Old/New Testament
Elihu Says God Gives the Afflicted Justice
36 Then Elihu continued and said,
2 “Wait for me a little, and I will show you
That there [a]is yet more to be said in God’s behalf.
3 I will take up my knowledge from afar,
And I will ascribe (A)righteousness to my Maker.
4 For truly (B)my words are not a lie;
One who is [b](C)perfect in knowledge is with you.
5 Behold, God is mighty but does not (D)reject;
He is (E)mighty in the power of His heart.
6 He does not (F)keep the wicked alive,
But gives justice to (G)the afflicted.
7 He does not (H)withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
But (I)with kings on the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
8 And if they are bound in fetters,
And are caught in the cords of (J)affliction,
9 Then He declares to them their work
And their transgressions, that they have (K)magnified themselves.
10 (L)He opens their ear to discipline,
And (M)says that they return from wickedness.
11 If they hear and serve Him,
They will (N)end their days in prosperity
And their years in (O)pleasures.
12 But if they do not hear, they shall pass away (P)by a weapon
And they will (Q)breathe their last without knowledge.
13 But the godless in heart lay up anger;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.
14 [c]They die in youth,
And their life perishes among the (R)cult prostitutes.
15 He delivers the afflicted in [d]their (S)affliction,
And (T)opens their ear in [e]time of oppression.
16 Then indeed, He (U)enticed you from the mouth of distress,
Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint;
And the comfort of your table full of [f]fatness.
17 “But you were full of (V)judgment on the wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Beware lest (W)wrath entice you to scoffing;
And do not let the greatness of the (X)atonement turn you aside.
19 Will your [g]cries keep you from distress,
Or all the forces of your power?
20 Do not long for (Y)the night,
When people [h]vanish in their place.
21 Be careful, do (Z)not turn to wickedness,
For you have chosen this to (AA)affliction.
22 Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a (AB)teacher like Him?
23 Who has appointed Him His way,
And who has said, ‘(AC)You have worked out [i]unrighteousness’?
24 “Remember that you should (AD)exalt His work,
Of which men have (AE)sung.
25 All men have beheld it;
Man looks from afar.
26 Behold, God is (AF)exalted, and (AG)we do not know Him;
The (AH)number of His years is unsearchable.
27 For (AI)He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain for His [j]stream,
28 Which the clouds pour down,
They drip upon man abundantly.
29 Can anyone discern the (AJ)spreading of the clouds,
The (AK)thundering of His [k]pavilion?
30 Behold, He spreads His [l]lightning about Him,
And He covers the depths of the sea.
31 For by these He (AL)judges peoples;
He (AM)gives food in abundance.
32 He covers His hands with the [m]lightning,
And (AN)commands it to strike the mark.
33 Its (AO)thundering declares about Him;
The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.
Elihu Speaks of God’s Voice
37 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2 [n]Listen closely to the (AP)thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His [o]lightning to the (AQ)ends of the earth.
4 After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain [p]the lightnings when His voice is heard.
5 God (AR)thunders with His voice marvelously,
Doing (AS)great things which we do not know.
6 For to (AT)the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the (AU)downpour of rain and the downpour of rains, ‘Be strong.’
7 He (AV)seals the hand of every man,
That (AW)all men may know His work.
8 Then the beast goes into its (AX)lair
And dwells in its [q]den.
9 Out of the [r](AY)south comes the storm,
And out of the [s]north the cold.
10 From the breath of God (AZ)ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11 Also with moisture He (BA)loads the thick cloud;
He (BB)scatters (BC)the cloud of His [t]lightning.
12 It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That [u]it may do whatever He (BD)commands [v]it
On the (BE)face of the inhabited earth.
13 Whether for [w](BF)correction, or for (BG)His world,
Or for (BH)lovingkindness, He causes it to [x]happen.
14 “Give ear to this, O Job,
Stand and carefully consider the wondrous deeds of God.
15 Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the [y]lightning of His cloud to shine?
16 Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The (BI)wonders of one [z](BJ)perfect in knowledge,
17 You whose garments are hot,
When the land is quiet because of the south wind?
18 Can you, with Him, (BK)spread out the skies,
Strong as a molten mirror?
19 Make us know what we shall say to Him;
We (BL)cannot arrange our case because of darkness.
20 Shall it be recounted to Him that I would speak?
[aa]If a man says a word, will He indeed be swallowed up?
21 “So now [ab]men do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
22 Out of the north comes golden splendor;
Around God is fearsome majesty.
23 The Almighty—(BM)we cannot find Him;
He is (BN)exalted in power
And (BO)He will not afflict (BP)justice and abundant righteousness.
24 Therefore men (BQ)fear Him;
He does not (BR)regard any who are wise of heart.”
22 Then it seemed good to (A)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them—Judas called Barsabbas, and (B)Silas, leading men among (C)the brothers—to send to (D)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, 23 and they [a]sent this letter by them,
“(E)The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to (F)the brothers in (G)Antioch and (H)Syria and (I)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, (J)greetings.
24 Since we have heard that (K)some of us, to whom we gave no instruction, have gone out and (L)disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,
25 (M)it seemed good to us, having [b]come to one accord, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 men who have [c](N)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 Therefore we have sent (O)Judas and (P)Silas, and they themselves will report the same things by word of mouth.
28 For (Q)it seemed good to (R)the Holy Spirit and to (S)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:
29 that you abstain from (T)things sacrificed to idols and from (U)blood and from (V)things strangled and from (W)sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent away, (X)they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the [d]congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its [e]encouragement. 32 (Y)And both Judas and (Z)Silas, also being (AA)prophets themselves, [f]encouraged and strengthened (AB)the brothers with a lengthy message. 33 And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brothers (AC)in peace to those who had (AD)sent them. 34 [g][But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] 35 But (AE)Paul and Barnabas spent a long time in Antioch, teaching and [h](AF)preaching with many others also, (AG)the word of the Lord.
Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas
36 Now after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in (AH)every city in which we proclaimed (AI)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 And Barnabas wanted to take (AJ)John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had (AK)deserted them [i]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there was such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took (AL)Mark with him and sailed away to (AM)Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose (AN)Silas and left, being (AO)committed by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was traveling through (AP)Syria and (AQ)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
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