Job 32-33
Christian Standard Bible
Elihu’s Angry Response
32 So these three men quit answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.(A) 2 Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite(B) from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified(C) himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute him and yet had condemned him.[a]
4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he became angry.
6 So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied:
I am young in years,
while you are old;
therefore I was timid and afraid
to tell(D) you what I know.
7 I thought that age should speak
and maturity should teach wisdom.
8 But it is the spirit in a person—
the breath(E) from the Almighty—
that gives anyone understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise
or the elderly who understand how to judge.
10 Therefore I say, “Listen to me.
I too will declare what I know.”
11 Look, I waited for your conclusions;
I listened to your insights
as you sought for words.
12 I paid close attention to you.
Yet no one proved Job wrong;
not one of you refuted his arguments.
13 So do not claim, “We have found wisdom;
let God deal with him, not man.”
14 But Job has not directed his argument to me,
and I will not respond to him with your arguments.
15 Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer;
words have left them.
16 Should I continue to wait now that they are silent,
now that they stand there and no longer answer?
17 I too will answer;[b]
yes, I will tell what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and my spirit[c] compels me to speak.(F)
19 My heart[d] is like unvented wine;
it is about to burst like new wineskins.(G)
20 I must speak so that I can find relief;
I must open my lips and respond.
21 I will be partial to no one,(H)
and I will not give anyone an undeserved title.
22 For I do not know how to give such titles;
otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Elihu Confronts Job
33 But now, Job, pay attention to my speech,
and listen to all my words.
2 I am going to open my mouth;
my tongue will form words on my palate.
3 My words come from my upright(I) heart,
and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty(J) gives me life.(K)
5 Refute me if you can.
Prepare(L) your case against me; take your stand.(M)
6 I am just like you before God;
I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.(N)
7 Fear(O) of me should not terrify you;
no pressure from me should weigh you down.
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very[e] words:
9 “I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean and have no iniquity.(P)
10 But he finds reasons to oppose me;
he regards me as his enemy.(Q)
11 He puts my feet in the stocks;
he stands watch(R) over all my paths.”
12 But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,
since God is greater than man.(S)
13 Why do you take(T) him to court
for not answering anything a person asks?[f]
14 For God speaks time and again,
but a person may not notice it.
15 In a dream, a vision(U) in the night,
when deep sleep comes over people(V)
as they slumber on their beds,
16 he uncovers their ears(W)
and terrifies them[g] with warnings,
17 in order to turn a person from his actions
and suppress the pride of a person.
18 God spares his soul from the Pit,(X)
his life from crossing the river of death.[h]
19 A person may be disciplined on his bed(Y) with pain
and constant distress in his bones,(Z)
20 so that he detests bread,
and his soul despises his favorite food.(AA)
21 His flesh wastes away to nothing,[i]
and his unseen bones stick out.
22 He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.
23 If there is an angel(AB) on his side,
one mediator out of a thousand,
to tell a person what is right for him[j]
24 and to be gracious to him and say,
“Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom,”(AC)
25 then his flesh will be healthier[k] than in his youth,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.(AD)
26 He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.
That person will see his face(AE) with a shout of joy,
and God will restore his righteousness to him.(AF)
27 He will look at men and say,
“I have sinned and perverted what was right;
yet I did not get what I deserved.[l]
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and I will continue to see the light.”
29 God certainly does all these things
two or three times to a person
30 in order to turn him back from the Pit,
so he may shine with the light of life.(AG)
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me.
Be quiet, and I will speak.
32 But if you have something to say,[m] answer me;
speak, for I would like to justify you.
33 If not, then listen to me;
be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.
Footnotes
- 32:3 Alt Hb tradition reads condemned God
- 32:17 Lit answer my part
- 32:18 Lit and the spirit of my belly
- 32:19 Lit belly
- 33:8 Lit heard a sound of
- 33:13 Lit court, for he does not answer all his words
- 33:16 LXX; MT reads and seals
- 33:18 Or from perishing by the sword
- 33:21 Lit away from sight
- 33:23 Or to vouch for a person’s uprightness
- 33:25 Hb obscure
- 33:27 Lit and the same was not to me
- 33:32 Lit If there are words
Acts 14
Christian Standard Bible
Growth and Persecution in Iconium
14 In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.(A) 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.(B) 3 So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders.(C) 4 But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles.(D) 5 When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them, 6 they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside.(E) 7 There they continued preaching the gospel.(F)
Mistaken for Gods in Lystra
8 In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.(G)
11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (H) 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting,(I) 15 “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things(J) to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.[a](K) 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations(L) to go their own way, 17 although he did not leave himself without a witness,(M) since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons(N) and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” 18 Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.
19 Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.(O) 20 After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.(P)
Church Planting
21 After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch,(Q) 22 strengthening the[b] disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith(R) and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships(S) to enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders(T) for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
24 They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 After they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.(U) 27 After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them(V) and that he had opened the door(W) of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they spent a considerable time with the disciples.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
