Old/New Testament
Bildad Claims God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the (A)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does (B)God pervert justice?
Or does [a]the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 (C)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He sent them into the [b]power of their transgression.
5 If you would (D)seek God earnestly
And plead for the grace of [c]the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Indeed now (E)He would rouse Himself for you
And make your righteous (F)abode at peace.
7 Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (G)end will increase greatly.
8 “Please (H)ask of past generations,
And establish the things searched out by their fathers.
9 For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (I)our days on earth are but a shadow.
10 Will they not instruct you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their hearts?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it dries up before any other [d]plant.
13 So are the paths of (J)all who forget God;
And the (K)hope of the godless will perish,
14 Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a (L)spider’s [e]web.
15 He relies on his (M)house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it is not established.
16 He [f](N)thrives before the sun,
And his (O)shoots go forth over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile;
He looks upon a house of stones.
18 If He swallows him up from (P)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(Q)I never saw you.’
19 Behold, (R)this is the joy of [g]His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 Behold, (S)God will not reject a blameless man,
Nor (T)will He strengthen the hand of the evildoers.
21 He will yet fill (U)your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (V)clothed with shame,
And the (W)tent of the wicked will be no longer.”
Job Replies There Is No Adjudicator
9 Then Job answered and said,
2 “In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a (X)man be in the right [h]before God?
3 If one desired to (Y)contend with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
4 (Z)Wise in heart and (AA)mighty in power,
Who has (AB)stiffened his neck against Him and been at peace?
5 (AC)God is the One who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;
6 The One who (AD)shakes the earth out of its place,
And its (AE)pillars tremble;
7 The One who says for the (AF)sun [i]not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
8 Who alone (AG)stretches out the heavens,
And [j](AH)tramples down the waves of the sea;
9 Who makes the (AI)Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the (AJ)chambers of the south;
10 Who (AK)does great things, unsearchable,
And wondrous works, innumerable.
11 Were He to sweep by me, (AL)I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 Were He to snatch away, who could (AM)turn Him back?
Who could say to Him, ‘(AN)What are You doing?’
13 “God will not turn back His anger;
Beneath Him crouch the helpers of (AO)Rahab.
14 How then can (AP)I [k]answer Him,
And choose my words [l]before Him?
15 For (AQ)though I were right, I could not [m]answer;
I would have to (AR)plead for the grace of my judge.
16 If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was giving ear to my voice.
17 For He (AS)bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.
18 He will (AT)not allow me to get my breath,
But saturates me with (AU)bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of power, (AV)behold, He is the mighty one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can make [n]Him testify?
20 (AW)Though I am righteous, my mouth will (AX)condemn me;
Though I am blameless, He will declare me perverse.
21 I am (AY)blameless;
I do not know my soul;
I (AZ)reject my life.
22 It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He (BA)consumes the blameless and the wicked.’
23 If the scourge puts to death suddenly,
He (BB)mocks the despair of the innocent.
24 The earth (BC)is given into the hand of the wicked;
He (BD)covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?
25 “Now (BE)my days are swifter than a runner;
They flee away; (BF)they do not see good.
26 They sweep by like (BG)reed boats,
Like an (BH)eagle that swoops on its food.
27 Though I say, ‘I will forget (BI)my musing,
I will forsake my sad countenance and be cheerful,’
28 I am (BJ)afraid of all my pains;
I know that (BK)You will not acquit me.
29 I am accounted (BL)wicked;
Why then should I toil in vain?
30 If I should (BM)wash myself with snow
And cleanse (BN)my hands with lye,
31 Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.
32 For (BO)He is not a man as I am that (BP)I may answer Him,
That we may go to court for judgment together.
33 There is no (BQ)adjudicator between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let Him (BR)remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
35 Then I (BS)would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
Job Cries Out to God
10 “(BT)My soul is loathed by my life;
I will abandon all restraint in myself to (BU)my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, ‘(BV)Do not account me as wicked;
Let me know why You contend with me.
3 Is it good to You that You (BW)oppress,
That You reject (BX)the labor of Your hands,
And [o]cause (BY)the counsel of the wicked to shine forth?
4 Have You eyes of flesh?
Or do You (BZ)see as a mortal man sees?
5 Are Your days as the days of a mortal man,
Or (CA)Your years as man’s years,
6 That (CB)You should seek for my guilt
And search after my sin?
7 According to Your knowledge (CC)I am indeed not wicked,
Yet there is (CD)no [p]deliverer from Your hand.
8 ‘(CE)Your hands fashioned and made me [q]altogether,
(CF)And would You swallow me up?
9 Remember now, that You have made me as (CG)clay;
And would You (CH)turn me into dust again?
10 Did You not pour me out like milk
And curdle me like cheese,
11 Clothe me with skin and flesh,
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
12 You have (CI)made alongside me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has kept my spirit.
13 Yet (CJ)these things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:
14 If I sin, then You would (CK)take note of me
And (CL)would not acquit me of my guilt.
15 If (CM)I am wicked, woe to me!
And (CN)if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am sated with disgrace—so see my misery!
16 Should my head be set on high, (CO)You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your (CP)wonders against me.
17 You renew (CQ)Your witnesses against me
And increase Your vexation toward me;
[r](CR)Hardship after hardship is with me.
18 ‘(CS)Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had breathed my last and no eye had seen me!
19 I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’
20 Would He not cease (CT)for a few of my days?
[s](CU)Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer
21 Before I go—(CV)and I shall not return—
(CW)To the land of darkness and (CX)shadow of death,
22 The land of utter gloom as the thick darkness itself,
Of the shadow of death, without order,
And which shines as the thick darkness.”
26 But (A)an angel of the [a]Lord spoke to (B)Philip saying, “Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to (C)Gaza.” ([b]This is a desert road.) 27 So he rose up and went; and behold, (D)there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he (E)had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his [c]chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then (F)the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this [d]chariot.” 30 And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
“(G)As a sheep is led to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.
33 (H)In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who will [e]recount His [f]generation?
For His life is removed from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you earnestly, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip (I)opened his mouth, and (J)beginning from this Scripture he (K)proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! (L)What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [g][And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he ordered the [h]chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, (M)the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, [i]but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip [j]found himself at [k](N)Azotus, and as he passed through he (O)kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to (P)Caesarea.
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