Old/New Testament
Job’s Lament
3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 [a]And Job said,
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“Let the day on which I was born perish,
And the night which announced: ‘There is a man-child conceived.’
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“May that day be darkness;
Let God above not care about it,
Nor light shine on it.
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“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).
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“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not be counted in the number of the months.
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“Behold, let that night be barren [and empty];
Let no joyful voice enter it.
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“Let those curse it [b]who curse the day,
Who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.
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“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),
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Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide trouble from my eyes.
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“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
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“Why did the knees receive me?
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
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“For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],
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With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;
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Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver.
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“Or like a miscarriage which is hidden and put away, I would not exist,
Like infants who never saw light.
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“There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.
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“There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the taskmaster’s voice.
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“The small and the great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.(A)
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“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter in soul,
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Who wait for death, but it does not come,
And dig (search) for death more [diligently] than for hidden treasures,
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Who rejoice exceedingly,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
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“Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
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“For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.
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“For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,
And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.
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“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”
Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
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“If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]?
But who can restrain himself from speaking?
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“Behold, you have admonished and instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
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“Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
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“But now [c]adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;
It touches you, and you are horrified.
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“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?
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“Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished?
Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?
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“As I have seen, those who plow wickedness
And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.
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“By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.
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“The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
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“The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
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“Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
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“Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
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Dread and trembling came upon me,
Which made all my bones shake.
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“Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my skin stood on end!
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“The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:
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‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?(B)
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‘God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,
And He charges His angels with error.
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‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
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‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed;
Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.
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‘Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]?
Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?’
44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as God directed Moses to make it according to the pattern which he had seen.(A) 45 Our fathers also brought it in [with them into the land] with Joshua when they dispossessed the [a]nations whom God drove out before our fathers, [and so it remained here] until the time of David,(B) 46 who found favor (grace, spiritual blessing) in the sight of God and asked that he might [be allowed to] find a dwelling place for the [b]God of Jacob.(C) 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.(D) 48 However, the Most High [the One infinitely exalted above humanity] does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet [Isaiah] says,(E)
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‘Heaven is My throne,
And the earth is the footstool for My feet;
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord,
‘Or what place is there for My rest?
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‘Was it not My hand that made all these things?’(F)
51 “You stiff-necked and stubborn people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did.(G) 52 Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained and delivered to you by angels, and yet you did not obey it!”
Stephen Put to Death
54 Now when [c]they heard this [accusation and understood its implication], they were cut to the heart, and they began grinding their teeth [in rage] at him. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit and led by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory [the great splendor and majesty] of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened up [in welcome] and [d]the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and together rushed at him [considering him guilty of blasphemy]. 58 Then they drove him out of the city and began stoning him; and the witnesses placed their outer robes at the feet of a young man named [e]Saul.(H) 59 They continued stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive and accept and welcome my spirit!” 60 Then falling on his knees [in worship], he cried out loudly, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them [do not charge them]!” When he had said this, he fell asleep [in death].
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