The LORD Convinces Job of Ignorance

38¹ Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, ² “Who is this who darkens counsel
by words without knowledge? ³ Brace yourself like a man,
for I will question you, then you answer me!

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Declare, if you have understanding. ⁵ Who determined its measures, if you know?
Or who stretched the line on it? ⁶ Whereupon were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷ when the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ⁸ “Or who shut up the sea with doors,
when it broke forth from the womb, ⁹ when I made clouds its garment,
and wrapped it in thick darkness, ¹⁰ marked out for it my bound,
set bars and doors, ¹¹ and said, ‘Here you may come, but no further.
Here your proud waves shall be stayed?’

¹² “Have you commanded the morning in your days,
and caused the dawn to know its place; ¹³ that it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
and shake the wicked out of it? ¹⁴ It is changed as clay under the seal,
and stands forth as a garment. ¹⁵ From the wicked, their light is withheld.
The high arm is broken. ¹⁶ “Have you entered into the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep? ¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you?
Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? ¹⁸ Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth?
Declare, if you know it all. ¹⁹ “What is the way to the dwelling of light?
As for darkness, where is its place, ²⁰ that you should take it to its bound,
that you should discern the paths to its house? ²¹ Surely you know, for you were born then,
and the number of your days is great! ²² Have you entered the treasuries of the snow,
or have you seen the treasures of the hail, ²³ which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war? ²⁴ By what way is the lightning distributed,
or the east wind scattered on the earth?

²⁵ Who has cut a channel for the flood water,
or the path for the thunderstorm; ²⁶ To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;
on the wilderness, in which there is no man; ²⁷ to satisfy the waste and desolate ground,
to cause the tender grass to spring forth? ²⁸ Does the rain have a father?
Or who fathers the drops of dew? ²⁹ Out of whose womb came the ice?
The gray frost of the sky, who has given birth to it? ³⁰ The waters become hard like stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen. ³¹ “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
or loosen the cords of Orion? ³² Can you lead forth the constellations in their season?
Or can you guide the Bear with her cubs? ³³ Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you establish its dominion over the earth? ³⁴ “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That abundance of waters may cover you? ³⁵ Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are?’ ³⁶ Who has put wisdom in the inward parts?
Or who has given understanding to the mind? ³⁷ Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky, ³⁸ when the dust runs into a mass,
and the clods of earth stick together? ³⁹ “Can you hunt the prey for the lioness,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, ⁴⁰ when they crouch in their dens,
and lie in wait in the thicket? ⁴¹ Who provides for the raven his prey,
when his young ones cry to God,
and wander for lack of food?

39¹ “Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears fawns? ² Can you number the months that they fulfill?
Or do you know the time when they give birth? ³ They bow themselves, they bring forth their young,
they end their labor pains. ⁴ Their young ones become strong.
They grow up in the open field.
They go forth, and don’t return again. ⁵ “Who has set the wild donkey free?
Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey, ⁶ Whose home I have made the wilderness,
and the salt land his dwelling place? ⁷ He scorns the tumult of the city,
neither does he hear the shouting of the driver. ⁸ The range of the mountains is his pasture,
He searches after every green thing. ⁹ “Will the wild ox be content to serve you?
Or will he stay by your feeding trough? ¹⁰ Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness?
Or will he till the valleys after you? ¹¹ Will you trust him, because his strength is great?
Or will you leave to him your labor? ¹² Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed,
and gather the grain of your threshing floor?

¹³ “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;
but are they the feathers and plumage of love? ¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs on the earth,
warms them in the dust, ¹⁵ and forgets that the foot may crush them,
or that the wild animal may trample them. ¹⁶ She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers.
Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear, ¹⁷ because God has deprived her of wisdom,
neither has he imparted to her understanding. ¹⁸ When she lifts up herself on high,
she scorns the horse and his rider.

¹⁹ “Have you given the horse might?
Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane? ²⁰ Have you made him to leap as a locust?
The glory of his snorting is awesome. ²¹ He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength.
He goes out to meet the armed men. ²² He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed,
neither does he turn back from the sword. ²³ The quiver rattles against him,
the flashing spear and the javelin. ²⁴ He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage,
neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet. ²⁵ As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle afar off,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

²⁶ “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
and stretches her wings toward the south? ²⁷ Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up,
and makes his nest on high? ²⁸ On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home,
on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold. ²⁹ From there he spies out the prey.
His eyes see it afar off. ³⁰ His young ones also suck up blood.
Where the slain are, there he is.”

40¹ Moreover Yahweh answered Job, ² “Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.” ³ Then Job answered Yahweh, ⁴ “Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth. ⁵ I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”

The Manifestations of God's Power

⁶ Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, ⁷ “Now brace yourself like a man.
I will question you, and you will answer me. ⁸ Will you even annul my judgment?
Will you condemn me, that you may be justified? ⁹ Or do you have an arm like God?
Can you thunder with a voice like him? ¹⁰ “Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity.
Array yourself with honor and majesty. ¹¹ Pour out the fury of your anger.
Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low. ¹² Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him.
Crush the wicked in their place. ¹³ Hide them in the dust together.
Bind their faces in the hidden place. ¹⁴ Then I will also admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵ “See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you.
He eats grass as an ox. ¹⁶ Look now, his strength is in his thighs.
His force is in the muscles of his belly. ¹⁷ He moves his tail like a cedar.
The sinews of his thighs are knit together. ¹⁸ His bones are like tubes of brass.
His limbs are like bars of iron. ¹⁹ He is the chief of the ways of God.
He who made him gives him his sword. ²⁰ Surely the mountains produce food for him,
where all the animals of the field play. ²¹ He lies under the lotus trees,
in the covert of the reed, and the marsh. ²² The lotuses cover him with their shade.
The willows of the brook surround him. ²³ Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble.
He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth. ²⁴ Shall any take him when he is on the watch,
or pierce through his nose with a snare?

Timothy Accompanies Paul and Silas

16¹ He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek. ² The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him. ³ Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. ⁵ So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia

⁶ When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. ⁸ Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. ⁹ A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.

The Imprisonment at Philippi

¹¹ Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city. ¹³ On the Sabbath day we went forth outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.

¹⁶ It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling. ¹⁷ Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!” ¹⁸ She was doing this for many days.

But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour. ¹⁹ But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. ²⁰ When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city, ²¹ and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”