Job 28; Job 29; Acts 13:1-25

1 Silver hath beginnings of its veins, and gold hath a place wherein it is melted.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.

3 He hath set a time for darkness, and the end of all things he considereth, the stone also that is in the dark and the shadow of death.

4 The flood divideth from the people that are on their journey, those whom the food of the needy man hath forgotten, and who cannot be come at.

5 The land, out of which bread grew in its place, hath been overturned with fire.

6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and the clods of it are gold.

7 The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it.

8 The children of the merchants have not trodden it, neither hath the lioness passed by it.

9 He hath stretched forth his hand to the flint, he hath overturned mountains from the roots.

10 In the rocks he hath cut out rivers, and his eye hath seen every precious thing.

11 The depths also of rivers he hath searched, and hidden things he hath brought forth to light.

12 But where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?

13 Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of them that live in delights.

14 The depth saith: It is not in me: and the sea saith: It is not with me.

15 The finest gold shall not purchase it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.

16 It shall not be compared with the dyed colours of India, or with the most precious stone sardonyx, or the sapphire.

17 Gold or crystal cannot equal it, neither shall any vessels of gold be changed for it.

18 High and eminent things shall not be mentioned in comparison of it: but wisdom is drawn out of secret places.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, neither shall it be compared to the cleanest dyeing.

20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

21 It is hid from the eyes of all living, and the fowls of the air know it not.

22 Destruction and death have said: With our ears we have heard the fame thereof.

23 God understandeth the way of it, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24 For he beholdeth the ends of the world: and looketh on all things that are under heaven.

25 Who made a weight for the winds, and weighed the waters by measure.

26 When he gave a law for the rain, and a way for the sounding storms.

27 Then he saw it, and declared, and prepared, and searched it.

28 And he said to man: Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil, is understanding.

1 Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

2 Who will grant me, that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?

3 When his lamp shined over my head, and I walked by his light in darkness?

4 As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle?

5 When the Almighty was with me: and my servants round about me?

6 When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil?

7 When I went out to the gate of the city, and in the street they prepared me a chair?

8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood.

9 The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth.

10 The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat.

11 The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:

12 Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless, that had no helper.

13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.

14 I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.

15 I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame.

16 I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently.

17 I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.

18 And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days.

19 My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest.

20 My glory shall always be renewed, and my bow in my hand shall be repaired.

21 They that heard me, waited for my sentence, and being attentive held their peace at my counsel.

22 To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them.

23 They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower.

24 If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth.

25 If I had a mind to go to them, I sat first, and when I sat as a king, with his army standing about him, yet I was a comforter of them that mourned.

1 Now there were in the church which was at Antioch prophets and doctors, among whom was Barnabas and Simon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene and Manahen who was the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Ghost said to them: Separate me Saul and Barnabas, for the work whereunto I have taken them.

3 Then they fasting and praying and imposing their hands upon them, sent them away.

4 So they, being sent by the Holy Ghost, went to Seleucia: and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

5 And when they were come to Salamina, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also in the ministry.

6 And when they had gone through the whole island, as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesu:

7 Who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. He, sending for Barnabas and Saul, desired to hear the word of God.

8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is interpreted) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith.

9 Then Saul, otherwise Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, looking upon him,

10 Said: O full of all guile and of all deceit, child of the devil, enemy of all justice, thou ceases not to pervert the right ways of the Lord.

11 And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee: and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately there fell a mist and darkness upon him: and going about, he sought some one to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the proconsul, when he had seen what was done, believed, admiring at the doctrine of the Lord.

13 Now when Paul and they that were with him had sailed from Paphos, they came to Perge in Pamphylia. And John departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

14 But they, passing through Perge, came to Antioch in Pisidia: and, entering into the Synagogue on the sabbath day, they sat down.

15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying: Ye men, brethren, if you have any word of exhortation to make to the people, speak.

16 Then Paul rising up and with his hand bespeaking silence, said: Ye men of Israel and you that fear God, give ear.

17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they were sojourners in the land of Egypt: And with an high arm brought them out from thence:

18 And for the space of forty years endured their manners in the desert:

19 And, destroying seven nations in the land of Chaanan, divided their land among them by lot.

20 As it were, after four hundred and fifty years. And after these things, he gave unto them judges, until Samuel the prophet.

21 And after that they desired a king: and God gave them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, forty years.

22 And when he had removed him, he raised them up David to be king: to whom giving testimony, he said: I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my own heart, who shall do all my wills.

23 Of this man’s seed, God, according to his promise, hath raised up to Israel a Saviour Jesus:

24 John first preaching, before his coming, the baptism of penance to all the people of Israel.

25 And when John was fulfilling his course, he said: I am not he whom you think me to be. But behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.