Old/New Testament
Job Keeps On Talking
30 “But now those who are younger than I make fun of me. I thought so little of their fathers that I did not want them with my sheep dogs. 2 Yes, what good could I get from the strength of their hands? Their strength was gone. 3 Their bodies are thin and in need of food. At night they bite the dry ground in the waste land. 4 They pick plants that taste of salt among the bushes. And they eat the root of the broom bush. 5 They are driven away from people. Men call out against them as if they were robbers. 6 So they live in valleys made by floods, in caves of the earth and of the rocks. 7 Among the bushes they cry out. They gather together under the thistles. 8 They are fools and they have no name. They have been driven out of the land.
9 “Now they make fun of me in song. They laugh at me. 10 They hate me and keep away from me, but they spit in my face. 11 Because God has made the string of my bow loose and has troubled me, they have thrown off their respect for me. 12 Their bad group comes to my right. They push me away and trip my feet, and make ways to destroy me. 13 They break up my path. They make trouble for me, and no one stops them. 14 They come as if through a wide hole in the wall, and roll on with much noise. 15 Fears come upon me. They go after my honor like the wind. And my well-being has passed away like a cloud.
16 “Now my soul is poured out within me. Days of trouble have taken hold of me. 17 Night cuts into my bones with pain. The pain keeps on and takes no rest. 18 My clothing is torn by a strong power. It pulls against me like the top of my coat. 19 God has thrown me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20 I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me. I stand up, and You turn away from me. 21 You work against me. With the power of Your hand you make it hard for me. 22 You lift me up to the wind and make it carry me. You throw me around in the storm. 23 For I know that You will bring me to death, to the place for all the living.
24 “Yet does not one in a destroyed place put out his hand, and in his trouble cry out for help? 25 Have I not cried for the one whose life is hard? Was not my soul filled with sorrow for the poor? 26 When I expected good, then trouble came. When I waited for light, darkness came. 27 My heart is troubled and does not rest. Days of trouble are before me. 28 I go about full of sorrow without comfort. I stand up where the people are gathered and cry out for help. 29 I have become a brother to wild dogs, and a friend of ostriches. 30 My skin becomes black and falls from me. My bones burn because I am sick. 31 So my harp is turned to sorrow, and my horn to the sound of crying.
Job Keeps On Talking
31 “I have made an agreement with my eyes not to look with desire at a young woman. 2 What would be my share from God above? What would my gift be from the All-powerful on high? 3 Does not trouble come to those who are not right and good? Do not hard times come to those who do wrong? 4 Does He not see my ways and number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked in ways that are false, and my foot has been quick to follow false ways, 6 let Him weigh me with a true weight. Let God know that I am honest. 7 If my step has turned from the way, and my heart has followed my eyes, or if my hands have held on to sin, 8 then let me plant and another eat. Let what grows be pulled out by the roots.
9 “If my heart has been tempted by a woman, or I have waited at my neighbor’s door, 10 may my wife grind grain for another. And let others bow down upon her. 11 For that would be a very sinful thing to do. It would be a sin that would be punished by the judges. 12 For that would be a fire that burns at the Place That Destroys. It would dig out all I have planted.
13 “If I did not listen to my men servants and women servants when they complained against me, 14 what will I do when God speaks to me? When He asks me why, what will I answer Him? 15 Did not He Who made me inside my mother make him also? Did not the same One give us life from our mothers?
16 “If I have kept what the poor should have or have caused the eyes of the woman whose husband has died to be tired, 17 if I have eaten my food alone without sharing it with the child who has no parents, 18 (but from the time I was young, he grew up with me as a father, and I have helped the woman without a husband since I was born,) 19 if I have seen anyone die because he had no clothing, or left any poor person without clothes, 20 if he has not thanked me for the clothing on his body, and been made warm with the wool of my sheep, 21 if I have not done these things, or if I have lifted up my hand against the child who has no parents, because I saw I had help in the gate, 22 let my shoulder fall out of place, and let my arm be broken off at the joint. 23 For trouble sent by God fills me with fear. Because of His great power I could not do these things.
24 “If I have put my faith in gold and said fine gold is my trust, 25 if I have had pride because of my many riches and have received much by my hand, 26 if I have looked at the sun shining or the bright moon going on its way, 27 and have in secret worshiped them in my heart, and have honored them by throwing them a kiss with my hand, 28 these also would be sins to be judged. It would say I did not know the God above.
29 “Have I been glad when a person who hated me was destroyed? Have I been filled with joy when trouble came to him? 30 No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life to be cursed. 31 Have the men of my tent not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat’? 32 The stranger has not stayed in the street, for I have opened my doors to the traveler. 33 Have I hidden my sins like Adam? Have I hidden my wrong-doing in my heart, 34 because I was afraid of all the people, and of families who hated me? Did I keep quiet and not go out of the door? 35 If only I had one to hear me! See, here my name is written. Let the All-powerful answer me! May what is against me be written down! 36 For sure I would carry it on my shoulder. I would tie it around my head like a crown. 37 I would tell Him the number of my every step. I would come near Him like a prince.
38 “If my land cries out against me and the ditches made by the plow cry together, 39 if I have eaten its fruit without paying for it, and caused its owners to die, 40 let thorns grow instead of grain. And let weeds with a bad smell grow instead of barley.”
The words of Job are finished.
26 “Men and brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and all of you who honor God, listen! This news of being able to be saved from the punishment of sin has been sent to you. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders did not know Him. They did not understand the words from the early preachers. These words were read to them every Day of Rest. But they did the very thing the early preachers had said they would do by handing Him over to die. 28 They could find no reason that He should die, but they asked Pilate to have Him killed. 29 When everything was done that had been written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a grave. 30 But God raised Him from the dead. 31 For many days He was seen by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are the ones who tell the people about Him.
32 “We bring you the Good News about the promise made to our early fathers. 33 God has finished this for us who are their children. He did this by raising Jesus from the dead. It is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.’ (A) 34 God proved that Jesus was His Son by raising Him from the dead. He will never die again. He has said, ‘I will complete the promises made to David.’ (B)
35 “In another Psalm He says, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to go back to dust!’ (C) 36 David was a good leader for the people of his day. He did what God wanted. Then he died and was put into a grave close to his father’s grave. His body went back to dust. 37 But God raised this One (Christ) to life. He did not go back to dust.
38 “Men and brothers, listen to this. You may be forgiven of your sins by this One I am telling you about. 39 Everyone who puts his trust in Christ will be made right with God. You will be made free from those things the Law of Moses could not make you free from. 40 But look out! The writings of the early preachers tell of many things that you do not want to happen to you. 41 ‘Listen, you who doubt and laugh at the truth will die. I will do a work during your days. It will be a work that you will not believe even if someone tells you about it.’” (D)
42 As Paul and Barnabas went out of the Jewish place of worship, the people asked them to talk about these things on the next Day of Rest. 43 The people went from the place of worship. Many Jews and others who had become Jews followed Paul and Barnabas as they talked to the Jews. They told them to keep on trusting in the loving-favor of God.
Paul and Barnabas Go to the People Who Are Not Jews
44 Almost all of the people of the town came to hear the Word of God on the next Day of Rest. 45 The Jews were filled with jealousy when they saw so many people. They spoke against the things Paul said by saying he was wrong. They also spoke against God. 46 Paul and Barnabas said to the people in plain words, “We must preach the Word of God to you first. But because you put it aside, you are not good enough for life that lasts forever. So we will go to the people who are not Jews. 47 The Lord gave us a work to do. He said, ‘You are to be a light to the people who are not Jews. You are to preach so that men over all the earth can be saved from the punishment of their sins.’” (E)
48 The people who were not Jews were glad when they heard this. They were thankful for the Word of God. Those who were chosen for life that lasts forever believed. 49 The Word of God was preached over all that land.
50 The Jews worked on the feelings of the women who were religious and respected. They worked on the leading men of the city also. They worked against Paul and Barnabas and made them leave their city. 51 But Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off from their feet against them and went to the city of Iconium. 52 The missionaries were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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