Old/New Testament
Zophar’s Second Speech[a]
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
2 “This is why[b] my troubled thoughts bring me back[c]—
because of my feelings[d] within me.
3 When[e] I hear a reproof that dishonors[f] me,
then my understanding[g] prompts me to answer.[h]
4 “Surely you know[i] that it has been from old,
ever since humankind was placed[j] on the earth,
5 that the elation of the wicked is brief,[k]
the joy of the godless[l] lasts but a moment.[m]
6 Even though his stature[n] reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
7 he will perish forever, like his own excrement;[o]
those who used to see him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found,[p]
and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.
9 People[q] who had seen him will not see him again,
and the place where he was
will recognize him no longer.
10 His sons must recompense[r] the poor;
his own hands[s] must return his wealth.
11 His bones[t] were full of his youthful vigor,[u]
but that vigor will lie down with him in the dust.
12 “If[v] evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,[w]
13 if he retains it for himself
and does not let it go,
and holds it fast in his mouth,[x]
14 his food is turned sour[y] in his stomach;[z]
it becomes the venom of serpents[aa] within him.
15 The wealth that he consumed[ab] he vomits up,
God will make him throw it out[ac] of his stomach.
16 He sucks the poison[ad] of serpents;[ae]
the fangs[af] of a viper[ag] kill him.
17 He will not look on the streams,[ah]
the rivers that are the torrents[ai]
of honey and butter.[aj]
18 He gives back the ill-gotten gain[ak]
without assimilating it;[al]
he will not enjoy the wealth from his commerce.[am]
19 For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them;[an]
he has seized a house which he did not build.[ao]
20 For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite;[ap]
he does not let anything he desires[aq] escape.[ar]
21 “Nothing is left for him to devour;[as]
that is why his prosperity does not last.[at]
22 In the fullness of his sufficiency,[au]
distress overtakes[av] him.
The full force of misery will come upon him.[aw]
23 “While he is[ax] filling his belly,
God[ay] sends his burning anger[az] against him,
and rains down his blows upon him.[ba]
24 If he flees from an iron weapon,
then an arrow[bb] from a bronze bow pierces him.
25 When he pulls it out[bc] and it comes out of his back,
the gleaming point[bd] out of his liver,
terrors come over him.
26 Total darkness waits to receive his treasures;[be]
a fire that has not been kindled[bf]
will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens reveal his iniquity;
the earth rises up against him.
28 A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.
29 Such is the lot God allots the wicked,
and the heritage of his appointment[bg] from God.”
Job’s Reply to Zophar[bh]
21 Then Job answered:
2 “Listen carefully[bi] to my words;
let this be[bj] the consolation you offer me.[bk]
3 Bear with me[bl] and I[bm] will speak,
and after I have spoken[bn] you may mock.[bo]
4 Is my[bp] complaint against a man?[bq]
If so,[br] why should I not be impatient?[bs]
5 Look[bt] at me and be appalled;
put your hands over your mouths.[bu]
6 For, when I think about[bv] this, I am terrified[bw]
and my body feels a shudder.[bx]
The Wicked Prosper
7 “Why do the wicked go on living,[by]
grow old,[bz] even increase in power?
8 Their children[ca] are firmly established in their presence,[cb]
their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe[cc] and without fear;[cd]
and no rod of punishment[ce] from God is upon them.[cf]
10 Their bulls[cg] breed[ch] without fail;[ci]
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They allow their children to run[cj] like a flock;
their little ones dance about.
12 They sing[ck] to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,
and make merry to the sound of the flute.
13 They live out[cl] their years in prosperity
and go down[cm] to the grave[cn] in peace.
14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!
We do not want to know your ways.[co]
15 Who is the Almighty, that[cp] we should serve him?
What would we gain
if we were to pray[cq] to him?’[cr]
16 But their prosperity is not their own doing.[cs]
The counsel of the wicked is far from me![ct]
How Often Do the Wicked Suffer?
17 “How often[cu] is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?
How often does their[cv] misfortune come upon them?
How often does God apportion pain[cw] to them[cx] in his anger?
18 How often[cy] are they like straw before the wind,
and like chaff swept away[cz] by a whirlwind?
19 You may say,[da] ‘God stores up a man’s[db] punishment for his children!’[dc]
Instead let him repay[dd] the man himself[de]
so that[df] he may be humbled![dg]
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction;[dh]
let him drink of the anger of the Almighty.
21 For what is his interest[di] in his home
after his death,[dj]
when the number of his months
has been broken off?[dk]
22 Can anyone teach[dl] God knowledge,
since[dm] he judges those that are on high?[dn]
Death Levels Everything
23 “One man dies in his full vigor,[do]
completely secure and prosperous,
24 his body[dp] well nourished,[dq]
and the marrow of his bones moist.[dr]
25 And another man[ds] dies in bitterness of soul,[dt]
never having tasted[du] anything good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
and worms cover over them both.
Futile Words, Deceptive Answers
27 “Yes, I know what you are thinking,[dv]
the schemes[dw] by which you would wrong me.[dx]
28 For you say,
‘Where now is the nobleman’s house,[dy]
and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?’[dz]
29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads?
Do you not recognize their accounts[ea]—
30 that the evil man is spared
from the day of his misfortune,
that he is delivered[eb]
from the day of God’s wrath?
31 No one denounces his conduct to his face;
no one repays him for what[ec] he has done.[ed]
32 And when he is carried to the tombs,
and watch is kept[ee] over the funeral mound,[ef]
33 The clods of the torrent valley[eg] are sweet to him;
behind him everybody follows in procession,
and before him goes a countless throng.
34 So how can you console me with your futile words?
Nothing is left of your answers but deception!”[eh]
24 The following day[a] he entered Caesarea.[b] Now Cornelius was waiting anxiously[c] for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 So when[d] Peter came in, Cornelius met[e] him, fell[f] at his feet, and worshiped[g] him. 26 But Peter helped him up,[h] saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.”[i] 27 Peter[j] continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together.[k] 28 He said to them, “You know that[l] it is unlawful[m] for a Jew[n] to associate with or visit a Gentile,[o] yet God has shown me that I should call no person[p] defiled or ritually unclean.[q] 29 Therefore when you sent for me,[r] I came without any objection. Now may I ask why[s] you sent for me?” 30 Cornelius[t] replied,[u] “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon,[v] I was praying in my house, and suddenly[w] a man in shining clothing stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity[x] have been remembered before God.[y] 32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner,[z] by the sea.’ 33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come.[aa] So now we are all here in the presence of God[ab] to listen[ac] to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.”[ad]
34 Then Peter started speaking:[ae] “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people,[af] 35 but in every nation[ag] the person who fears him[ah] and does what is right[ai] is welcomed before him. 36 You know[aj] the message[ak] he sent to the people[al] of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace[am] through[an] Jesus Christ[ao] (he is Lord[ap] of all)— 37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced:[aq] 38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth,[ar] that[as] God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He[at] went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,[au] because God was with him.[av] 39 We[aw] are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea[ax] and in Jerusalem. They[ay] killed him by hanging him on a tree,[az] 40 but[ba] God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen,[bb] 41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen,[bc] who ate and drank[bd] with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He[be] commanded us to preach to the people and to warn[bf] them[bg] that he is the one[bh] appointed[bi] by God as judge[bj] of the living and the dead. 43 About him all the prophets testify,[bk] that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins[bl] through his name.”
The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on[bm] all those who heard the message.[bn] 45 The[bo] circumcised believers[bp] who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished[bq] that[br] the gift of the Holy Spirit[bs] had been poured out[bt] even on the Gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising[bu] God. Then Peter said, 47 “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did,[bv] can he?”[bw] 48 So he gave orders to have them baptized[bx] in the name of Jesus Christ.[by] Then they asked him to stay for several days.
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