Old/New Testament
20 The speech of Zophar the Naamathite:
2 “I hasten to reply, for I have the answer for you. 3 You have tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for calling you a sinner, but my spirit won’t let me stop.
4 “Don’t you realize that ever since man was first placed upon the earth, 5 the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? 6 Though the godless be proud as the heavens and walk with his nose in the air, 7 yet he shall perish forever, cast away like his own dung. Those who knew him will wonder where he has gone. 8 He will fade like a dream. 9 Neither his friends nor his family will ever see him again.
10 “His children shall beg from the poor, their hard labor shall repay his debts. 11 Though still a young man, his bones shall lie in the dust.
12 “He enjoyed the taste of his wickedness, letting it melt in his mouth, 13 sipping it slowly, lest it disappear.
14 “But suddenly the food he has eaten turns sour within him. 15 He will vomit the plunder he gorged. God won’t let him keep it down. 16 It is like poison and death to him. 17 He shall not enjoy the goods he stole; they will not be butter and honey to him after all. 18 His labors shall not be rewarded; wealth will give him no joy. 19 For he has oppressed the poor and foreclosed their homes; he will never recover. 20 Though he was always greedy, now he has nothing; of all the things he dreamed of—none remain. 21 Because he stole at every opportunity, his prosperity shall not continue.
22 “He shall run into trouble at the peak of his powers; all the wicked shall destroy him. 23 Just as he is about to fill his belly, God will rain down wrath upon him. 24 He will be chased and struck down. 25 The arrow is pulled from his body—and the glittering point comes out from his gall. The terrors of death are upon him.
26 “His treasures will be lost in deepest darkness. A raging fire will devour his goods, consuming all he has left. 27 The heavens will reveal his sins, and the earth will give testimony against him. 28 His wealth will disappear beneath the wrath of God. 29 This is what awaits the wicked man, for God prepares it for him.”
21 Job’s reply:
2-3 “Listen to me; let me speak, and afterwards, mock on.
4 “I am complaining about God,[a] not man; no wonder my spirit is so troubled. 5 Look at me in horror, and lay your hand upon your mouth. 6 Even I am frightened when I see myself. Horror takes hold upon me and I shudder.
7 “The truth is that the wicked live on to a good old age and become great and powerful. 8 They live to see their children grow to maturity around them, and their grandchildren too. 9 Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them. 10 Their cattle are productive, 11 they have many happy children, 12-13 they spend their time singing and dancing. They are wealthy and need deny themselves nothing; they are prosperous to the end. 14 All this despite the fact that they ordered God away and wanted no part of him and his ways.
15 “‘Who is Almighty God?’ they scoff. ‘Why should we obey him? What good will it do us?’
16 “Look, everything the wicked touch has turned to gold! But I refuse even to deal with people like that. 17 Yet the wicked get away with it every time. They never have trouble, and God skips them when he distributes his sorrows and anger. 18 Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm? Not at all!
19 “‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’ But I say that God should punish the man who sins, not his children! Let him feel the penalty himself. 20 Yes, let him be destroyed for his iniquity. Let him drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty. 21 For when he is dead, then he will never again be able to enjoy his family.
22 “But who can rebuke God, the supreme Judge? 23-24 He destroys those who are healthy, wealthy, fat, and prosperous; 25 God also destroys those in deep and grinding poverty who have never known anything good. 26 Both alike are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same worms.
27 “I know what you are going to say— 28 you will tell me of rich and wicked men who came to disaster because of their sins. 29 But I reply, Ask anyone who has been around and he can tell you the truth, 30-32 that the evil man is usually spared in the day of calamity and allowed to escape. No one rebukes him openly. No one repays him for what he has done. And an honor guard keeps watch at his grave. 33 A great funeral procession precedes and follows him as the soft earth covers him. 34 How can you comfort me when your whole premise is so wrong?”
24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day, and Cornelius was waiting for him and had called together his relatives and close friends to meet Peter. 25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell to the floor before him in worship.
26 But Peter said, “Stand up! I’m not a god!”
27 So he got up, and they talked together for a while and then went in where the others were assembled.
28 Peter told them, “You know it is against the Jewish laws for me to come into a Gentile home like this. But God has shown me in a vision that I should never think of anyone as inferior. 29 So I came as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me what you want.”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying as usual at this time of the afternoon, when suddenly a man was standing before me clothed in a radiant robe! 31 He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayers are heard and your charities have been noticed by God! 32 Now send some men to Joppa and summon Simon Peter, who is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, down by the shore.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have done well to come so soon. Now here we are, waiting before the Lord, anxious to hear what he has told you to tell us!”
34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that the Jews are not God’s only favorites! 35 In every nation he has those who worship him and do good deeds and are acceptable to him. 36-37 I’m sure you have heard about the Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus, the Messiah, who is Lord of all creation. This message has spread all through Judea, beginning with John the Baptist in Galilee. 38 And you no doubt know that Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were possessed by demons, for God was with him.
39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem, where he was murdered on a cross. 40-41 But God brought him back to life again three days later and showed him to certain witnesses God had selected beforehand—not to the general public, but to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he sent us to preach the Good News everywhere and to testify that Jesus is ordained of God to be the Judge of all—living and dead. 43 And all the prophets have written about him, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those listening! 45 The Jews who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to Gentiles too! 46-47 But there could be no doubt about it,[a] for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Peter asked, “Can anyone object to my baptizing them, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he did, baptizing them in the name of Jesus, the Messiah. Afterwards Cornelius begged him to stay with them for several days.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.