Job 36; Job 37; Acts 15:22-41

Job 36

1 Be patient and listen a little longer to what I am saying on God's behalf.

3 My knowledge is wide; I will use what I know to show that God, my Creator, is just.

4 Nothing I say to you is false; you see before you a truly wise man.

5 How strong God is! He despises no one; there is nothing he doesn't understand.

6 He does not let sinners live on, and he always treats the poor with justice.

7 He protects those who are righteous; he allows them to rule like kings and lets them be honored forever.

8 But if people are bound in chains, suffering for what they have done,

9 God shows them their sins and their pride.

10 He makes them listen to his warning to turn away from evil.

11 If they obey God and serve him, they live out their lives in peace and prosperity.

12 But if not, they will die in ignorance and cross the stream into the world of the dead.

13 Those who are godless keep on being angry, and even when punished, they don't pray for help.

14 They die while they are still young, worn out by a life of disgrace.

15 But God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes.

16 God brought you out of trouble, and let you enjoy security; your table was piled high with food.

17 But now you are being punished as you deserve.

18 Be careful not to let bribes deceive you, or riches lead you astray.

19 It will do you no good to cry out for help; all your strength can't help you now.

20 Don't wish for night to come, the time when nations will perish.

21 Be careful not to turn to evil; your suffering was sent to keep you from it.

22 Remember how great is God's power; he is the greatest teacher of all.

23 No one can tell God what to do or accuse him of doing evil.

24 He has always been praised for what he does; you also must praise him.

25 Everyone has seen what he has done; but we can only watch from a distance.

26 We cannot fully know his greatness or count the number of his years.

27 It is God who takes water from the earth and turns it into drops of rain.

28 He lets the rain pour from the clouds in showers for all human beings.

29 No one knows how the clouds move or how the thunder roars through the sky, where God dwells.

30 He sends lightning through all the sky, but the depths of the sea remain dark.

31 This is how he feeds the people and provides an abundance of food.

32 He seizes the lightning with his hands and commands it to hit the mark.

33 Thunder announces the approaching storm, and the cattle know it is coming.

Job 37

1 The storm makes my heart beat wildly.

2 Listen, all of you, to the voice of God, to the thunder that comes from his mouth.

3 He sends the lightning across the sky, from one end of the earth to the other.

4 Then the roar of his voice is heard, the majestic sound of thunder, and all the while the lightning flashes.

5 At God's command amazing things happen, wonderful things that we can't understand.

6 He commands snow to fall on the earth, and sends torrents of drenching rain.

7 He brings our work to a stop; he shows us what he can do.

8 The wild animals go to their dens.

9 The storm winds come from the south, and the biting cold from the north.

10 The breath of God freezes the waters, and turns them to solid ice.

11 Lightning flashes from the clouds,

12 as they move at God's will. They do all that God commands, everywhere throughout the world.

13 God sends rain to water the earth; he may send it to punish us, or to show us his favor.

14 Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.

15 Do you know how God gives the command and makes lightning flash from the clouds?

16 Do you know how clouds float in the sky, the work of God's amazing skill?

17 No, you can only suffer in the heat when the south wind oppresses the land.

18 Can you help God stretch out the sky and make it as hard as polished metal?

19 Teach us what to say to God; our minds are blank; we have nothing to say.

20 I won't ask to speak with God; why should I give him a chance to destroy me?

21 And now the light in the sky is dazzling, too bright for us to look at it; and the sky has been swept clean by the wind.

22 A golden glow is seen in the north, and the glory of God fills us with awe.

23 God's power is so great that we cannot come near him; he is righteous and just in his dealings with us.

24 No wonder, then, that everyone is awed by him, and that he ignores those who claim to be wise.

Acts 15:22-41

22 Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, decided to choose some men from the group and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose two men who were highly respected by the believers, Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas,

23 and they sent the following letter by them: "We, the apostles and the elders, your brothers, send greetings to all our brothers of Gentile birth who live in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

24 We have heard that some who went from our group have troubled and upset you by what they said; they had not, however, received any instruction from us.

25 And so we have met together and have all agreed to choose some messengers and send them to you. They will go with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul,

26 who have risked their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 We send you, then, Judas and Silas, who will tell you in person the same things we are writing.

28 The Holy Spirit and we have agreed not to put any other burden on you besides these necessary rules:

29 eat no food that has been offered to idols; eat no blood; eat no animal that has been strangled; and keep yourselves from sexual immorality. You will do well if you take care not to do these things. With our best wishes."

30 The messengers were sent off and went to Antioch, where they gathered the whole group of believers and gave them the letter.

31 When the people read it, they were filled with joy by the message of encouragement.

32 Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, spoke a long time with them, giving them courage and strength.

33 After spending some time there, they were sent off in peace by the believers and went back to those who had sent them.

35 Paul and Barnabas spent some time in Antioch, and together with many others they taught and preached the word of the Lord.

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in every town where we preached the word of the Lord, and let us find out how they are getting along."

37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them,

38 but Paul did not think it was right to take him, because he had not stayed with them to the end of their mission, but had turned back and left them in Pamphylia.

39 There was a sharp argument, and they separated: Barnabas took Mark and sailed off for Cyprus,

40 while Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the care of the Lord's grace.

41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.