Old/New Testament
Bildad Speaks a Third Time
25 Bildad from Shuah responded and said:
2 “Dominion and fear belong to God;[a]
who fashions peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any limit to his armies?
On whom does his light not shine?[b]
4 How can a human being[c] become right with God?
How can a human being[d] be pure?
5 Behold, even the moon isn’t bright,
and the stars aren’t pure in his eyes.
6 How much less is man, who is only a maggot,
or a man’s children, who are only worms!”
Job Reasons with Bildad
26 In reply, Job responded:
2 “What a help you are to the weak!
How powerfully you deliver those without strength!
3 What counsel you provide to the fool!
What insight you provide so abundantly!
4 Who helped you say all of this?
Who inspired you?”
Job Acknowledges God’s Power
5 “The ghosts of the dead[e] writhe under the waters
along with those who live there with them.
6 Sheol[f] is naked before God[g]
and Abaddon[h] has no clothes.
7 He spreads out the north over empty space,
suspending the earth over nothing.
8 “He restricts the waters within clouds
and the clouds don’t burst open under them.
9 He has enclosed the face of the full moon
and spread his clouds over it.
10 He has delimited a boundary[i] over the surface of the oceans
as a limit between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens tremble
and are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he disturbs the sea;
and with his skill he shatters the sea monster.[j]
13 He clears the skies with his wind;
his hands have pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed, these are the fringes of his ways,
and how faint is the whisper we’ve heard of it!
But who can comprehend the thunder of his might?”
Job Asserts His Innocence
27 Job continued with his discussion and said:
2 “The living God has withheld justice from me;
the Almighty has made my life[k] bitter.
3 As long as I can breathe;
as long as God’s breath is in my nostrils,
4 I won’t speak lies
nor will I utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me to admit that you’re right!
I intend to maintain my integrity[l] even if it kills me!
6 I’ll retain my righteousness and not compromise it;
my conscience won’t rebuke me at any time.
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked;
my adversary like the unjust.[m]
8 For where is the hope of the godless when he is eliminated;
when God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress overtakes him?
10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?”
On the Demise of the Wicked
11 “I’ll teach you about the power[n] of God,
that which is with the Almighty I won’t conceal.
12 Look! All of you have been watching,
so why have you become so completely worthless?
13 “This is what a wicked person[o] inherits from God,
and what the ruthless will receive from the Almighty:
14 If he has many children,
their destiny is to die by the sword,
and his descendants won’t have enough food.
15 Those who do survive him disease will bury,
and his widow won’t even weep.
16 “Though he hoards silver[p] like dust,
and stores away garments like clay,
17 whatever he stores up, the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will inherit that silver!
18 “He has built his house like a moth’s cocoon,[q]
like a temporary[r] sunshade that a watchman makes.
19 He will go to bed wealthy,
but won’t be doing that anymore!
When he opens his eyes, it will be gone!
20 Terror will overtake him like a flood,[s]
at night, a tornado will sweep him away.
21 He’ll be swept up by a storm[t] wind and carried away;
he’ll be whirled away from his place.
22 It will toss him around without pity.
He’ll try to break free[u] from its grip,[v]
23 but it will clap its hands over him,
hissing at him as it lunges toward him.”[w]
An Angel Frees Peter from Prison
12 About that time, Herod arrested some people who belonged to the church and mistreated them. 2 He even had James, the brother of John, killed with a sword. 3 When he saw how this was agreeable to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter, too. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 When he arrested Peter, Herod[a] put him in prison and turned him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, planning to bring him out to the people after Passover season.[b] 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God for him was being offered by the assembly.[c]
6 That very night, before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, and guards in front of the door were watching the prisoners. 7 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on his side, woke him up, and said, “Get up quickly!” His chains fell from his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Tuck in your shirt and put on your sandals!” He did this. Then the angel[d] told him, “Put on your coat and follow me!” 9 So Peter[e] went out and began to follow him, not realizing that what was being done by the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened by itself for them, and they went outside and proceeded one block when the angel suddenly left him.
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I’m sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from[f] Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting!”
12 When Peter[g] realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying. 13 When he knocked at the outer gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 On recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she didn’t open the gate but ran back inside and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 The other people[h] told her, “You’re out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. Then they said, “It’s his angel.”
16 Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking and knocking. When they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. 17 He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet, and then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He added, “Tell this to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went somewhere else. 18 When morning came, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 Herod searched for him but didn’t find him, so he questioned the guards and ordered them to be executed. Then he left Judea, went down to Caesarea, and stayed there for a while.
The Death of Herod
20 Now Herod had been in a violent quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him as a group. After they had won over Blastus, who oversaw security[i] for the king’s sleeping quarters, they asked for a peace agreement because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 Therefore, at a set time Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the royal seat, and made a speech to them. 22 The people kept shouting, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” 23 Immediately the angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God continued to grow and spread.
25 When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission, they returned from[j] Jerusalem, bringing with them John (who was also called Mark).
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