251 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, 2 “Dominion and fear are with him.
He makes peace in his high places. 3 Can his armies be counted?
On whom does his light not arise? 4 How then can man be just with God?
Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean? 5 Behold, even the moon has no brightness,
and the stars are not pure in his sight; 6 How much less man, who is a worm,
the son of man, who is a worm!”
261 Then Job answered, 2 “How have you helped him who is without power!
How have you saved the arm that has no strength! 3 How have you counseled him who has no wisdom,
and plentifully declared sound knowledge! 4 To whom have you uttered words?
Whose spirit came forth from you?
5 “Those who are deceased tremble,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them. 6 Sheol [1] is naked before God,
and Abaddon [2] has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north over empty space,
and hangs the earth on nothing. 8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not burst under them. 9 He encloses the face of his throne,
and spreads his cloud on it. 10 He has described a boundary on the surface of the waters,
and to the confines of light and darkness. 11 The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astonished at his rebuke. 12 He stirs up the sea with his power,
and by his understanding he strikes through Rahab. 13 By his Spirit the heavens are garnished.
His hand has pierced the swift serpent. 14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways.
How small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
271 Job again took up his parable, and said, 2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter. 3 (For the length of my life is still in me,
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils); 4 surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness,
neither shall my tongue utter deceit. 5 Far be it from me that I should justify you.
Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go.
My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked.
Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous. 8 For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? 9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him? 10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty,
and call on God at all times?
11 I will teach you about the hand of God.
That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal. 12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain? 13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty. 14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword.
His offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. 15 Those who remain of him shall be buried in death.
His widows shall make no lamentation. 16 Though he heap up silver as the dust,
and prepare clothing as the clay; 17 he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on,
and the innocent shall divide the silver. 18 He builds his house as the moth,
as a booth which the watchman makes. 19 He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again.
He opens his eyes, and he is not. 20 Terrors overtake him like waters.
A storm steals him away in the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he departs.
It sweeps him out of his place. 22 For it hurls at him, and does not spare,
as he flees away from his hand. 23 Men shall clap their hands at him,
and shall hiss him out of his place.
121 Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly. 2 He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread. 4 When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
5 Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.
6 The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off from his hands. 8 The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak, and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 When Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in, and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed. 17 But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James, and to the brothers.” Then he departed, and went to another place. 18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 When Herod had sought for him, and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, and commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.
20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king’s personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them. 22 The people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 Barnabas and Saul returned to [3] Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their service, also taking with them John whose surname was Mark.
