Old/New Testament
Job’s Present State Is Humiliating
30 “But now those younger than I (A)mock me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 “Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
3 “From want and famine they are gaunt
Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
4 Who pluck [a]mallow by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
5 “They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
6 So that they dwell in dreadful [b]valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
7 “Among the bushes they [c]cry out;
Under the nettles they are gathered together.
8 “[d]Fools, even [e]those without a name,
They were scourged from the land.
9 “And now I have become their [f](B)taunt,
I have even become a (C)byword to them.
10 “They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not [g]refrain from (D)spitting at my face.
11 “Because [h]He has loosed [i]His [j]bowstring and (E)afflicted me,
They have cast off (F)the bridle before me.
12 “On the right hand their [k]brood arises;
They (G)thrust aside my feet (H)and build up against me their ways of destruction.
13 “They (I)break up my path,
They profit [l]from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14 “As through a wide breach they come,
[m]Amid the tempest they roll on.
15 “(J)Terrors are turned against me;
They pursue my [n]honor as the wind,
And my [o]prosperity has passed away (K)like a cloud.
16 “And now (L)my soul is poured out [p]within me;
Days of affliction have seized me.
17 “At night it pierces (M)my bones [q]within me,
And my gnawing pains take no rest.
18 “By a great force my garment is (N)distorted;
It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
19 “He has cast me into the (O)mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 “I (P)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21 “You have [r]become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You (Q)persecute me.
22 “You (R)lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23 “For I know that You (S)will bring me to death
And to the (T)house of meeting for all living.
24 “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
Or in his disaster therefore (U)cry out for help?
25 “Have I not (V)wept for the [s]one whose life is hard?
Was not my soul grieved for (W)the needy?
26 “When I (X)expected good, then evil came;
When I waited for light, (Y)then darkness came.
27 “[t]I am seething (Z)within and cannot relax;
Days of affliction confront me.
28 “I go about [u](AA)mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and (AB)cry out for help.
29 “I have become a brother to (AC)jackals
And a companion of ostriches.
30 “My (AD)skin turns black [v]on me,
And my (AE)bones burn with [w]fever.
31 “Therefore my (AF)harp [x]is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.
Job Asserts His Integrity
31 “I have made a covenant with my (AG)eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 “And what is (AH)the portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
3 “Is it not (AI)calamity to the unjust
And disaster to (AJ)those who work iniquity?
4 “Does He not (AK)see my ways
And (AL)number all my steps?
5 “If I have (AM)walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him (AN)weigh me with [y]accurate scales,
And let God know (AO)my integrity.
7 “If my step has (AP)turned from the way,
Or my heart [z]followed my eyes,
Or if any (AQ)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me (AR)sow and another eat,
And let my [aa](AS)crops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been (AT)enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife (AU)grind for another,
And let (AV)others [ab]kneel down over her.
11 “For that would be a (AW)lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be (AX)an iniquity punishable by judges.
12 “For it would be (AY)fire that consumes to [ac](AZ)Abaddon,
And would (BA)uproot all my [ad]increase.
13 “If I have (BB)despised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
15 “Did not (BC)He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have kept (BD)the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of (BE)the widow to fail,
17 Or have (BF)eaten my morsel alone,
And (BG)the orphan has not [ae]shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from [af]infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish (BH)for lack of clothing,
Or that (BI)the needy had no covering,
20 If his loins have not [ag]thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against (BJ)the orphan,
Because I saw [ah]I had support (BK)in the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from the [ai]socket,
And my (BL)arm be broken off [aj]at the elbow.
23 “For (BM)calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of (BN)His [ak]majesty I can do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in (BO)gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have (BP)gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
26 If I have (BQ)looked at the [al]sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand [am]threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been (BR)an iniquity calling for [an]judgment,
For I would have (BS)denied God above.
29 “Have I (BT)rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or [ao]exulted when evil befell him?
30 “[ap]No, (BU)I have not [aq]allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in (BV)a curse.
31 “Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can [ar]find one who has not been (BW)satisfied with his meat’?
32 “The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the [as]traveler.
33 “Have I (BX)covered my transgressions like [at]Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 Because I (BY)feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35 “Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my [au]signature;
(BZ)Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my (CA)adversary has written,
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
37 “I would declare to Him (CB)the number of my steps;
Like (CC)a prince I would approach Him.
38 “If my (CD)land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have (CE)eaten its [av]fruit without money,
Or have (CF)caused [aw]its owners to lose their lives,
40 Let (CG)briars [ax]grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of (A)this salvation has been sent. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their (B)rulers, (C)recognizing neither Him nor the [a]utterances of (D)the prophets which are (E)read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they (F)asked Pilate that He be [b]executed. 29 When they had (G)carried out all that was written concerning Him, (H)they took Him down from (I)the [c]cross and (J)laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God (K)raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days (L)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now (M)His witnesses to the people. 32 And we (N)preach to you the good news of (O)the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise [d]to our children in that He (P)raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘(Q)You are My Son; today i have begotten You.’ 34 As for the fact that He (R)raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘(S)I will give you the holy and [e]sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘(T)You will not [f]allow Your [g]Holy One to [h]undergo decay.’ 36 For (U)David, after he had [i]served (V)the purpose of God in his own generation, (W)fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and [j]underwent decay; 37 but He whom God (X)raised did not [k]undergo decay. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that (Y)through [l]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and [m]through Him (Z)everyone who believes is [n]freed [o]from all things, from which you could not be [p]freed [q]through the Law of Moses. 40 Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of (AA)in the Prophets may not come upon you:
41 ‘(AB)Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and [r]perish;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’”
42 As [s]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these [t]things might be spoken to them the next (AC)Sabbath. 43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the (AD)God-fearing [u](AE)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in (AF)the grace of God.
Paul Turns to the Gentiles
44 The next (AG)Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of [v]the Lord. 45 But when (AH)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were [w]blaspheming. 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you (AI)first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, (AJ)we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us,
‘(AK)I have placed You as a (AL)light for the Gentiles,
That You may [x]bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying (AM)the word of [y]the Lord; and as many as (AN)had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And (AO)the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. 50 But (AP)the Jews incited the [z](AQ)devout women (AR)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their [aa]district. 51 But (AS)they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to (AT)Iconium. 52 And the disciples were continually (AU)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.