Old/New Testament
Elihu’s Second Speech[a]
34 Elihu answered:
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men;
hear[b] me, you learned men.[c]
3 For the ear assesses[d] words
as the mouth[e] tastes food.
4 Let us evaluate[f] for ourselves what is right;[g]
let us come to know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job says, ‘I am innocent,[h]
but God turns away my right.
6 Concerning my right, should I lie?[i]
My wound[j] is incurable,
although I am without transgression.’[k]
7 Who is there like Job,
who[l] drinks derision[m] like water?
8 He goes about[n] in company[o] with evildoers,
he goes along[p] with wicked men.[q]
9 For he says, ‘It does not profit a man
when he makes his delight with God.’[r]
God is Not Unjust
10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.[s]
Far be it from[t] God to do wickedness,
from the Almighty to do evil.
11 For he repays a person for his work,[u]
and according to the conduct of a person,
he causes the consequences to find him.[v]
12 Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
13 Who entrusted[w] to him the earth?
And who put him over[x] the whole world?
14 If God[y] were to set his heart on it,[z]
and gather in his spirit[aa] and his breath,
15 all flesh would perish together
and human beings would return to dust.
God Is Impartial and Omniscient
16 “If you have[ab] understanding, listen to this,
hear what I have to say.[ac]
17 Do you really think[ad]
that one who hates justice can govern?[ae]
And will you declare guilty
the supremely Righteous One,[af]
18 who says to a king,[ag] ‘Worthless man,’[ah]
and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’
19 who shows no partiality to princes,
and does not take note of[ai] the rich more than the poor,
because all of them are the work of his hands?
20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night,[aj]
people[ak] are shaken[al] and they pass away.
The mighty are removed effortlessly.[am]
21 For his eyes are on the ways of an individual,
he observes all a person’s[an] steps.
22 There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves.[ao]
23 For he does not still consider a person,[ap]
that he should come before God in judgment.
24 He shatters the great without inquiry,[aq]
and sets up others in their place.
25 Therefore, he knows their deeds,
he overthrows them[ar] in the night[as]
and they are crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness,[at]
in a place where people can see,[au]
27 because they have turned away from following him,
and have not understood[av] any of his ways,
28 so that they caused[aw] the cry of the poor
to come before him,
so that he hears[ax] the cry of the needy.
29 But if God[ay] is quiet, who can condemn[az] him?
If he hides his face, then who can see him?
Yet[ba] he is over the individual and the nation alike,[bb]
30 so that the godless man should not rule,
and not lay snares for the people.[bc]
Job Is Foolish to Rebel
31 “Has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured chastisement,[bd]
but I will not act wrongly any more;
32 teach me what I cannot see;[be]
if I have done evil, I will do so no more’?
33 Is it your opinion[bf] that God[bg] should recompense it,
because you reject this?[bh]
But you must choose, and not I,
so tell us what you know.
34 Men of understanding say to me—
any wise man listening to me says—
35 that[bi] Job speaks without knowledge
and his words are without understanding.[bj]
36 But[bk] Job will be tested to the end,
because his answers are like those of wicked men.
37 For he adds transgression[bl] to his sin;
in our midst he claps his hands,[bm]
and multiplies his words against God.”
Elihu’s Third Speech[bn]
35 Then Elihu answered:
2 “Do you think this to be[bo] just
when[bp] you say, ‘My right before God’?[bq]
3 But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’[br]
and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’[bs]
4 I[bt] will reply to you,[bu]
and to your friends with you.
5 Gaze at the heavens and see;
consider the clouds, which are higher than you.[bv]
6 If you sin, how does it affect God?[bw]
If your transgressions are many,
what does it do to him?[bx]
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to God,
or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness affects only[by] a person like yourself,
and your righteousness only other people.[bz]
9 “People[ca] cry out
because of the excess of oppression;[cb]
they cry out for help
because of the power[cc] of the mighty.[cd]
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator,
who gives songs in the night,[ce]
11 who teaches us[cf] more than[cg] the wild animals of the earth,
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12 Then[ch] they cry out—but he does not answer—
because of the arrogance of the wicked.
13 Surely it is an empty cry[ci]—God does not hear it;
the Almighty does not take notice of it.
14 How much less, then,
when you say that you do not perceive him,
that the case is before him
and you are waiting for him![cj]
15 And further,[ck] when you say
that his anger does not punish,[cl]
and that he does not know transgression![cm]
16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose;[cn]
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
The Jerusalem Council
15 Now some men came down from Judea[a] and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised[b] according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate[c] with them, the church[d] appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with[e] the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement.[f] 3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia[g] and Samaria, they were relating at length[h] the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy[i] to all the brothers. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received[j] by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported[k] all the things God had done with them.[l] 5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees[m] who had believed stood up and said, “It is necessary[n] to circumcise the Gentiles[o] and to order them to observe[p] the law of Moses.”
6 Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate[q] about this matter. 7 After there had been much debate,[r] Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago[s] God chose[t] me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message[u] of the gospel[v] and believe.[w] 8 And God, who knows the heart,[x] has testified[y] to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,[z] 9 and he made no distinction[aa] between them and us, cleansing[ab] their hearts by faith. 10 So now why are you putting God to the test[ac] by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke[ad] that neither our ancestors[ae] nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through[af] the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are.”[ag]
12 The whole group kept quiet[ah] and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs[ai] and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 After they stopped speaking,[aj] James replied,[ak] “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon[al] has explained[am] how God first concerned himself[an] to select[ao] from among the Gentiles[ap] a people for his name. 15 The[aq] words of the prophets agree[ar] with this, as it is written,
16 ‘After this[as] I[at] will return,
and I will rebuild the fallen tent[au] of David;
I will rebuild its ruins and restore[av] it,
17 so that the rest of humanity[aw] may seek the Lord,
namely,[ax] all the Gentiles[ay] I have called to be my own,’[az] says the Lord,[ba] who makes these things 18 known[bb] from long ago.[bc]
19 “Therefore I conclude[bd] that we should not cause extra difficulty[be] for those among the Gentiles[bf] who are turning to God, 20 but that we should write them a letter[bg] telling them to abstain[bh] from things defiled[bi] by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled[bj] and from blood. 21 For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times,[bk] because he is read aloud[bl] in the synagogues[bm] every Sabbath.”
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