Old/New Testament
Job Keeps On Talking—Death Is Sure
14 “Man who is born of woman lives only a short time and is full of trouble. 2 He grows up and dries like a flower. He leaves like a shadow and does not stay. 3 You open Your eyes on him and decide about him. 4 Who can make clean what is unclean? No one! 5 A man’s days are numbered. You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set. 6 So now look away from him that he may rest, until he has lived the time set for him like a man paid to work.
7 “For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will grow again, and that its branches will not stop growing. 8 Its roots grow old in the ground, and the base of the tree dies in the dry ground. 9 But with water it will grow. Branches will grow from it like a plant. 10 But man dies and is laid low. Man dies, and where is he? 11 As water goes into the air from the sea, and the river wastes away and dries up, 12 so man lies down and does not get up again. Until the heavens are no more, he will not wake up or come out of his sleep.
13 “If only You would hide me in the place of the dead! If only You would hide me until Your anger is past, and set a time for me and remember me! 14 If a man dies, will he live again? I will wait all the days of my trouble until a change comes. 15 You will call and I will answer You. You will wait for the work of Your hands. 16 For now You number my steps. You do not write down my sin. 17 My sin is locked up in a bag. You cover my wrong-doing.
18 “But the mountain falls and breaks apart to nothing. The rock moves from its place. 19 Water wears away the stones. Its floods wash away the dust of the earth. So You destroy man’s hope. 20 You have power over him forever, and he leaves. You change what he looks like and send him away. 21 His sons receive honor, but he does not know it. Or they lose honor, but he does not see it. 22 His body gives him pain, and he has sorrow only for himself.”
Eliphaz Talks
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, 2 “Should a wise man answer with learning that is of no worth, and fill himself with the east wind? 3 Should he argue with talk that will not help, or with words that do no good? 4 For sure you are doing away with the fear of the Lord. You are stopping the quiet worship of God. 5 You show your sin by what you say. You are trying to hide behind your words. 6 Your own mouth says you are guilty, and not I. Your own lips speak against you.
7 “Were you the first man to be born? Or were you made before the hills? 8 Were you there to hear the secret plans of God? Are you the only one who has wisdom? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us? 10 Men whose hair has grown white and those who have lived many years are among us. They are older than your father. 11 Are the gentle words spoken to you, which give comfort from God, too little for you? 12 Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes shine, 13 that you turn your spirit against God and let such words go out of your mouth? 14 What is man, that he can be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he can be right and good? 15 See, God puts no trust in His holy ones. The heavens are not pure in His eyes. 16 How much less one who is hated and sinful, a man who drinks sin like water!
17 “I will tell you, listen to me. I will make known what I have seen, 18 what wise men have told that they learned from their fathers. They have not hidden anything. 19 These were the ones to whom the land was given, and no stranger passed among them. 20 The sinful man suffers in pain all his days. His years are numbered because of all his sin. 21 Sounds of fear are in his ears. When all seems to be going well, the one who destroys will come upon him. 22 He does not believe that he will be taken away from darkness, and the sword is meant for him. 23 He goes to look for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is near. 24 Trouble and pain fill him with fear. They have power over him like a king ready for battle. 25 He has put out his hand against God, and is full of pride against the All-powerful. 26 He rushes in pride against Him with his big battle-covering. 27 His face is fat, and his thighs are heavy with fat. 28 He has lived in cities that have been laid waste, in houses where no one lives which will be destroyed. 29 He will no longer be rich, and what he has will not last. His grain will come to nothing. 30 He will not get away from darkness. The fire will dry up his branches, and the breath of God’s mouth will drive him away. 31 Let him not lie to himself and trust in what is empty. For what is empty will be his reward. 32 It will be paid in full while he still lives, and his branch will not be green. 33 He will be like the vine that drops off its grapes before they are ready. And he will throw off his flower like the olive tree. 34 Those who visit the sinful bring no fruit. And fire destroys the tents of those who do wrong. 35 They give birth to trouble and bring sin. Their minds plan lies.”
Job Talks
16 Then Job answered, 2 “I have heard many such things. All of you bring trouble instead of comfort. 3 Is there no end to your words that are full of wind? What is your problem that you keep on talking? 4 I also could speak like you, if I were in your place. I could put words together against you, and shake my head at you. 5 I could give you strength with my mouth. I could speak words of comfort and make your pain less.
6 “If I speak, my pain is not made less. And if I keep quiet, it does not leave me. 7 But now God has taken away my strength. He has taken away all my family. 8 He has made me dry up, and this speaks against me. The wasting away of my body rises up against me. It speaks against me to my face. 9 His anger has torn me and hated me. He has ground His teeth at me. The one against me looks hard at me. 10 Men have looked at me with their mouths open. They have hit me on the face with anger. They have gathered together against me. 11 God gives me over to bad men. He throws me into the hands of the sinful. 12 I was living in comfort, but He has taken that away. He has taken hold of me by the neck and shaken me to pieces. He has set me up for something to shoot at. 13 His arrows are all around me. He cuts my kidneys open without pity. He pours the bitter insides on the ground. 14 He hurts me again and again. He runs at me like a man of war. 15 I have sewed cloth made from hair over my skin, and have laid my hope in the dust. 16 My face is red from crying, and darkness is over my eyes. 17 But my hands have done nothing bad, and my prayer is pure.
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood. Let my cry have no place to rest. 19 See, even now there is One Who sees me from heaven. The One Who speaks for me is on high. 20 My friends make fun of me. My eyes pour out tears to God. 21 If only a man could give reasons to God, as a man does for his neighbor! 22 In a few years I will go the way that I cannot return.
22 But Saul kept on growing in power. The Jews living in Damascus wondered about Saul’s preaching. He was proving that Jesus was the Christ.
23 After some days the Jews talked together and made plans how they might kill Saul. 24 He heard of their plans. Day and night they watched for him at the city gates to kill him. 25 So the followers helped him get away at night. They let him down over the wall in a basket.
Saul Comes to Jerusalem
26 When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers. But they were afraid of him. They did not believe he was a true follower of Jesus. 27 Then Barnabas took him to the missionaries. He told them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road. He told them also how the Lord had spoken to Saul and how he had preached without fear in Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 After that he was with them going in and out of Jerusalem. 29 He preached without fear in the name of the Lord. He talked and argued with the Jews who spoke the Greek language. They kept trying to kill him. 30 When the followers heard this, they took him down to the city of Caesarea. From there they sent him to the city of Tarsus.
31 Then the church through all the countries of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace for awhile. The church was made strong and it was given comfort by the Holy Spirit. It honored the Lord. More people were added to the church.
Aeneas Is Healed
32 When Peter was visiting all parts of the country, he came to the faithful followers who were living in the city of Lydda. 33 A man there named Aeneas could not move his body. He had been in bed eight years. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your bed.” He got up at once. 35 All the people who lived in Lydda and in the city of Sharon saw Aeneas and they turned to the Lord.
Dorcas Is Raised from the Dead
36 A woman who was a follower lived in the city of Joppa. Her name was Tabitha, or Dorcas. She did many good things and many acts of kindness. 37 One day she became sick and died. After they had washed her body, they laid her in a room on the second floor. 38 The city of Lydda was near Joppa. The followers heard that Peter was at Lydda and sent two men to ask him to come at once. 39 Peter went back with them. When he came, they took him to the room. All the women whose husbands had died were standing around crying. They were showing the clothes Dorcas had made while she was with them.
40 Peter made them all leave the room. Then he got down on his knees and prayed. He turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes and looked at Peter and sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then he called in the faithful followers and the women whose husbands had died. He gave her to them, a living person.
42 News of this went through all Joppa. Many people put their trust in the Lord. 43 After this, Peter stayed in Joppa many days in the house of Simon who worked with leather.
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