Old/New Testament
V. The Speeches of Elihu (32:1-37:24)
Elihu’s First Speech[a]
32 So these three men refused to answer[b] Job further, because he was righteous in his[c] own eyes. 2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry.[d] He was angry[e] with Job for justifying[f] himself rather than God.[g] 3 With Job’s[h] three friends he was also angry, because they could not find[i] an answer, and so declared Job guilty.[j] 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking[k] to Job, because the others[l] were older than he was. 5 But when Elihu saw[m] that the three men had no further reply,[n] he became very angry.
Elihu Claims Wisdom
6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up:[o]
“I am young,[p] but you are elderly;
that is why I was fearful,[q]
and afraid to explain[r] to you what I know.
7 I said to myself, ‘Age[s] should speak,[t]
and length of years[u] should make wisdom known.’
8 But it is a spirit in people,
the breath[v] of the Almighty,
that makes them understand.
9 It is not the aged[w] who are wise,
nor old men who understand what is right.
10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen[x] to me.
I, even I, will explain what I know.’
11 Look, I waited for you to speak;[y]
I listened closely to your wise thoughts,[z] while you were searching for words.
12 Now I was paying you close attention,[aa]
yet[ab] there was no one proving Job wrong,[ac]
not one of you was answering his statements.
13 So do not say,[ad] ‘We have found wisdom.
God will refute[ae] him, not man.’
14 Job[af] has not directed[ag] his words to me,
and so I will not reply to him with your arguments.[ah]
Job’s Friends Failed to Answer[ai]
15 “They are dismayed[aj] and cannot answer anymore;
they have nothing left to say.[ak]
16 And I have waited.[al] But because they do not speak,
because they stand there and answer no more,
17 I too will answer my part,
I too will explain what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and the spirit within me[am] constrains me.[an]
19 Inside I am like wine that has no outlet,[ao]
like new wineskins[ap] ready to burst!
20 I will speak,[aq] so that I may find relief;
I will open my lips, so that I may answer.
21 I will not show partiality to any person,[ar]
nor will I confer a title[as] on anyone.
22 For I do not know how to give honorary titles,[at]
if I did,[au] my Creator would quickly do away with me.[av]
Elihu Invites Job’s Attention
33 “But now, O Job, listen to my words,
and hear[aw] everything I have to say.[ax]
2 See now, I have opened[ay] my mouth;
my tongue in my mouth has spoken.[az]
3 My words come from the uprightness of my heart,[ba]
and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely.[bb]
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.[bc]
5 Reply to me, if you can;
set your arguments[bd] in order before me
and take your stand.
6 Look, I am just like you in relation to God;
I too have been molded[be] from clay.
7 Therefore no fear of me should terrify you,
nor should my pressure[bf] be heavy on you.[bg]
Elihu Rejects Job’s Plea of Innocence
8 “Indeed, you have said in my hearing[bh]
(I heard the sound of the words!):
9 [bi] ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean[bj] and have no iniquity.
10 [bk] Yet God[bl] finds occasions[bm] with me;
he regards me as his enemy.
11 [bn] He puts my feet in shackles;
he watches closely all my paths.’
12 Now in this, you are not right—I answer you,[bo]
for God is greater than a human being.[bp]
13 Why do you contend against him,
that he does not answer all a person’s[bq] words?
Elihu Disagrees With Job’s View of God
14 “For God speaks, the first time in one way,
the second time in another,
though a person does not perceive[br] it.
15 In a dream, a night vision,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they sleep in their beds.
16 Then he gives a revelation[bs] to people,
and terrifies them with warnings,[bt]
17 to turn a person from his sin,[bu]
and to cover a person’s pride.[bv]
18 He spares a person’s life from corruption,[bw]
his very life from crossing over[bx] the river.
19 Or a person is chastened[by] by pain on his bed,
and with the continual strife of his bones,[bz]
20 so that his life loathes food,
and his soul rejects appetizing fare.[ca]
21 His flesh wastes away from sight,
and his bones, which were not seen,
are easily visible.[cb]
22 He[cc] draws near to the place of corruption,
and his life to the messengers of death.[cd]
23 If there is an angel beside him,
one mediator[ce] out of a thousand,
to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness;[cf]
24 and if[cg] God[ch] is gracious to him and says,
‘Spare[ci] him from going down
to the place of corruption,
I have found a ransom for him,’[cj]
25 then his flesh is restored[ck] like a youth’s;
he returns to the days of his youthful vigor.[cl]
26 He entreats God, and God[cm] delights in him,
he sees God’s face[cn] with rejoicing,
and God[co] restores to him his righteousness.[cp]
27 That person sings[cq] to others,[cr] saying:
‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,
but I was not punished according to what I deserved.[cs]
28 He redeemed my life[ct]
from going down to the place of corruption,
and my life sees the light!’
Elihu’s Appeal to Job[cu]
29 “Indeed, God does all these things,
twice, three times, in his dealings[cv] with a person,
30 to turn back his life from the place of corruption,
that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, Job—listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have any words,[cw] reply to me;
speak, for I want to justify you.[cx]
33 If not, you listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Paul and Barnabas at Iconium
14 The same thing happened in Iconium[a] when Paul and Barnabas[b] went into the Jewish synagogue[c] and spoke in such a way that a large group[d] of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe[e] stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds[f] against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there[g] for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified[h] to the message[i] of his grace, granting miraculous signs[j] and wonders to be performed through their hands. 4 But the population[k] of the city was divided; some[l] sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made[m] an attempt to mistreat[n] them and stone them,[o] 6 Paul and Barnabas[p] learned about it[q] and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra[r] and Derbe[s] and the surrounding region. 7 There[t] they continued to proclaim[u] the good news.
Paul and Barnabas at Lystra
8 In[v] Lystra[w] sat a man who could not use his feet,[x] lame from birth,[y] who had never walked. 9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul[z] stared[aa] intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, 10 he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.”[ab] And the man[ac] leaped up and began walking.[ad] 11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted[ae] in the Lycaonian language,[af] “The gods have come down to us in human form!”[ag] 12 They began to call[ah] Barnabas Zeus[ai] and Paul Hermes,[aj] because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of the temple[ak] of Zeus,[al] located just outside the city, brought bulls[am] and garlands[an] to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.[ao] 14 But when the apostles[ap] Barnabas and Paul heard about[aq] it, they tore[ar] their clothes and rushed out[as] into the crowd, shouting,[at] 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures[au] just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn[av] from these worthless[aw] things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth,[ax] the sea, and everything that is in them. 16 In[ay] past[az] generations he allowed all the nations[ba] to go their own ways, 17 yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good,[bb] by giving you rain from heaven[bc] and fruitful seasons, satisfying you[bd] with food and your hearts with joy.”[be] 18 Even by saying[bf] these things, they scarcely persuaded[bg] the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.
19 But Jews came from Antioch[bh] and Iconium,[bi] and after winning[bj] the crowds over, they stoned[bk] Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead. 20 But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back[bl] into the city. On[bm] the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.[bn]
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
21 After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra,[bo] to Iconium,[bp] and to Antioch.[bq] 22 They strengthened[br] the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue[bs] in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom of God[bt] through many persecutions.”[bu] 23 When they had appointed elders[bv] for them in the various churches,[bw] with prayer and fasting[bx] they entrusted them to the protection[by] of the Lord in whom they had believed. 24 Then they passed through[bz] Pisidia and came into Pamphylia,[ca] 25 and when they had spoken the word[cb] in Perga,[cc] they went down to Attalia.[cd] 26 From there they sailed back to Antioch,[ce] where they had been commended[cf] to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.[cg] 27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported[ch] all the things God[ci] had done with them, and that he had opened a door[cj] of faith for the Gentiles. 28 So they spent[ck] considerable[cl] time with the disciples.
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