Job 38; Job 39; Job 40; Acts 16:1-21

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Job 38

1 Then the Lord answered Job from the storm. He said:

2 "Who is this that makes my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?

3 Be strong like a man! I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.

4 Where were you when I made the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off how big it should be? Surely you know! Who stretched a ruler across it?

6 What were the earth's foundations set on, or who put its cornerstone in place

7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted with joy?

8 "Who shut the doors to keep the sea in when it broke through and was born,

9 when I made the clouds like a coat for the sea and wrapped it in dark clouds,

10 when I put limits on the sea and put its doors and bars in place,

11 when I said to the sea, 'You may come this far, but no farther; this is where your proud waves must stop'?

12 "Have you ever ordered the morning to begin, or shown the dawn where its place was

13 in order to take hold of the earth by its edges and shake evil people out of it?

14 At dawn the earth changes like clay being pressed by a seal; the hills and valleys stand out like folds in a coat.

15 Light is not given to evil people; their arm is raised to do harm, but it is broken.

16 "Have you ever gone to where the sea begins or walked in the valleys under the sea?

17 Have the gates of death been opened to you? Have you seen the gates of the deep darkness?

18 Do you understand how wide the earth is? Tell me, if you know all these things.

19 "What is the path to light's home, and where does darkness live?

20 Can you take them to their places? Do you know the way to their homes?

21 Surely you know, if you were already born when all this happened! Have you lived that many years?

22 "Have you ever gone into the storehouse of the snow or seen the storehouses for hail,

23 which I save for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?

24 Where is the place from which light comes? Where is the place from which the east winds blow over the earth?

25 Who cuts a waterway for the heavy rains and sets a path for the thunderstorm?

26 Who waters the land where no one lives, the desert that has no one in it?

27 Who sends rain to satisfy the empty land so the grass begins to grow?

28 Does the rain have a father? Who is father to the drops of dew?

29 Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the sky

30 when the water becomes hard as stone, and even the surface of the ocean is frozen?

31 "Can you tie up the stars of the Pleiades or loosen the ropes of the stars in Orion?

32 Can you bring out the stars on time or lead out the stars of the Bear with its cubs?

33 Do you know the laws of the sky and understand their rule over the earth?

34 "Can you shout an order to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way? Do they come to you and say, 'Here we are'?

36 Who put wisdom inside the mind or understanding in the heart?

37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can pour water from the jars of the sky

38 when the dust becomes hard and the clumps of dirt stick together?

39 "Do you hunt food for the female lion to satisfy the hunger of the young lions

40 while they lie in their dens or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?

41 Who gives food to the birds when their young cry out to God and wander about without food?

Job 39

1 "Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the deer gives birth to her fawn?

2 Do you count the months until they give birth and know the right time for them to give birth?

3 They lie down, their young are born, and then the pain of giving birth is over.

4 Their young ones grow big and strong in the wild country. Then they leave their homes and do not return.

5 "Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied its ropes?

6 I am the one who gave the donkey the desert as its home; I gave it the desert lands as a place to live.

7 The wild donkey laughs at the confusion in the city, and it does not hear the drivers shout.

8 It roams the hills looking for pasture, looking for anything green to eat.

9 "Will the wild ox agree to serve you and stay by your feeding box at night?

10 Can you hold it to the plowed row with a harness so it will plow the valleys for you?

11 Will you depend on the wild ox for its great strength and leave your heavy work for it to do?

12 Can you trust the ox to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?

13 "The wings of the ostrich flap happily, but they are not like the feathers of the stork.

14 The ostrich lays its eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand.

15 It does not stop to think that a foot might step on them and crush them; it does not care that some animal might walk on them.

16 The ostrich is cruel to its young, as if they were not even its own. It does not care that its work is for nothing,

17 because God did not give the ostrich wisdom; God did not give it a share of good sense.

18 But when the ostrich gets up to run, it is so fast that it laughs at the horse and its rider.

19 "Job, are you the one who gives the horse its strength or puts a flowing mane on its neck?

20 Do you make the horse jump like a locust? It scares people with its proud snorting.

21 It paws wildly, enjoying its strength, and charges into battle.

22 It laughs at fear and is afraid of nothing; it does not run away from the sword.

23 The bag of arrows rattles against the horse's side, along with the flashing spears and swords.

24 With great excitement, the horse races over the ground; and it cannot stand still when it hears the trumpet.

25 When the trumpet blows, the horse snorts, 'Aha!' It smells the battle from far away; it hears the shouts of commanders and the battle cry.

26 "Is it through your wisdom that the hawk flies and spreads its wings toward the south?

27 Are you the one that commands the eagle to fly and build its nest so high?

28 It lives on a high cliff and stays there at night; the rocky peak is its protected place.

29 From there it looks for its food; its eyes can see it from far away.

30 Its young eat blood, and where there is something dead, the eagle is there."

Job 40

1 The Lord said to Job:

2 "Will the person who argues with the Almighty correct him? Let the person who accuses God answer him."

3 Then Job answered the Lord:

4 "I am not worthy; I cannot answer you anything, so I will put my hand over my mouth.

5 I spoke one time, but I will not answer again; I even spoke two times, but I will say nothing more."

6 Then the Lord spoke to Job from the storm:

7 "Be strong, like a man! I will ask you questions, and you must answer me.

8 Would you say that I am unfair? Would you blame me to make yourself look right?

9 Are you as strong as God? Can your voice thunder like his?

10 If so, then decorate yourself with glory and beauty; dress in honor and greatness as if they were clothing.

11 Let your great anger punish; look at the proud and bring them down.

12 Look at the proud and make them humble. Crush the wicked wherever they are.

13 Bury them all in the dirt together; cover their faces in the grave.

14 If you can do that, then I myself will praise you, because you are strong enough to save yourself.

15 "Look at the behemoth, which I made just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox.

16 Look at the strength it has in its body; the muscles of its stomach are powerful.

17 Its tail is like a cedar tree; the muscles of its thighs are woven together.

18 Its bones are like tubes of bronze; its legs are like bars of iron.

19 It is one of the first of God's works, but its Maker can destroy it.

20 The hills, where the wild animals play, provide food for it.

21 It lies under the lotus plants, hidden by the tall grass in the swamp.

22 The lotus plants hide it in their shadow; the poplar trees by the streams surround it.

23 If the river floods, it will not be afraid; it is safe even if the Jordan River rushes to its mouth.

24 Can anyone blind its eyes and capture it? Can anyone put hooks in its nose?

Acts 16:1-21

1 Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, where a follower named Timothy lived. Timothy's mother was Jewish and a believer, but his father was a Greek.

2 The believers in Lystra and Iconium respected Timothy and said good things about him.

3 Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him, but all the Jews living in that area knew that Timothy's father was Greek. So Paul circumcised Timothy to please the Jews.

4 Paul and those with him traveled from town to town and gave the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

5 So the churches became stronger in the faith and grew larger every day.

6 Paul and those with him went through the areas of Phrygia and Galatia since the Holy Spirit did not let them preach the Good News in the country of Asia.

7 When they came near the country of Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not let them.

8 So they passed by Mysia and went to Troas.

9 That night Paul saw in a vision a man from Macedonia. The man stood and begged, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

10 After Paul had seen the vision, we immediately prepared to leave for Macedonia, understanding that God had called us to tell the Good News to those people.

11 We left Troas and sailed straight to the island of Samothrace. The next day we sailed to Neapolis.

12 Then we went by land to Philippi, a Roman colonyn and the leading city in that part of Macedonia. We stayed there for several days.

13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the river where we thought we would find a special place for prayer. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them.

14 One of the listeners was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira whose job was selling purple cloth. She worshiped God, and he opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying.

15 She and all the people in her house were baptized. Then she invited us to her home, saying, "If you think I am truly a believer in the Lord, then come stay in my house." And she persuaded us to stay with her.

16 Once, while we were going to the place for prayer, a servant girl met us. She had a special spiritn in her, and she earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes.

17 This girl followed Paul and us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God. They are telling you how you can be saved."

18 She kept this up for many days. This bothered Paul, so he turned and said to the spirit, "By the power of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!" Immediately, the spirit came out.

19 When the owners of the servant girl saw this, they knew that now they could not use her to make money. So they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the city rulers in the marketplace.

20 They brought Paul and Silas to the Roman rulers and said, "These men are Jews and are making trouble in our city.

21 They are teaching things that are not right for us as Romans to do."