Old/New Testament
34 Then Elihu said:
2 “Hear my words, you men who think you are wise.
Listen to me, you men who think you know a lot.
3 The ear tests words
as the tongue tastes food.
4 Let’s decide for ourselves what is right.
And let’s learn together what is good.
5 “Job says, ‘I am not guilty.
But God has refused me a fair trial.
6 Instead of getting a fair trial,
I am called a liar.
I have been seriously hurt,
even though I have not sinned.’
7 There is no other man like Job.
He takes insults as if he were drinking water.
8 He is around people who do evil.
He spends time with wicked men.
9 This is because he says, ‘It does not help a man
to try and please God.’
10 “So listen to me, you who can understand.
God All-Powerful can never do wrong!
It is impossible for God to do evil.
11 God pays a person back for what he has done.
God gives him what his actions deserve.
12 Truly God will never do wrong!
God All-Powerful will never twist what is right.
13 No one chose God to rule over the earth.
No one put him in charge of the whole world.
14 God could decide
to take away his spirit and breath.
15 If he did, all people would die together.
And they would all turn back into dust.
16 “If you can understand, hear this.
Listen to what I have to say.
17 Can anyone govern who hates what is right?
How can you blame God who is both fair and powerful?
18 God is the one who says to kings, ‘You are worth nothing.’
And he says to important people, ‘You are evil.’
19 God is not better to princes than other people.
He is not better to rich people than poor people.
This is because he made them all with his own hands.
20 They can die in a moment, in the middle of the night.
The rich are struck down, and then they pass away.
Powerful people die without man’s help.
21 “God watches where people go.
He sees every step they take.
22 There is no dark place or deep shadow
where those who do evil can hide from God.
23 God does not need to watch people more closely.
He does not need for men to come before him for judging.
24 Without asking questions, God breaks powerful people into pieces.
And he puts other people in their place.
25 This is because God knows what people do.
He defeats them in the night, and they are crushed.
26 He punishes them for the evil things they do.
He does it so that everyone else can watch.
27 This is because they stopped following God.
They did not care about any of his ways.
28 God lets the cry of poor people reach him.
He hears the cry of the needy.
29 But if God keeps quiet, who can blame him?
If he hides his face, no one can see him.
But God still rules over both men and nations.
30 He still keeps wicked men from ruling.
And he keeps them from trapping others.
31 “But suppose such a man says to God,
‘I am guilty, but I will not sin anymore.
32 Teach me what I cannot see.
If I have done wrong, I will not do it again.’
33 So, Job, should God reward you the way you want
when you will not change your heart and life?
You must decide, not I.
So tell me what you know.
34 “Men who understand speak.
And wise men who hear me say,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowing what is true.
His words show he does not understand.’
36 I wish Job would be tested completely
because he answered like an evil man!
37 Job has sinned, and now he turns against God.
He claps his hands as an insult.
And he speaks more and more against God.”
35 Then Elihu said:
2 “Do you think this is fair?
You say, ‘God will show that I am right.’
3 But you say to him, ‘What good is it to me?
I don’t gain anything by not sinning.’
4 “I would like to answer you.
And I want to answer your friends who are with you.
5 Look up at the sky and see.
Look at the clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, it does nothing to God.
Even if your sins are many, they do nothing to God.
7 If you are good, you give nothing to God.
He receives nothing from your hand.
8 Your evil ways only hurt a man like yourself.
And the good you do only helps other human beings.
9 “People cry out for help when they are in trouble.
They beg for relief from powerful people.
10 But no one asks, ‘Where is God, my Maker?
He gives us songs in the night.
11 He makes us more clever than the animals of the earth.
He makes us wiser than the birds of the air.’
12 God does not answer evil people when they cry for help.
This is because they are too proud.
13 He does not listen to their useless begging.
God All-Powerful pays no attention to them.
14 He will listen to you even less
when you say you do not see him.
He will not listen when you say your case is before him
and you must wait for him.
15 He will not listen when you say his anger never punishes
and that he doesn’t notice evil.
16 So Job is only speaking useless words.
He says many words without knowing what is true.”
The Meeting at Jerusalem
15 Then some men came to Antioch from Judea. They began teaching the non-Jewish brothers: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised. Moses taught us to do this.” 2 Paul and Barnabas were against this teaching and argued with the men about it. So the group decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some other men to Jerusalem. There they could talk more about this with the apostles and elders.
3 The church helped the men leave on the trip. They went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, telling all about how the non-Jewish people had turned to God. This made all the believers very happy. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, the apostles, the elders, and the church welcomed them. Paul, Barnabas, and the others told about all the things that God had done with them. 5 But some of the believers who had belonged to the Pharisee group came forward. They said, “The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. We must tell them to obey the law of Moses!”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to study this problem. 7 There was a long debate. Then Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know what happened in the early days. God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the non-Jewish people. They heard the Good News from me, and they believed. 8 God, who knows the thoughts of all men, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts pure. 10 So now why are you testing God? You are putting a heavy load around the necks of the non-Jewish brothers. It is a load that neither we nor our fathers were able to carry. 11 But we believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus!”
12 Then the whole group became quiet. They listened to Paul and Barnabas speak. Paul and Barnabas told about all the miracles and signs that God did through them among the non-Jewish people. 13 After they finished speaking, James spoke. He said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has told us how God showed his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time he has accepted them and made them his people. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this too:
16 ‘After these things I will return.
The kingdom of David is like a fallen tent.
But I will rebuild it.
And I will again build its ruins.
And I will set it up.
17 Then those people who are left alive may ask the Lord for help.
And all people from other nations may worship me,
says the Lord.
And he will make it happen.
18 And these things have been known for a long time.’ Amos 9:11-12
19 “So I think we should not bother the non-Jewish brothers who have turned to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter to them. We should tell them these things: Do not eat food that has been offered to idols. (This makes the food unclean.) Do not take part in any kind of sexual sin. Do not taste blood. Do not eat animals that have been strangled. 21 They should not do these things, because there are still men in every city who teach the law of Moses. For a long time the words of Moses have been read in the synagogue every Sabbath day.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.