Old/New Testament
The Four Speeches of Elihu[a]
Chapter 32
Elihu’s Indignation Is Aroused.[b] 1 The three men then ceased to argue with Job because in his own eyes he was righteous. 2 Then Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite,[c] of the family of Ram, became very angry. He was furious because Job believed that he was righteous and that God was in error. 3 And he was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had never devised an answer to refute Job and thus had allowed God to appear to be wrong.
4 While Job and his friends had been conversing, Elihu had refrained from addressing Job, since the three companions were older than he. 5 But when Elihu perceived that the three had no answer to offer, he could no longer contain his anger.
Elihu’s First Speech
I Have Many Things To Say.[d] 6 Therefore Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, began to speak.
“I am young in years,
and you are old.
Therefore, I held my tongue
and hesitated to express my opinion to you.
7 I thought, ‘Age ought to speak;
many years will result in conveying wisdom.’
8 “But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty,
that gives him understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise;
it is not only the aged who understand what is right.
10 Therefore, I beg you to listen to me
and allow me to declare my opinion.
11 “I have been waiting to hear what you had to say,
and I listened attentively to your arguments
as each one of you chose your words with care.
12 I gave you my close attention,
but there is not one of you who has convicted Job
or refuted his statements.
13 Therefore, do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;
let God confute him, not men!’
14 Job has not addressed his words to me;
therefore, I will not answer him in the way you have done.
15 “These three men are confounded and unable to respond;
words have failed them.
16 Am I then to wait because they do not speak,
but simply stand there, stuck for an answer?
17 I also will now have my say;
it is my turn to express my opinion.
18 For I have many things to say,
and the spirit within me forces me to speak.
19 “I am ready to burst,
like a new wineskin with wine searching for a vent.
20 I must speak so that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.
21 I will show no partiality to anyone,
nor will I use flattering words.
22 For I do not know how to flatter;
if I did, my Maker would soon do away with me.
Chapter 33
God Is Greater Than Any Human Being[e]
1 “Therefore, O Job, listen to my words
and pay careful attention to everything I have to say.
2 Behold, I have opened my mouth;
the words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words issue forth from an upright heart,
and my lips will be sincere in what I say.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 “Refute me if you are able to do so;
prepare your arguments and confront me.
6 In the sight of God I am just like you;
like you, I was formed from a piece of clay.
7 Therefore, no fear of me should frighten you,
nor should you feel any pressure on my account.
8 “You have offered your defense in my presence,
and I have listened carefully to the words you spoke.
9 You said, ‘I am pure and without sin;
I am clean, and there is no fault in me.
10 Yet God continues to invent excuses against me
and regards me as his enemy.
11 He fastens my feet in shackles
and watches everything I do.’
12 “In regard to this, I tell you, you are completely wrong.
God is greater than any human being.
13 Why then do you utter endless complaints
that he will not explain his decisions to you?
God Speaks in Many Ways[f]
14 “For God does speak, first in one way and then in another,
although we do not always perceive it.
15 “In dreams and in visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men
as they slumber on their beds,
16 God then opens their ears
and issues warnings that strike them with terror,
17 so that he may turn man away from evil
and check his pride.
18 In this way he spares his soul from the pit[g]
and his life from a violent death.
19 “Or again, he chastens him with pain upon his bed
and with unceasing agony in his bones,
20 so that he regards food with loathing
and rejects the choicest dishes.
21 His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
and his bones that once were invisible now begin to show.
22 His soul draws nearer to the pit
and his life to the abode of the dead.
23 “But then, if there should be an angel on his side,
one out of a thousand, a mediator,
to show him what is right for him
and expound God’s righteousness to him,
24 he will take pity on him and say,
‘Spare him from going down into the pit;
I have the ransom for his life.’
25 Then his flesh will regain its boyish freshness,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.
26 “Then, if he entreats God to show him favor
and allow him to enter his presence with joy,
27 he will affirm before everyone,
‘I sinned and departed from the path of righteousness,
but God has not punished me as I deserved.
28 He spared my soul from descending into the pit,
and I will behold the light of life.’
29 “God indeed does all these things
again and again[h] for a man,
30 bringing back his soul from the pit
so that he may see the light of life.
31 “Be attentive, Job, and listen to me;
be silent and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, then answer me;
speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 But if you have nothing to say, then listen to me;
be silent and I will teach you wisdom.”
Chapter 14
Jews and Gentiles at Iconium.[a] 1 In Iconium, they went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke so effectively that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 However, the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore, they stayed there for a considerable period of time, speaking boldly on behalf of the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to work signs and wonders.
4 However, the people in the city were divided, some siding with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 Eventually, a plot was hatched by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone them. 6 When they became aware of this, they fled to the Lycaonian cities[b] of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding area. 7 There they preached the good news.
At Lystra Paul and Barnabas Are Taken for Gods.[c] 8 At Lystra, there was a man who was crippled. Lame from birth, he had never once been able to walk. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. Paul looked intently at him, and, seeing that he had the faith to be healed, 10 called out to him in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet.” The man sprang up and began to walk.
11 [d]When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 They called Barnabas Zeus, and since Paul was the chief speaker, they called him Hermes. 13 And the priest of Zeus, who was on the outskirts of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, since he and the people intended to offer sacrifice.
14 However, when the apostles Barnabas and Paul learned about this, they tore their clothes[e] and rushed into the crowd, shouting, 15 “Men, why are you doing this? We are only human beings, just like you. We proclaim to you the good news so that you may turn from these idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them.
16 “In the past, God allowed all the Gentiles to go their own way. 17 However, even then he did not leave you without a witness in doing good, for he sends you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons, and he provides you with food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Yet, even with these words, they were barely able to prevent the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.
19 End of the First Mission.[f] Shortly thereafter, some Jews arrived on the scene from Antioch and Iconium, and they won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, believing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city. On the next day, he and Barnabas departed for Derbe.
21 After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and gained a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and then moved on to Iconium and Antioch. 22 They strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships in order to enter the kingdom of God.” 23 In each Church, they appointed presbyters for them, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 After proclaiming the word at Perga, they went down to Attalia,[g] 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch,[h] where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. 27 When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had accomplished through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.
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