east wind will carry him away, and then he is gone.
It sweeps him out of his place.
22 The wind will hit the evil person without mercy
as he tries to run away from its power.
23 It will be as if the wind is clapping its hands at him.
It will whistle at him as he runs from his place.
Herod Agrippa Hurts the Church
12 During that same time King Herod began to do terrible things to some who belonged to the church. 2 He ordered James, the brother of John, to be killed by the sword. 3 Herod saw that the Jews liked this, so he decided to arrest Peter, too. (This happened during the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.)
4 After Herod arrested Peter, he put him in jail and handed him over to be guarded by 16 soldiers. Herod planned to bring Peter before the people for trial after the Passover Feast. 5 So Peter was kept in jail. But the church kept on praying to God for him.
Peter Leaves the Jail
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping. He was between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Other soldiers were guarding the door of the jail. 7 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood there. A light shined in the room. The angel touched Peter on the side and woke him up. The angel said, “Hurry! Get up!” And the chains fell off Peter’s hands. 8 The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And so Peter did this. Then the angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.” 9 So the angel went out, and Peter followed him. Peter did not know if what the angel was doing was real. He thought he might be seeing a vision. 10 They went past the first and the second guard. They came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened itself for them. They went through the gate and walked down a street. And the angel suddenly left him.
11 Then Peter realized what had happened. He thought, “Now I know that the Lord really sent his angel to me. He rescued me from Herod and from all the things the Jewish people thought would happen.”
12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary. She was the mother of John. (John was also called Mark.) Many people were gathered there, praying. 13 Peter knocked on the outside door. A servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 She recognized Peter’s voice, and she was very happy. She even forgot to open the door. She ran inside and told the group, “Peter is at the door!”
15 They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she kept on saying that it was true. So they said, “It must be Peter’s angel.”
16 Peter continued to knock. When they opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17 Peter made a sign with his hand to tell them to be quiet. He explained how the Lord led him out of the jail. And he said, “Tell James and the other believers what happened.” Then he left to go to another place.
18 The next day the soldiers were very upset. They wondered what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod looked everywhere for Peter but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and ordered that they be killed.
The Death of Herod Agrippa
Later Herod moved from Judea and went to the city of Caesarea, where he stayed for a while. 20 Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. But the people of those cities all came in a group to Herod. They were able to get Blastus, the king’s personal servant, on their side. They asked Herod for peace because their country got its food from his country.
21 On a chosen day Herod put on his royal robes. He sat on his throne and made a speech to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!” 23 Herod did not give the glory to God. So an angel of the Lord caused him to become sick. He was eaten by worms and died.
24 God’s message continued to spread and reach more and more people.
25 After Barnabas and Saul finished their task in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch. John, also called Mark, was with them.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.