Old/New Testament
Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice
34 Then Elihu continued and said,
2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who know.
3 “For (A)the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
4 “Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 “For Job has said, ‘(B)I am righteous,
But (C)God has taken away my right;
6 [a]Should I lie concerning my right?
My [b](D)wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
7 “What man is like Job,
Who (E)drinks up derision like water,
8 Who goes (F)in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
9 “For he has said, ‘(G)It profits a man nothing
When he [c]is pleased with God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to (H)do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11 “For He pays a man according to (I)his work,
And makes [d]him find it according to his way.
12 “Surely, (J)God will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13 “Who (K)gave Him authority over the earth?
And who (L)has laid on Him the whole world?
14 “If He should [e]determine to do so,
If He should (M)gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
15 All (N)flesh would perish together,
And man would (O)return to dust.
16 “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
17 “Shall (P)one who hates justice rule?
And (Q)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18 Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;
19 Who shows no (R)partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the (S)work of His hands?
20 “In a moment they die, and (T)at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And (U)the mighty are taken away without a hand.
21 “For (V)His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
22 “There is (W)no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 “For He does not (X)need to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24 “He breaks in pieces (Y)mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
25 “Therefore He (Z)knows their works,
And (AA)He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
26 “He (AB)strikes them like the wicked
[f]In a public place,
27 Because they (AC)turned aside from following Him,
And (AD)had no regard for any of His ways;
28 So that they caused (AE)the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might (AF)hear the cry of the afflicted—
29 When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?—
30 So that (AG)godless men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.
31 “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;
32 Teach me what I do not see;
If I have (AH)done iniquity,
I will not do it again’?
33 “Shall He (AI)recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
34 “Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
35 ‘Job (AJ)speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36 ‘Job ought to be tried [g]to the limit,
Because he answers (AK)like wicked men.
37 ‘For he adds (AL)rebellion to his sin;
He (AM)claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”
Elihu Sharply Reproves Job
35 Then Elihu continued and said,
2 “Do you think this is according to (AN)justice?
Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
3 “For you say, ‘(AO)What advantage will it be to [h]You?
(AP)What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’
4 “I will answer you,
And your friends with you.
5 “(AQ)Look at the heavens and see;
And behold (AR)the clouds—they are higher than you.
6 “If you have sinned, (AS)what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?
7 “If you are righteous, (AT)what do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
8 “Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man.
9 “Because of the (AU)multitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help because of the arm (AV)of the mighty.
10 “But (AW)no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who (AX)gives songs in the night,
11 Who (AY)teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
12 “There (AZ)they cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.
13 “Surely (BA)God will not listen to [i]an empty cry,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
14 “How much less when (BB)you say you do not behold Him,
The (BC)case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
15 “And now, because He has not visited in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged [j]transgression well,
16 So Job opens his mouth [k]emptily;
He multiplies words (BD)without knowledge.”
The Council at Jerusalem
15 (A)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching (B)the brethren, “Unless you are (C)circumcised according to (D)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had [a]great dissension and (E)debate with them, (F)the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the (G)apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being (H)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both (I)Phoenicia and Samaria, (J)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all (K)the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and (L)the apostles and the elders, and they (M)reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of (N)the sect of the (O)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to (P)circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
6 (Q)The apostles and the elders came together to [b]look into this [c]matter. 7 After there had been much (R)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that [d]in the early days (S)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of (T)the gospel and believe. 8 And God, (U)who knows the heart, testified to them (V)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and (W)He made no distinction between us and them, (X)cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you (Y)put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which (Z)neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we are saved through (AA)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
12 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were (AB)relating what (AC)signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
James’s Judgment
13 After they had stopped speaking, [e](AD)James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 (AE)Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 With this the words of (AF)the Prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 ‘(AG)After these things (AH)I will return,
And I will rebuild the [f]tabernacle of David which has fallen,
And I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will restore it,
17 (AI)So that the rest of [g]mankind may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles [h](AJ)who are called by My name,’
18 (AK)Says the Lord, who [i](AL)makes these things known from long ago.
19 Therefore it is (AM)my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from [j](AN)things contaminated by idols and from (AO)fornication and from (AP)what is strangled and from blood. 21 For (AQ)Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since [k]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
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