Old/New Testament
Eliphaz Speaks a Third Time
22 Then in response, Eliphaz from Teman said:
2 “Can a human being be useful to God,
since he, who is wise, is sufficient to himself?
3 Will it please the Almighty if you are innocent,
or does he profit if your life is[a] blameless?
4 Will he acquit you just because you fear him,
and render a verdict on your behalf?
5 Your wickedness is great, isn’t it?
There’s no limit to your iniquity, is there?
6 “After all, you’ve taken collateral from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped the naked of their clothing.[b]
7 You’ve neglected to give water to the weary,[c]
and you’ve withheld food from the hungry.
8 The land belongs to the powerful,
and the privileged[d] thrive in it.
9 You sent away widows empty-handed,
and broke the outstretched arms of orphans.
10 That’s why disaster surrounds you,
terror suddenly overwhelms you,
11 you see nothing but darkness,
and a flood of troubles[e] drowns you.”
Eliphaz Acknowledges God but Issues an Imprecatory Prayer
12 “Isn’t God in heaven above?
Consider how far away the stars are,
and how lofty they are!
13 You’ve asked, ‘What does God know?
Can he sort through pitch black darkness?’[f]
14 Thick clouds cover him so he can’t see
as he walks back and forth at heaven’s horizon.
15 “Will you keep walking on the traditional path
that sinners[g] have tread,
16 who were snatched away before their time;
when their foundation was swept away by a river?
17 They told God, ‘Get away from us!’
and ‘What will the Almighty do to them?’
18 “Though God[h] fills their houses with good things,
the counsel of the wicked will remain far from me.
19 The righteous will see this and rejoice;
the innocent will insult him, saying,[i]
20 ‘Our enemies are sure to be destroyed,
and fire will burn up what’s left of their riches.”
Eliphaz Challenges Job to Repent
21 “Get to know God, and you’ll be at peace with him,
and then prosperity will come to you.
22 Accept what he has to teach you,
and treasure his words in your heart.
23 “If you return to the Almighty you’ll be restored,
as you remove iniquity from your household.[j]
24 Bury your gold nuggets in the dust,
and your source of gold[k] among the stones in a streambed,
25 and then the Almighty will be your gold
and your refined silver.
26 “Then you’ll take delight in the Almighty;
and will turn your face toward God.
27 You’ll entreat him and he’ll listen to you
as you fulfill your vows.
28 When you make a decision on something,
it will be established for you,
and light will brighten[l] your way.
29 “For when they’re humbled, you may respond;[m]
‘It’s their pride!’
but he delivers the humble.
30 He’ll even deliver the guilty,
who will be delivered through your innocence.”[n]
Job Responds to Eliphaz
23 Job’s response was to say:
2 “I’m still complaining bitterly today;
my hand is heavy because of groaning.
3 If only I knew where to find him,
I would visit him where he has taken his seat.
4 I would lay out my case before him;
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I know how he would answer me;
I understand what he’ll tell me.
6 “Would he use his great power to fight me?
No, he’ll pay attention to me.
7 In that place, the upright can reason with him;
and I’ll be acquitted once and for all by my judge.”
Job Justifies His Innocence
8 “Look! If I go east,[o] he isn’t there!
If I go to the west,[p] I don’t perceive him.
9 If he’s working in the north,[q] I can’t observe him;[r]
If he turns south,[s] I can’t see him.[t]
10 Because he knows the road on which I travel,
when he had tested me, I’ll come out like gold.
11 My feet stay where his footsteps lead;
I kept on his pathway and haven’t turned aside.
12 I haven’t wandered away from the commands that he has spoken;[u]
I’ve treasured what he has said[v] more than my own meals.”
Job Stands Petrified Before God
13 “But he is One—who can change him?
He does whatever he wants to do.
14 He’ll complete what he has planned for me;
he has many things in mind for me!
15 That’s why I’m terrified at his presence!
When I think about it, I’m afraid of him.
16 God has caused me to faint;[w]
the Almighty makes me terrified!
17 Nevertheless, I haven’t been silenced because of the darkness,
even when thick darkness obscures my vision.”[x]
Job Describes Social Injustice
24 Why doesn’t the Almighty reserve time for judgment?
And why don’t those who know him perceive his days?
2 They move boundary stones,[y]
steal flocks, and pasture them.[z]
3 They drive away the orphan’s donkey;
they take the ox of the widow as security for a loan;[aa]
4 They push the needy off the road,
and force the poor of the land into hiding.
5 “Look! Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
they work diligently as they seek wild game in the desert,
food for them and their young ones.
6 They reap fodder in the field
and glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without clothing,
with no covering against the cold.
8 They are wet from mountain rains;
without shelter, they cling to a rock.
9 “The fatherless are torn from the breast;
the poor are taken away as security for a loan.[ab]
10 They wander around naked, without clothes;
hungry, though they carry sheaves of grain.[ac]
11 They press oil between the olive groves owned by the wicked;
they suffer from thirst, even while treading the winepress.
12 From the city, dying men groan aloud,
and the wounded cries out for help,
but God charges no one with wrong.
13 “Then there are those who rebel against the light;
they are not acquainted with its ways;
and they don’t stay on its course.[ad]
14 The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy;
at night, he is like a thief.
15 The adulterer watches for twilight,[ae]
saying, ‘No eye is watching me’
while he veils his face.
16 They break into houses in the dark;
during the day they remained sealed in.
They don’t know daylight.
17 As a group, deep darkness is their morning time;
fear that lives in darkness is their friend.”
Social Injustice will Be Punished
18 “They remain only a short time on the water’s surface;
their inheritance will be cursed in the land;
no one will work in their vineyards.
19 As drought and heat evaporate melting snow,
that’s what Sheol[af] does with sinners.
20 The womb will forget them.
Maggots will find them to be a delicacy!
They won’t be remembered anymore,
their iniquity will be cut to pieces like firewood.[ag]
21 “They prey on the barren woman,
and do no favors for widows.
22 God[ah] prolongs the life of the strong by his power,
but they get up in the morning[ai] without purpose in life.
23 He gives them security and financial support,
but he watches everything they do.
24 They’re exalted momentarily, but then they are gone;
they are humbled,[aj] just like all the others.
They are cut down like heads of corn.
25 If this weren’t so, who can prove that I’m a liar
by showing that there’s nothing to what I’m saying?”
Peter Reports to the Church in Jerusalem
11 Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcision[a] disagreed with him. 3 They said, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said, 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying when in a trance I saw a vision: Something like a large linen sheet descended down from heaven, lowered by its four corners, and it came right down to me. 6 When I examined it closely, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it.’ 8 But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9 Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘You must stop calling common what God has made clean!’ 10 This happened three times. Then everything was pulled back up to heaven.
11 “At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitating. These six brothers went with me, too, and we entered the house of the man from Caesarea.[b] 13 Then he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his home and saying, ‘Send messengers[c] to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. 14 He will discuss with you how you and your entire household will be saved.’
15 “When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he was first given to us. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[d] water, but you will be baptized with[e] the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[f] who was I to try to stop God?”
18 When they heard this, they calmed down, and praised God by saying, “So God has given repentance that leads to life even to gentiles.”
The New Church in Antioch
19 Now the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began proclaiming the Lord Jesus even to the Hellenistic Jews.[g] 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 When the church in Jerusalem heard this news, they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch. 23 When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done,[h] and with hearty determination he kept encouraging all of them to remain faithful to the Lord, 24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And so a large number of people was brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
27 At that time some prophets from Jerusalem came down to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus got up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine all over the world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. 29 So all of the disciples decided they would send a contribution to the brothers living in Judea, as they were able, 30 by sending it through[i] Barnabas and Saul to the elders.
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