Old/New Testament
Chapter 30
Now I Am the Laughingstock
1 “But now I am the laughingstock
of people who are younger than I,
people whose fathers I would not have considered fit
to put with the dogs guarding my flock.
2 Of what use to me was the strength of their hands?
Their vigor had completely wasted away.
3 “Enfeebled by want and hunger,
they gnawed roots in the wilderness,
a gloomy place of dry and desolate ground.
4 They plucked saltwort and scrub for food,
and they ate the roots of the broom tree.[a]
5 Cast out from human society
and berated as thieves and pursued,
6 they were forced to live on the sides of ravines,
in holes in the ground, and in clefts of rock.
7 Among the bushes you could hear them braying,
huddled together under the nettles.
8 They are a vile and irresponsible brood,
driven as outcasts from society.
9 “And these are the ones who speak mockingly about me;
my name is a byword among them.
10 They abhor me and keep their distance from me;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
11 And since God has loosened my bowspring[b] and humbled me,
they have ceased to have any restraint in my presence.
12 “The rabble attack in a mob on my right flank;
they lay snares for my feet
and raise their siege-ramps against me.
13 They advance through my crumbling defenses,
blocking every means of escape,
and no one restrains them.
14 They burst forward through a gaping breach
and advance in waves.
15 Terrors surround me on all sides;
my confidence disintegrates,
and my hope of deliverance vanishes like a cloud.
God’s Severity[c]
16 “And now my life has begun to ebb away;
my days are filled with grief and affliction.
17 During the night pain wracks my bones,
and I suffer from ceaseless throbbing that allows me no respite.
18 God seizes my garment violently,
grasping me by the collar of my tunic.
19 He has cast me into the mire,
and I am covered with dust and ashes.
20 “I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer me;
I stand before you, but you barely take notice.
21 You have turned with severity against me;
with your strong hand you persecute me.
22 You lift me up and place me at the mercy of the wind,
allowing me to be tossed about in the storm.
23 I know indeed that you will hand me over to death
and to the place appointed for every living mortal.
Yet I Cannot Discover Why
24 “And yet should you not extend a hand
to someone who pleads with you for help?
25 Did I not shed tears over the plight of the unfortunate?
Was not my soul grieved for the destitute?
26 Yet when I hoped for good, only evil came;
when I looked for light, there was only darkness.
27 My inward parts are in constant pain,
and days of affliction torment me.
28 “I walk about dejected and without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother to the jackal
and a companion to the ostrich.
30 My skin has turned black and peels off my body,
and my bones are scorched by heat.
31 My harp has been tuned to dirges,
and my flute to the sounds of weeping.
Chapter 31
Let God Weigh Me on Honest Scales[d]
1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes
not to look with desire upon a virgin.
2 For what is man’s lot prescribed by God above,
his inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Is it not destruction for the wicked
and disaster for wrongdoers?
4 Does not God see my ways
and number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked in falsehood
or hastened my steps toward deceit,
6 let God weigh me on honest scales;
then he will know that I am blameless.
If My Steps Have Wandered . . .[e]
7 “If my steps have wandered from the path of righteousness,
or if my eyes have led my heart astray,
or if any stain has besmirched my hands,
8 then let someone else eat what I sow,
and let my crops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman
and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind grain[f] for another
and let other men enjoy her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime
and judged as a criminal offense.
12 It would be a fire that leads to Destruction[g]
until it consumes all my possessions completely.
13 “If I have ever rejected the pleas of my male or female slaves
when they lodged a complaint against me,
14 what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer if he calls me to account?
15 Did not he who formed me in the womb also make them?
Did not the one God create all human beings?[h]
16 “Have I ignored the needs of the poor
or caused the eyes of widows to overflow with tears?
17 Did I ever eat my bread alone
without sharing it with an orphan,
18 I whom God has reared like a father
and guided ever since I left my mother’s womb?
19 “Have I ever seen a stranger in need of clothing,
or a poor wretch with nothing to cover him,
20 whose body has not blessed me
after being warmed with the fleece of my sheep?
21 Have I ever raised my hand against the innocent,
knowing that my friends would support me?
22 “If I have done any of these things,
then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder
and let my arm be torn from its socket.
23 For then the fear of God would overcome me
and I would be unable to stand in his presence.
24 “Have I placed my faith in gold
and regarded it as my security?
25 Have I rejoiced in my great wealth
and the abundance of riches in my possession?
26 [i]Have I beheld the sun when it shone
and the moon moving in its splendor
27 and ever found my heart to be secretly enticed
so that I blew them a kiss in homage?
28 Any of these would be a serious offense,
for I would have been unfaithful to God above.
29 [j]“Have I ever rejoiced at the ruin of my enemy
or exulted when evil overtook him—
30 I who would not allow my tongue to sin
by laying his life under a curse?
31 Have not those of my household said,
‘Who has not eaten his meat and been sated?’
32 No stranger has ever had to spend the night in the street;
my door has always been open to the traveler.
33 “Have I ever concealed my transgressions as others do,
keeping my guilt buried within my breast,
34 because I feared the gossip that would ensue,
and I was terrified at the scorn of the multitude?
If so, then I would have remained silent
and not ventured out of doors.
May God Respond[k]
35 [l]“Oh, if only I had someone to hear my defense
and my accuser would write out his indictment!
36 I would wear it on my shoulder
and place it on my head as a crown.
37 I would give him an account of my entire life,
and like a prince I would present myself before him.
Concluding Oath[m]
38 “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have joined in the weeping,
39 if I have eaten its produce without payment
and caused the death of its owners,
40 then let thistles grow instead of wheat
and noxious weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
26 “Brethren, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who fear God, we are the ones to whom this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize Jesus or to understand the words of the Prophets that are read on every Sabbath, and they fulfilled those prophecies by condemning him. 28 Even though they found no basis to justify his execution, they asked Pilate to have him killed.
29 “When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb. 30 However, God raised him from the dead, 31 and over a period of many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses before the people.
32 “We have come here to proclaim to you the good news—what God promised to our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus up as it is written in the second psalm:
‘You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.’
34 “God raised him from the dead, never to be subjected to corruption. He declares it in these words, ‘To you I will give the blessings promised to David.’ 35 And he also says in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to suffer corruption.’ 36 When David had served God’s purposes during his lifetime, he fell asleep, and he was buried with his ancestors, and he saw corruption. 37 However, the one whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 “You must understand, brethren, that it is through him that forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. 39 All those who believe are justified from all the things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. 40 Beware, then, lest what the Prophets have foretold will happen to you:
41 ‘Look carefully, you scoffers!
Be amazed and perish!
For I am doing a work in your days
that you will never believe
even if someone tells you.’ ”
42 As they were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to speak further on these subjects on the following Sabbath. 43 After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
44 Paul’s Speech to the Gentiles. On the next Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and with blasphemy they contradicted whatever Paul said. 46 Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be proclaimed to you first. However, since you have rejected it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so has the Lord commanded us to do, saying,
‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles
so that you may bring salvation
to the farthest corners of the earth.’ ”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were delighted, and they praised the word of the Lord. All those who were destined for eternal life became believers. 49 Thus, the word of the Lord continued to spread throughout the entire region.
50 However, the Jews incited the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city. As a result, a campaign of persecution was stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, and they were driven out of the territory. 51 And so they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.[a] 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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