The LORD Convinces Job of Ignorance

38¹ And Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ² Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? ³ Gird up now thy loins like a man; and I will demand of thee, and inform thou me.

⁴ Where wast thou when I founded the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. ⁵ Who set the measures thereof—if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it? ⁶ Whereupon were the foundations thereof sunken? or who laid its corner-stone, ⁷ When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ⁸ And who shut up the sea with doors, when it burst forth, issuing out of the womb? ⁹ When I made the cloud its garment, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it; ¹⁰ When I cut out for it my boundary, and set bars and doors, ¹¹ And said, Hitherto shalt thou come and no further, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

¹² Hast thou since thy days commanded the morning? hast thou caused the dawn to know its place, ¹³ That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked might be shaken out of it? ¹⁴ It is changed like the signet-clay; and [all things] stand forth as in a garment: ¹⁵ And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the uplifted arm is broken. ¹⁶ Hast thou entered as far as the springs of the sea? and hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? ¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? and hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? ¹⁸ Hath thine understanding compassed the breadths of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all. ¹⁹ Where is the way to where light dwelleth? and the darkness, where is its place, ²⁰ That thou shouldest take it to its bound, and that thou shouldest know the paths to its house? ²¹ Thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great! ²² Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow, and hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, ²³ Which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of battle and war? ²⁴ By what way is the light parted, [and] the east wind scattered upon the earth?

²⁵ Who hath divided a channel for the rain-flood, and a way for the thunder's flash; ²⁶ To cause it to rain on the earth, where no one is; on the wilderness wherein there is not a man; ²⁷ To satisfy the desolate and waste [ground], and to cause the sprout of the grass to spring forth? ²⁸ Hath the rain a father? or who begetteth the drops of dew? ²⁹ Out of whose womb cometh the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who bringeth it forth? ³⁰ When the waters lie hidden as in stone, and the face of the deep holdeth fast together. ³¹ Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion? ³² Dost thou bring forth the constellations each in its season? or dost thou guide the Bear with her sons? ³³ Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? dost thou determine their rule over the earth? ³⁴ Dost thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that floods of waters may cover thee? ³⁵ Dost thou send forth lightnings that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? ³⁶ Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the mind? ³⁷ Who numbereth the clouds with wisdom? or who poureth out the bottles of the heavens, ³⁸ When the dust runneth as into a molten mass, and the clods cleave fast together? ³⁹ Dost thou hunt the prey for the lioness, and dost thou satisfy the appetite of the young lions, ⁴⁰ When they crouch in [their] dens, [and] abide in the thicket to lie in wait? ⁴¹ Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, [and] they wander for lack of meat?

39¹ Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? dost thou mark the calving of the hinds? ² Dost thou number the months that they fulfil? and knowest thou the time when they bring forth? ³ They bow themselves, they give birth to their young ones, they cast out their pains; ⁴ Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field, they go forth, and return not unto them. ⁵ Who hath sent out the wild ass free? and who hath loosed the bands of the onager, ⁶ Whose house I made the wilderness, and the salt plain his dwellings? ⁷ He laugheth at the tumult of the city, and heareth not the shouts of the driver; ⁸ The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing. ⁹ Will the buffalo be willing to serve thee, or will he lodge by thy crib? ¹⁰ Canst thou bind the buffalo with his cord in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? ¹¹ Wilt thou put confidence in him, because his strength is great? and wilt thou leave thy labour to him? ¹² Wilt thou trust him to bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy threshing-floor?

¹³ The wing of the ostrich beats joyously—But is it the stork's pinion and plumage? ¹⁴ For she leaveth her eggs to the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, ¹⁵ And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the beast of the field may trample them. ¹⁶ She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; her labour is in vain, without her concern. ¹⁷ For +God hath deprived her of wisdom, and hath not furnished her with understanding. ¹⁸ What time she lasheth herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.

¹⁹ Hast thou given strength to the horse? hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane? ²⁰ Dost thou make him to leap as a locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. ²¹ He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in [his] strength; he goeth forth to meet the armed host. ²² He laugheth at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from before the sword. ²³ The quiver rattleth upon him, the glittering spear and the javelin. ²⁴ He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, and cannot contain himself at the sound of the trumpet: ²⁵ At the noise of the trumpets he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

²⁶ Doth the hawk fly by thine intelligence, [and] stretch his wings toward the south? ²⁷ Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make his nest on high? ²⁸ He inhabiteth the rock and maketh his dwelling on the point of the cliff, and the fastness: ²⁹ From thence he spieth out the prey, his eyes look into the distance; ³⁰ And his young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is he.

40¹ And Jehovah answered Job and said, ² Shall he that will contend with the Almighty instruct [him]? he that reproveth +God, let him answer it. ³ And Job answered Jehovah and said, ⁴ Behold, I am nought: what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. ⁵ Once have I spoken, and I will not answer; yea twice, but I will proceed no further.

The Manifestations of God's Power

⁶ And Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ⁷ Gird up now thy loins like a man: I will demand of thee, and inform thou me. ⁸ Wilt thou also annul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous? ⁹ Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? ¹⁰ Deck thyself now with glory and excellency, and clothe thyself with majesty and splendour. ¹¹ Cast abroad the ragings of thine anger, and look on every one that is proud, and abase him: ¹² Look on every one that is proud, bring him low, and tread down the wicked in their place: ¹³ Hide them in the dust together; bind their faces in secret. ¹⁴ Then will I also praise thee, because thy right hand saveth thee.

¹⁵ See now the behemoth, which I made with thee: he eateth grass as an ox. ¹⁶ Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the muscles of his belly. ¹⁷ He bendeth his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are woven together. ¹⁸ His bones are tubes of bronze, his members are like bars of iron. ¹⁹ He is the chief of God's ways: he that made him gave him his sword. ²⁰ For the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. ²¹ He lieth under lotus-bushes, in the covert of the reed and fen: ²² Lotus-bushes cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook surround him. ²³ Lo, the river overfloweth—he startleth not: he is confident though a Jordan break forth against his mouth. ²⁴ Shall he be taken in front? will they pierce through [his] nose in the trap?

Timothy Accompanies Paul and Silas

16¹ And he came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, by name Timotheus, son of a Jewish believing woman, but [the] father a Greek, ² who had a [good] testimony of the brethren in Lystra and Iconium. ³ Him would Paul have go forth with him, and took [him and] circumcised him on account of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew his father that he was a Greek. ⁴ And as they passed through the cities they instructed them to observe the decrees determined on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ⁵ The assemblies therefore were confirmed in the faith, and increased in number every day.

Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶ And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, ⁷ having come down to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; ⁸ and having passed by Mysia they descended to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a certain Macedonian man, standing and beseeching him, and saying, Pass over into Macedonia and help us. ¹⁰ And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings.

The Imprisonment at Philippi

¹¹ Having sailed therefore away from Troas, we went in a straight course to Samothracia, and on the morrow to Neapolis, ¹² and thence to Philippi, which is [the] first city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city certain days. ¹³ And on the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where it was the custom for prayer to be, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had assembled. ¹⁴ And a certain woman, by name Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard; whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she had been baptised and her house, she besought [us], saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide [there]. And she constrained us.

¹⁶ And it came to pass as we were going to prayer that a certain female slave, having a spirit of Python, met us, who brought much profit to her masters by prophesying. ¹⁷ She, having followed Paul and us, cried saying, These men are bondmen of the Most High God, who announce to you [the] way of salvation. ¹⁸ And this she did many days. And Paul, being distressed, turned, and said to the spirit, I enjoin thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out the same hour. ¹⁹ And her masters, seeing that the hope of their gains was gone, having seized Paul and Silas, dragged [them] into the market before the magistrates; ²⁰ and having brought them up to the praetors, said, These men utterly trouble our city, being Jews, ²¹ and announce customs which it is not lawful for us to receive nor practise, being Romans.