Old/New Testament
God Speaks Now to Job
38 Then the Lord (A)answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this that (B)darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3 “Now (C)gird up your loins like a man,
And (D)I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4 “Where were you (E)when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you [a]have understanding,
5 Who set its (F)measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what (G)were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the (H)sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who (I)enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9 When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 And I [b](J)placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?
God’s Mighty Power
12 “Have you [c]ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of (K)the ends of the earth,
And (L)the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 “It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.
15 “(M)From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the (N)uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered into (O)the springs of the sea
Or walked [d]in the recesses of the deep?
17 “Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of (P)deep darkness?
18 “Have you understood the [e]expanse of (Q)the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to (R)its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its [f]home?
21 “You know, for (S)you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses (T)of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the (U)hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
24 “Where is the way that (V)the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring (W)rain on a land without [g]people,
On a desert without a man in it,
27 To (X)satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the [h]seeds of grass to sprout?
28 “Has (Y)the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 “From whose womb has come the (Z)ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 “Water [i]becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31 “Can you bind the chains of the (AA)Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
32 “Can you lead forth a [j]constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her [k]satellites?
33 “Do you know the (AB)ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an (AC)abundance of water will cover you?
35 “Can you (AD)send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 “Who has (AE)put wisdom in the innermost being
Or given (AF)understanding to the [l]mind?
37 “Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or (AG)tip the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
39 “Can you hunt the (AH)prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they (AI)crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41 “Who prepares for (AJ)the raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?
God Speaks of Nature and Its Beings
39 “Do you know the time the [m](AK)mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the (AL)deer?
2 “Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 “They kneel down, they bring forth their young,
They get rid of their labor pains.
4 “Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent out the (AM)wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 To whom I gave (AN)the wilderness for a home
And the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 “He scorns the tumult of the city,
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
8 “He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
9 “Will the (AO)wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
10 “Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with [n]ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 “Will you trust him because his strength is great
And leave your labor to him?
12 “Will you have faith in him that he will return your [o]grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
With the pinion and plumage of [p]love,
14 For she abandons her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [q]them,
Or that a wild beast may trample [r]them.
16 “She treats her young (AP)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be in vain, she is [s]unconcerned;
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 “When she lifts herself [t]on high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 “Do you make him (AQ)leap like the locust?
His majestic (AR)snorting is terrible.
21 “[u]He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He (AS)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 “He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 “The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
24 “With shaking and rage he [v]races over the ground,
And he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet.
25 “As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 “Is it at your [w]command that the eagle mounts up
And makes (AT)his nest on high?
28 “On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.
29 “From there he (AU)spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
30 “His young ones also suck up blood;
And (AV)where the slain are, there is he.”
Job: What Can I Say?
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I (AY)lay my hand on my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and (AZ)I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
God Questions Job
6 Then the (BA)Lord answered Job out of the storm and said,
7 “Now (BB)gird up your loins like a man;
I will (BC)ask you, and you instruct Me.
8 “Will you really (BD)annul My judgment?
Will you (BE)condemn Me (BF)that you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (BG)thunder with a voice like His?
10 “(BH)Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out (BI)the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is (BJ)proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and (BK)humble him,
And (BL)tread down the wicked [x]where they stand.
13 “(BM)Hide them in the dust together;
Bind [y]them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also [z]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.
God’s Power Shown in Creatures
15 “Behold now, [aa]Behemoth, which (BN)I made [ab]as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16 “Behold now, his strength in his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 “He bends his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 “His bones are tubes of bronze;
His [ac]limbs are like bars of iron.
19 “He is the (BO)first of the ways of God;
Let his (BP)maker bring near his sword.
20 “Surely the mountains (BQ)bring him food,
And all the beasts of the field (BR)play there.
21 “Under the lotus plants he lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
22 “The lotus plants cover him with [ad]shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23 “If a river [ae]rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the (BS)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
24 “Can anyone capture him [af]when he is on watch,
With [ag]barbs can anyone pierce his nose?
The Macedonian Vision
16 Paul came also to (A)Derbe and to (B)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named (C)Timothy, the son of a (D)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by (E)the brethren who were in (F)Lystra and (G)Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to [a]go with him; and he (H)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering (I)the decrees which had been decided upon by (J)the apostles and (K)elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. 5 So (L)the churches were being strengthened [b]in the faith, and were (M)increasing in number daily.
6 They passed through the [c](N)Phrygian and (O)Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [d](P)Asia; 7 and after they came to (Q)Mysia, they were trying to go into (R)Bithynia, and the (S)Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by (T)Mysia, they came down to (U)Troas. 9 (V)A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of (W)Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen (X)the vision, immediately (Y)we sought to [e]go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to (Z)preach the gospel to them.
11 So putting out to sea from (AA)Troas, we ran (AB)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to (AC)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of (AD)Macedonia, (AE)a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. 13 And on (AF)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.
First Convert in Europe
14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of (AG)Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, (AH)a worshiper of God, was listening; [f]and the Lord (AI)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and (AJ)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
16 It happened that as we were going to (AK)the place of prayer, a slave-girl having (AL)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of (AM)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you [g]the way of salvation.” 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you (AN)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very [h]moment.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of (AO)profit was [i]gone, they seized (AP)Paul and Silas and (AQ)dragged them into the market place before the authorities, 20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, 21 and (AR)are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being (AS)Romans.”
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