Old/New Testament
30 “But now they (A)laugh at me,
men who are (B)younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to set with the dogs of my flock.
2 What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
(C)men whose (D)vigor is gone?
3 Through want and hard hunger
they (E)gnaw (F)the dry ground by night in (G)waste and desolation;
4 they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
and the roots of the broom tree for their food.[a]
5 (H)They are driven out from human company;
they shout after them as after a thief.
6 In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
in holes of the earth and of (I)the rocks.
7 Among the bushes they (J)bray;
under (K)the nettles they huddle together.
8 A senseless, a nameless brood,
they have been whipped out of the land.
9 “And now I have become their (L)song;
I am (M)a byword to them.
10 They (N)abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
they do not hesitate to (O)spit at the sight of me.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
they have cast off restraint[b] in my presence.
12 On my (P)right hand the rabble rise;
they push away my feet;
they (Q)cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path;
they promote my (R)calamity;
they need no one to help them.
14 As through a wide (S)breach they come;
amid the crash they roll on.
15 (T)Terrors are turned upon me;
my honor is pursued as by the wind,
and my prosperity has passed away like (U)a cloud.
16 “And now my soul is (V)poured out within me;
days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 (W)The night (X)racks my bones,
and the pain that (Y)gnaws me takes no rest.
18 With great force my garment is (Z)disfigured;
it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
19 God[c] has cast me into the mire,
and I have become like (AA)dust and ashes.
20 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
I stand, and you only look at me.
21 You have (AB)turned cruel to me;
with the might of your hand you (AC)persecute me.
22 (AD)You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
23 (AE)For I know that you will bring me to death
and to the house appointed for (AF)all living.
24 “Yet does not one in a (AG)heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
and in his disaster cry for help?[d]
25 Did not I (AH)weep for him whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26 But (AI)when I hoped for good, evil came,
and when I waited for light, (AJ)darkness came.
27 My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
days of affliction (AK)come to meet me.
28 I (AL)go about darkened, but not by the sun;
I stand up in (AM)the assembly and cry for help.
29 I am a brother of (AN)jackals
and a companion of (AO)ostriches.
30 My (AP)skin turns black and falls from me,
and my (AQ)bones burn with heat.
31 My (AR)lyre is (AS)turned to mourning,
and my (AT)pipe to the voice of those who weep.
Job's Final Appeal
31 “I have made a covenant with my (AU)eyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 What would be (AV)my portion from God above
and (AW)my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 (AX)Does not he see my ways
and (AY)number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6 (Let me be (AZ)weighed in a just balance,
and let God know my integrity!)
7 if my step has turned aside from the way
and (BA)my heart has gone after my eyes,
and if any (BB)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me (BC)sow, and another eat,
and let what grows for me[e] be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
and I have (BD)lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
10 then let my wife (BE)grind for another,
and let others (BF)bow down on her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime;
that would be an iniquity (BG)to be punished by the judges;
12 for that would be a fire (BH)that consumes as far as Abaddon,
and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he (BI)makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did (BJ)not he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have (BK)withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have (BL)caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless[f] grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother's womb I guided the widow[g]),
19 if I have seen anyone (BM)perish for (BN)lack of clothing,
or the needy without (BO)covering,
20 if his body has not (BP)blessed me,[h]
and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against (BQ)the fatherless,
because I saw my help in (BR)the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was (BS)in terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his (BT)majesty.
24 (BU)“If I have made gold my (BV)trust
or called (BW)fine gold my confidence,
25 if I have (BX)rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
or because (BY)my hand had found much,
26 (BZ)if I have looked at the sun[i] when it shone,
or (CA)the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28 this also would be (CB)an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
for I would have been false to God above.
29 “If I have (CC)rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
or exulted when evil overtook him
30 ((CD)I have not let my mouth sin
by asking for his life with a curse),
31 if the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been filled with his (CE)meat?’
32 ((CF)the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my doors to the traveler),
33 if I (CG)have concealed my transgressions (CH)as others do[j]
by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 because I stood in great fear of (CI)the multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty (CJ)answer me!)
Oh, that I had (CK)the indictment written by my adversary!
36 Surely I would carry it on my (CL)shoulder;
I would (CM)bind it on me as (CN)a crown;
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.
38 “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have wept together,
39 (CO)if I have eaten its yield without payment
and made its owners (CP)breathe their last,
40 let (CQ)thorns grow instead of wheat,
and foul weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you (A)who fear God, to us has been sent (B)the message of (C)this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because (D)they did not recognize him nor understand (E)the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, (F)fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And (G)though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, (H)they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when (I)they had carried out all that was written of him, (J)they took him down from (K)the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But (L)God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days (M)he appeared to those (N)who had come up with him (O)from Galilee to Jerusalem, (P)who are now (Q)his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news (R)that what God promised to the fathers, 33 (S)this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
(T)“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, (U)(V)no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you (W)the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,
(X)“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
36 For David, after he had (Y)served the purpose of God in his own generation, (Z)fell asleep and (AA)was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom (AB)God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, (AC)that through this man (AD)forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him (AE)everyone who believes is freed[a] from everything (AF)from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41 (AG)“‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and (AH)devout (AI)converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them (AJ)to continue in (AK)the grace of God.
44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 (AL)But (AM)when the Jews[b] saw the crowds, they were filled with (AN)jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, (AO)reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God (AP)be spoken first to you. (AQ)Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves (AR)unworthy of eternal life, behold, we (AS)are turning to the Gentiles. 47 (AT)For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
(AU)“‘I have made you (AV)a light for the Gentiles,
that you may (AW)bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and (AX)glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 (AY)But the Jews incited the devout (AZ)women of high standing and the leading men of the city, (BA)stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and (BB)drove them out of their district. 51 But they (BC)shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled (BD)with joy and (BE)with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.