Job 3; Job 4; Acts 7:44-60

1 After seven days Job cried out and cursed the day he had been born,

2 saying:

3 "Let the day I was born be destroyed, and the night it was said, 'A boy is born!'

4 Let that day turn to darkness. Don't let God care about it. Don't let light shine on it.

5 Let darkness and gloom have that day. Let a cloud hide it. Let thick darkness cover its light.

6 Let thick darkness capture that night. Don't count it among the days of the year or put it in any of the months.

7 Let that night be empty, with no shout of joy to be heard.

8 Let those who curse days curse that day. Let them prepare to wake up the sea monster Leviathan.

9 Let that day's morning stars never appear; let it wait for daylight that never comes. Don't let it see the first light of dawn,

10 because it allowed me to be born and did not hide trouble from my eyes.

11 "Why didn't I die as soon as I was born? Why didn't I die when I came out of the womb?

12 Why did my mother's knees receive me, and my mother's breasts feed me?

13 If they had not been there, I would be lying dead in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

14 with kings and wise men of the earth who built places for themselves that are now ruined.

15 I would be asleep with rulers who filled their houses with gold and silver.

16 Why was I not buried like a child born dead, like a baby who never saw the light of day?

17 In the grave the wicked stop making trouble, and the weary workers are at rest.

18 In the grave there is rest for the captives who no longer hear the shout of the slave driver.

19 People great and small are in the grave, and the slave is freed from his master.

20 "Why is light given to those in misery? Why is life given to those who are so unhappy?

21 They want to die, but death does not come. They search for death more than for hidden treasure.

22 They are very happy when they get to the grave.

23 They cannot see where they are going. God has hidden the road ahead.

24 I make sad sounds as I eat; my groans pour out like water.

25 Everything I feared and dreaded has happened to me.

26 I have no peace or quietness. I have no rest, only trouble."

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

2 "If someone tried to speak with you, would you be upset? I cannot keep from speaking.

3 Think about the many people you have taught and the weak hands you have made strong.

4 Your words have comforted those who fell, and you have strengthened those who could not stand.

5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; trouble hits you, and you are terrified.

6 You should have confidence because you respect God; you should have hope because you are innocent.

7 "Remember that the innocent will not die; honest people will never be destroyed.

8 I have noticed that people who plow evil and plant trouble, harvest it.

9 God's breath destroys them, and a blast of his anger kills them.

10 Lions may roar and growl, but when the teeth of a strong lion are broken,

11 that lion dies of hunger. The cubs of the mother lion are scattered.

12 "A word was brought to me in secret, and my ears heard a whisper of it.

13 It was during a nightmare when people are in deep sleep.

14 I was trembling with fear; all my bones were shaking.

15 A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.

16 The spirit stopped, but I could not see what it was. A shape stood before my eyes, and I heard a quiet voice.

17 It said, 'Can a human be more right than God? Can a person be pure before his maker?

18 God does not trust his angels; he blames them for mistakes.

19 So he puts even more blame on people who live in clay houses, whose foundations are made of dust, who can be crushed like a moth.

20 Between dawn and sunset many people are broken to pieces; without being noticed, they die and are gone forever.

21 The ropes of their tents are pulled up, and they die without wisdom.'

44 "The Holy Tent where God spoke to our ancestors was with them in the desert. God told Moses how to make this Tent, and he made it like the plan God showed him.

45 Later, Joshua led our ancestors to capture the lands of the other nations. Our people went in, and God forced the other people out. When our people went into this new land, they took with them this same Tent they had received from their ancestors. They kept it until the time of David,

46 who pleased God and asked God to let him build a house for him, the God of Jacob.

47 But Solomon was the one who built the Temple.

48 "But the Most High does not live in houses that people build with their hands. As the prophet says:

49 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? says the Lord. Do I need a place to rest?

50 Remember, my hand made all these things!'"

51 Stephen continued speaking: "You stubborn people! You have not given your hearts to God, nor will you listen to him! You are always against what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, just as your ancestors were.

52 Your ancestors tried to hurt every prophet who ever lived. Those prophets said long ago that the One who is good would come, but your ancestors killed them. And now you have turned against and killed the One who is good.

53 You received the law of Moses, which God gave you through his angels, but you haven't obeyed it."

54 When the leaders heard this, they became furious. They were so mad they were grinding their teeth at Stephen.

55 But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right side.

56 He said, "Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God's right side."

57 Then they shouted loudly and covered their ears and all ran at Stephen.

58 They took him out of the city and began to throw stones at him to kill him. And those who told lies against Stephen left their coats with a young man named Saul.

59 While they were throwing stones, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

60 He fell on his knees and cried in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." After Stephen said this, he died.