Old/New Testament
30 “But now those younger than I deride me—young men whose fathers are less than my dogs. 2 Oh, they have strong backs all right, but they are useless, stupid fools. 3 They are gaunt with famine and have been cast out into deserts and the wastelands, desolate and gloomy. 4 They eat roots and leaves, 5 having been driven from civilization. Men shouted after them as after thieves. 6 So now they live in frightening ravines, and in caves, and among the rocks. 7 They sound like animals among the bushes, huddling together for shelter beneath the nettles. 8 These sons of theirs have also turned out to be fools, yes, children of no name, outcasts of civilization.
9 “And now I have become the subject of their ribald song! I am a joke among them! 10 They despise me and won’t come near me, and don’t mind spitting in my face. 11 For God has placed my life in jeopardy. These young men, having humbled me, now cast off all restraint before me. 12 This rabble trips me and lays traps in my path. 13 They block my road and do everything they can to hasten my calamity, knowing full well that I have no one to help me. 14 They come at me from all directions. They rush upon me when I am down.
15 “I live in terror now. They hold me in contempt, and my prosperity has vanished as a cloud before a strong wind. 16 My heart is broken. Depression haunts my days. 17 My weary nights are filled with pain as though something were relentlessly gnawing at my bones. 18 All night long I toss and turn, and my garments bind about me. 19 God has thrown me into the mud. I have become as dust and ashes.
20 “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer me. I stand before you and you don’t bother to look. 21 You have become cruel toward me and persecute me with great power and effect. 22 You throw me into the whirlwind and dissolve me in the storm. 23 And I know that your purpose for me is death. 24 I expected my fall to be broken, just as one who falls stretches out his hand or cries for help in his calamity.
25 “And did I not weep for those in trouble? Wasn’t I deeply grieved for the needy? 26 I therefore looked for good to come. Evil came instead. I waited for the light. Darkness came. 27 My heart is troubled and restless. Waves of affliction have come upon me. 28-29 I am black but not from sunburn. I stand up and cry to the assembly for help. But I might as well save my breath,[a] for I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to ostriches. 30 My skin is black and peeling. My bones burn with fever. 31 The voice of joy and gladness has turned to mourning.
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a girl. 2-3 I know full well that Almighty God above sends calamity on those who do. 4 He sees everything I do and every step I take.
5 “If I have lied and deceived— 6 but God knows that I am innocent— 7-8 or if I have stepped off God’s pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin, then let someone else reap the crops I have sown and let all that I have planted be rooted out.
9 “Or if I have longed for another man’s wife, 10 then may I die, and may my wife be in another man’s home and someone else become her husband. 11 For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. 12 It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell and would root out all I have planted.
13 “If I have been unfair to my servants, 14 how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me about it? 15 For God made me and made my servant too. He created us both.
16 “If I have hurt the poor, or caused widows to weep, 17 or refused food to hungry orphans— 18 (but we have always cared for orphans in our home, treating them as our own children)— 19-20 or if I have seen anyone freezing and not given him clothing or fleece from my sheep to keep him warm, 21 or if I have taken advantage of an orphan because I thought I could get away with it— 22 if I have done any of these things, then let my arm be torn from its socket! Let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! 23 Rather that than face the judgment sent by God; that I dread more than anything else. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?
24 “If I have put my trust in money, 25 if my happiness depends on wealth, 26 or if I have looked at the sun shining in the skies or the moon walking down her silver pathway 27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and I have worshiped them by kissing my hand to them, 28 this, too, must be punished by the judges. For if I had done such things, it would mean that I denied the God of heaven.
29 “If I have rejoiced at harm to an enemy— 30 (but actually I have never cursed anyone nor asked for revenge)— 31 or if any of my servants have ever gone hungry— 32 (actually I have never turned away even a stranger but have opened my doors to all)— 33 or if, like Adam, I have tried to hide my sins, 34 fearing the crowd and its contempt so that I refused to acknowledge my sin and do not go out of my way to help others— 35 (oh, that there were someone who would listen to me and try to see my side of this argument. Look, I will sign my signature to my defense; now let the Almighty show me that I am wrong; let him approve the indictments made against me by my enemies. 36 I would treasure it like a crown. 37 Then I would tell him exactly what I have done and why, presenting my defense as one he listens to).
38-39 “Or if my land accuses me because I stole the fruit it bears, or if I have murdered its owners to get their land for myself, 40 then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.”
Job’s words are ended.
26 “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also all of you Gentiles here who reverence God—this salvation is for all of us! 27 The Jews in Jerusalem and their leaders fulfilled prophecy by killing Jesus; for they didn’t recognize him or realize that he is the one the prophets had written about, though they heard the prophets’ words read every Sabbath. 28 They found no just cause to execute him, but asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. 29 When they had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his death, he was taken from the cross and placed in a tomb.
30 “But God brought him back to life again! 31 And he was seen many times during the next few days by the men who had accompanied him to Jerusalem from Galilee—these men have constantly testified to this in public witness.
32-33 “And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this Good News—that God’s promise to our ancestors has come true in our own time, in that God brought Jesus back to life again. This is what the second Psalm is talking about when it says concerning Jesus, ‘Today I have honored you as my Son.’[a]
34 “For God had promised to bring him back to life again, no more to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, ‘I will do for you the wonderful thing I promised David.’ 35 In another Psalm he explained more fully, saying, ‘God will not let his Holy One decay.’ 36 This was not a reference to David, for after David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed. 37 No, it was a reference to another[b]—someone God brought back to life, whose body was not touched at all by the ravages of death.
38 “Brothers! Listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins! 39 Everyone who trusts in him is freed from all guilt and declared righteous—something the Jewish law could never do. 40 Oh, be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, 41 ‘Look and perish, you despisers of the truth,[c] for I am doing something in your day—something that you won’t believe when you hear it announced.’”
42 As the people left the synagogue that day, they asked Paul to return and speak to them again the next week. 43 And many Jews and godly Gentiles who worshiped at the synagogue followed Paul and Barnabas down the street as the two men urged them to accept the mercies God was offering. 44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the Word of God.
45 But when the Jewish leaders[d] saw the crowds, they were jealous, and cursed and argued against whatever Paul said.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that this Good News from God should be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and shown yourselves unworthy of eternal life—well, we will offer it to Gentiles. 47 For this is as the Lord commanded when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to lead them from the farthest corners of the earth to my salvation.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and rejoiced in Paul’s message; and as many as wanted[e] eternal life, believed. 49 So God’s message spread all through that region.
50 Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the godly women and the civic leaders of the city and incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas, and ran them out of town. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against the town and went on to the city of Iconium. 52 And their converts[f] were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.