ESV: Through the Bible in a Year

July 3: Job 26-28, Acts 11

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 26-28 (Listen)

Job Replies: God's Majesty Is Unsearchable

26:1 Then Job answered and said:

“How you have helped him who has no power!
  How you have saved the arm that has no strength!
How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,
  and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
With whose help have you uttered words,
  and whose breath has come out from you?
The dead tremble
  under the waters and their inhabitants.
Sheol is naked before God,
  and Abaddon has no covering.
He stretches out the north over the void
  and hangs the earth on nothing.
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
  and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon
  and spreads over it his cloud.
He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters
  at the boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of heaven tremble
  and are astounded at his rebuke.
By his power he stilled the sea;
  by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
By his wind the heavens were made fair;
  his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
  and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
  But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity

27:1 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:

“As God lives, who has taken away my right,
  and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
as long as my breath is in me,
  and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak falsehood,
  and my tongue will not utter deceit.
Far be it from me to say that you are right;
  till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
  my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

“Let my enemy be as the wicked,
  and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,
  when God takes away his life?
Will God hear his cry
  when distress comes upon him?
Will he take delight in the Almighty?
  Will he call upon God at all times?
I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
  what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
  why then have you become altogether vain?

“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
  and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
  and his descendants have not enough bread.
Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
  and his widows do not weep.
Though he heap up silver like dust,
  and pile up clothing like clay,
he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
  and the innocent will divide the silver.
He builds his house like a moth's,
  like a booth that a watchman makes.
He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
  he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
Terrors overtake him like a flood;
  in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
  it sweeps him out of his place.
It hurls at him without pity;
  he flees from its power in headlong flight.
It claps its hands at him
  and hisses at him from its place.

Job Continues: Where Is Wisdom?

28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
  and a place for gold that they refine.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
  and copper is smelted from the ore.
Man puts an end to darkness
  and searches out to the farthest limit
  the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
  they are forgotten by travelers;
  they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
  but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
Its stones are the place of sapphires,
  and it has dust of gold.

“That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
The proud beasts have not trodden it;
the lion has not passed over it.

“Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
  and overturns mountains by the roots.
He cuts out channels in the rocks,
  and his eye sees every precious thing.
He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
  and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

“But where shall wisdom be found?
  And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its worth,
  and it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
  and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
It cannot be bought for gold,
  and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
  in precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
  nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
  the price of wisdom is above pearls.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
  nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“From where, then, does wisdom come?
  And where is the place of understanding?
It is hidden from the eyes of all living
  and concealed from the birds of the air.
Abaddon and Death say,
  ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

“God understands the way to it,
  and he knows its place.
For he looks to the ends of the earth
  and sees everything under the heavens.
When he gave to the wind its weight
  and apportioned the waters by measure,
when he made a decree for the rain
  and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
then he saw it and declared it;
  he established it, and searched it out.
And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
  and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Acts 11 (Listen)

Peter Reports to the Church

11:1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 26:6 Hebrew him
[2] 26:9 Or his throne
[3] 27:22 Or He (that is, God); also verse 23
[4] 27:22 Or his; also verse 23
[5] 28:6 Or lapis lazuli; also verse 16
[6] 11:1 Or brothers and sisters
[7] 11:20 Or Greeks (that is, Greek-speaking non-Jews)
[8] 11:29 Or brothers and sisters

July 2: Job 23-25, Acts 10:24-48

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 23-25 (Listen)

Job Replies: Where Is God?

23:1 Then Job answered and said:

“Today also my complaint is bitter;
  my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
  that I might come even to his seat!
I would lay my case before him
  and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know what he would answer me
  and understand what he would say to me.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
  No; he would pay attention to me.
There an upright man could argue with him,
  and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
  and backward, but I do not perceive him;
on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
  he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
But he knows the way that I take;
  when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
My foot has held fast to his steps;
  I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
  I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
  What he desires, that he does.
For he will complete what he appoints for me,
  and many such things are in his mind.
Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
  when I consider, I am in dread of him.
God has made my heart faint;
  the Almighty has terrified me;
yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
  nor because thick darkness covers my face.

24:1 “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,
  and why do those who know him never see his days?
Some move landmarks;
  they seize flocks and pasture them.
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
  they take the widow's ox for a pledge.
They thrust the poor off the road;
  the poor of the earth all hide themselves.
Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert
  the poor go out to their toil, seeking game;
  the wasteland yields food for their children.
They gather their fodder in the field,
  and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.
They lie all night naked, without clothing,
  and have no covering in the cold.
They are wet with the rain of the mountains
  and cling to the rock for lack of shelter.
(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,
  and they take a pledge against the poor.)
They go about naked, without clothing;
  hungry, they carry the sheaves;
among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil;
  they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.
From out of the city the dying groan,
  and the soul of the wounded cries for help;
  yet God charges no one with wrong.

“There are those who rebel against the light,
  who are not acquainted with its ways,
  and do not stay in its paths.
The murderer rises before it is light,
  that he may kill the poor and needy,
  and in the night he is like a thief.
The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
  saying, ‘No eye will see me’;
  and he veils his face.
In the dark they dig through houses;
  by day they shut themselves up;
  they do not know the light.
For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
  for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

“You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;
  their portion is cursed in the land;
  no treader turns toward their vineyards.
Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
  so does Sheol those who have sinned.
The womb forgets them;
  the worm finds them sweet;
they are no longer remembered,
  so wickedness is broken like a tree.’

“They wrong the barren, childless woman,
  and do no good to the widow.
Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
  they rise up when they despair of life.
He gives them security, and they are supported,
  and his eyes are upon their ways.
They are exalted a little while, and then are gone;
  they are brought low and gathered up like all others;
  they are cut off like the heads of grain.
If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
  and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous

25:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“Dominion and fear are with God;
  he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his armies?
  Upon whom does his light not arise?
How then can man be in the right before God?
  How can he who is born of woman be pure?
Behold, even the moon is not bright,
  and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
how much less man, who is a maggot,
  and the son of man, who is a worm!”

Acts 10:24-48 (Listen)

And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear the Good News

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 23:2 Or defiant
[2] 23:13 Or one
[3] 24:5 Hebrew they
[4] 24:6 Hebrew his
[5] 24:11 Hebrew their olive rows
[6] 24:22 Hebrew he
[7] 25:2 Hebrew him
[8] 10:30 That is, 3 p.m.

July 1: Job 21-22, Acts 10:1-23

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 21-22 (Listen)

Job Replies: The Wicked Do Prosper

21:1 Then Job answered and said:

“Keep listening to my words,
  and let this be your comfort.
Bear with me, and I will speak,
  and after I have spoken, mock on.
As for me, is my complaint against man?
  Why should I not be impatient?
Look at me and be appalled,
  and lay your hand over your mouth.
When I remember, I am dismayed,
  and shuddering seizes my flesh.
Why do the wicked live,
  reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
Their offspring are established in their presence,
  and their descendants before their eyes.
Their houses are safe from fear,
  and no rod of God is upon them.
Their bull breeds without fail;
  their cow calves and does not miscarry.
They send out their little boys like a flock,
  and their children dance.
They sing to the tambourine and the lyre
  and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
They spend their days in prosperity,
  and in peace they go down to Sheol.
They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
  We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
  And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’
Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
  The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?
  That their calamity comes upon them?
  That God distributes pains in his anger?
That they are like straw before the wind,
  and like chaff that the storm carries away?
You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their children.’
  Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it.
Let their own eyes see their destruction,
  and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
For what do they care for their houses after them,
  when the number of their months is cut off?
Will any teach God knowledge,
  seeing that he judges those who are on high?
One dies in his full vigor,
  being wholly at ease and secure,
his pails full of milk
  and the marrow of his bones moist.
Another dies in bitterness of soul,
  never having tasted of prosperity.
They lie down alike in the dust,
  and the worms cover them.

“Behold, I know your thoughts
  and your schemes to wrong me.
For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince?
  Where is the tent in which the wicked lived?’
Have you not asked those who travel the roads,
  and do you not accept their testimony
that the evil man is spared in the day of calamity,
  that he is rescued in the day of wrath?
Who declares his way to his face,
  and who repays him for what he has done?
When he is carried to the grave,
  watch is kept over his tomb.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
  all mankind follows after him,
  and those who go before him are innumerable.
How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?
  There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

Eliphaz Speaks: Job's Wickedness Is Great

22:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

“Can a man be profitable to God?
  Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
  or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
  and enters into judgment with you?
Is not your evil abundant?
  There is no end to your iniquities.
For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
  and stripped the naked of their clothing.
You have given no water to the weary to drink,
  and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
The man with power possessed the land,
  and the favored man lived in it.
You have sent widows away empty,
  and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
Therefore snares are all around you,
  and sudden terror overwhelms you,
or darkness, so that you cannot see,
  and a flood of water covers you.

“Is not God high in the heavens?
  See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
But you say, ‘What does God know?
  Can he judge through the deep darkness?
Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
  and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
Will you keep to the old way
  that wicked men have trod?
They were snatched away before their time;
  their foundation was washed away.
They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’
  and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
Yet he filled their houses with good things—
  but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
The righteous see it and are glad;
  the innocent one mocks at them,
saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
  and what they left the fire has consumed.’

“Agree with God, and be at peace;
  thereby good will come to you.
Receive instruction from his mouth,
  and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
  if you remove injustice far from your tents,
if you lay gold in the dust,
  and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
then the Almighty will be your gold
  and your precious silver.
For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
  and lift up your face to God.
You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
  and you will pay your vows.
You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
  and light will shine on your ways.
For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;
  but he saves the lowly.
He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
  who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Acts 10:1-23 (Listen)

Peter and Cornelius

10:1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter's Vision

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 21:17 Hebrew he
[2] 21:24 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
[3] 22:17 Hebrew them
[4] 22:29 Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’
[5] 22:30 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew him that is not innocent
[6] 10:3 That is, 3 p.m.
[7] 10:9 That is, noon

June 30: Job 19-20, Acts 9:23-43

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 19-20 (Listen)

Job Replies: My Redeemer Lives

19:1 Then Job answered and said:

“How long will you torment me
  and break me in pieces with words?
These ten times you have cast reproach upon me;
  are you not ashamed to wrong me?
And even if it be true that I have erred,
  my error remains with myself.
If indeed you magnify yourselves against me
  and make my disgrace an argument against me,
know then that God has put me in the wrong
  and closed his net about me.
Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered;
  I call for help, but there is no justice.
He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
  and he has set darkness upon my paths.
He has stripped from me my glory
  and taken the crown from my head.
He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone,
  and my hope has he pulled up like a tree.
He has kindled his wrath against me
  and counts me as his adversary.
His troops come on together;
  they have cast up their siege ramp against me
  and encamp around my tent.

“He has put my brothers far from me,
  and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me.
My relatives have failed me,
  my close friends have forgotten me.
The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger;
  I have become a foreigner in their eyes.
I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer;
  I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
My breath is strange to my wife,
  and I am a stench to the children of my own mother.
Even young children despise me;
  when I rise they talk against me.
All my intimate friends abhor me,
  and those whom I loved have turned against me.
My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh,
  and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends,
  for the hand of God has touched me!
Why do you, like God, pursue me?
  Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?

“Oh that my words were written!
  Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead
  they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
  and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
  yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
  and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
  My heart faints within me!
If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’
  and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’
be afraid of the sword,
  for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
  that you may know there is a judgment.”

Zophar Speaks: The Wicked Will Suffer

20:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

“Therefore my thoughts answer me,
  because of my haste within me.
I hear censure that insults me,
  and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.
Do you not know this from of old,
  since man was placed on earth,
that the exulting of the wicked is short,
  and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
Though his height mount up to the heavens,
  and his head reach to the clouds,
he will perish forever like his own dung;
  those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
He will fly away like a dream and not be found;
  he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
The eye that saw him will see him no more,
  nor will his place any more behold him.
His children will seek the favor of the poor,
  and his hands will give back his wealth.
His bones are full of his youthful vigor,
  but it will lie down with him in the dust.

“Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
  though he hides it under his tongue,
though he is loath to let it go
  and holds it in his mouth,
yet his food is turned in his stomach;
  it is the venom of cobras within him.
He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;
  God casts them out of his belly.
He will suck the poison of cobras;
  the tongue of a viper will kill him.
He will not look upon the rivers,
  the streams flowing with honey and curds.
He will give back the fruit of his toil
  and will not swallow it down;
from the profit of his trading
  he will get no enjoyment.
For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
  he has seized a house that he did not build.

“Because he knew no contentment in his belly,
  he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
There was nothing left after he had eaten;
  therefore his prosperity will not endure.
In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;
  the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
To fill his belly to the full,
  God will send his burning anger against him
  and rain it upon him into his body.
He will flee from an iron weapon;
  a bronze arrow will strike him through.
It is drawn forth and comes out of his body;
  the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder;
  terrors come upon him.
Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
  a fire not fanned will devour him;
  what is left in his tent will be consumed.
The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
  and the earth will rise up against him.
The possessions of his house will be carried away,
  dragged off in the day of God's wrath.
This is the wicked man's portion from God,
  the heritage decreed for him by God.”

Acts 9:23-43 (Listen)

Saul Escapes from Damascus

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

The Healing of Aeneas

Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Restored to Life

Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 19:12 Hebrew their way
[2] 19:25 Hebrew dust
[3] 19:26 Or without
[4] 20:23 Hebrew he
[5] 20:28 Hebrew his
[6] 9:25 Greek through the wall
[7] 9:29 That is, Greek-speaking Jews
[8] 9:36 The Aramaic name Tabitha and the Greek name Dorcas both mean gazelle
[9] 9:39 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin

June 29: Job 16-18, Acts 9:1-22

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 16-18 (Listen)

Job Replies: Miserable Comforters Are You

16:1 Then Job answered and said:

“I have heard many such things;
  miserable comforters are you all.
Shall windy words have an end?
  Or what provokes you that you answer?
I also could speak as you do,
  if you were in my place;
I could join words together against you
  and shake my head at you.
I could strengthen you with my mouth,
  and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.

“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,
  and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
Surely now God has worn me out;
  he has made desolate all my company.
And he has shriveled me up,
  which is a witness against me,
and my leanness has risen up against me;
  it testifies to my face.
He has torn me in his wrath and hated me;
  he has gnashed his teeth at me;
  my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.
Men have gaped at me with their mouth;
  they have struck me insolently on the cheek;
  they mass themselves together against me.
God gives me up to the ungodly
  and casts me into the hands of the wicked.
I was at ease, and he broke me apart;
  he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces;
he set me up as his target;
  his archers surround me.
He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare;
  he pours out my gall on the ground.
He breaks me with breach upon breach;
  he runs upon me like a warrior.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin
  and have laid my strength in the dust.
My face is red with weeping,
  and on my eyelids is deep darkness,
although there is no violence in my hands,
  and my prayer is pure.

“O earth, cover not my blood,
  and let my cry find no resting place.
Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,
  and he who testifies for me is on high.
My friends scorn me;
  my eye pours out tears to God,
that he would argue the case of a man with God,
  as a son of man does with his neighbor.
For when a few years have come
  I shall go the way from which I shall not return.

Job Continues: Where Then Is My Hope?

17:1 “My spirit is broken; my days are extinct;
the graveyard is ready for me.
Surely there are mockers about me,
and my eye dwells on their provocation.

“Lay down a pledge for me with yourself;
  who is there who will put up security for me?
Since you have closed their hearts to understanding,
  therefore you will not let them triumph.
He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property—
  the eyes of his children will fail.

“He has made me a byword of the peoples,
  and I am one before whom men spit.
My eye has grown dim from vexation,
  and all my members are like a shadow.
The upright are appalled at this,
  and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless.
Yet the righteous holds to his way,
  and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger.
But you, come on again, all of you,
  and I shall not find a wise man among you.
My days are past; my plans are broken off,
  the desires of my heart.
They make night into day:
  ‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’
If I hope for Sheol as my house,
  if I make my bed in darkness,
if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
  and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
where then is my hope?
  Who will see my hope?
Will it go down to the bars of Sheol?
  Shall we descend together into the dust?”

Bildad Speaks: God Punishes the Wicked

18:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“How long will you hunt for words?
  Consider, and then we will speak.
Why are we counted as cattle?
  Why are we stupid in your sight?
You who tear yourself in your anger,
  shall the earth be forsaken for you,
  or the rock be removed out of its place?

“Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out,
  and the flame of his fire does not shine.
The light is dark in his tent,
  and his lamp above him is put out.
His strong steps are shortened,
  and his own schemes throw him down.
For he is cast into a net by his own feet,
  and he walks on its mesh.
A trap seizes him by the heel;
  a snare lays hold of him.
A rope is hidden for him in the ground,
  a trap for him in the path.
Terrors frighten him on every side,
  and chase him at his heels.
His strength is famished,
  and calamity is ready for his stumbling.
It consumes the parts of his skin;
  the firstborn of death consumes his limbs.
He is torn from the tent in which he trusted
  and is brought to the king of terrors.
In his tent dwells that which is none of his;
  sulfur is scattered over his habitation.
His roots dry up beneath,
  and his branches wither above.
His memory perishes from the earth,
  and he has no name in the street.
He is thrust from light into darkness,
  and driven out of the world.
He has no posterity or progeny among his people,
  and no survivor where he used to live.
They of the west are appalled at his day,
  and horror seizes them of the east.
Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,
  such is the place of him who knows not God.”

Acts 9:1-22 (Listen)

The Conversion of Saul

9:1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 16:7 Hebrew you have; also verse 8
[2] 16:21 Hebrew and
[3] 17:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

June 28: Job 13-15, Acts 8:26-40

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 13-15 (Listen)

Job Continues: Still I Will Hope in God

13:1 “Behold, my eye has seen all this,
  my ear has heard and understood it.
What you know, I also know;
  I am not inferior to you.
But I would speak to the Almighty,
  and I desire to argue my case with God.
As for you, you whitewash with lies;
  worthless physicians are you all.
Oh that you would keep silent,
  and it would be your wisdom!
Hear now my argument
  and listen to the pleadings of my lips.
Will you speak falsely for God
  and speak deceitfully for him?
Will you show partiality toward him?
  Will you plead the case for God?
Will it be well with you when he searches you out?
  Or can you deceive him, as one deceives a man?
He will surely rebuke you
  if in secret you show partiality.
Will not his majesty terrify you,
  and the dread of him fall upon you?
Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
  your defenses are defenses of clay.

“Let me have silence, and I will speak,
  and let come on me what may.
Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
  and put my life in my hand?
Though he slay me, I will hope in him;
  yet I will argue my ways to his face.
This will be my salvation,
  that the godless shall not come before him.
Keep listening to my words,
  and let my declaration be in your ears.
Behold, I have prepared my case;
  I know that I shall be in the right.
Who is there who will contend with me?
  For then I would be silent and die.
Only grant me two things,
  then I will not hide myself from your face:
withdraw your hand far from me,
  and let not dread of you terrify me.
Then call, and I will answer;
  or let me speak, and you reply to me.
How many are my iniquities and my sins?
  Make me know my transgression and my sin.
Why do you hide your face
  and count me as your enemy?
Will you frighten a driven leaf
  and pursue dry chaff?
For you write bitter things against me
  and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.
You put my feet in the stocks
  and watch all my paths;
  you set a limit for the soles of my feet.
Man wastes away like a rotten thing,
  like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All

14:1 “Man who is born of a woman
  is few of days and full of trouble.
He comes out like a flower and withers;
  he flees like a shadow and continues not.
And do you open your eyes on such a one
  and bring me into judgment with you?
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
  There is not one.
Since his days are determined,
  and the number of his months is with you,
  and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
look away from him and leave him alone,
  that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

“For there is hope for a tree,
  if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
  and that its shoots will not cease.
Though its root grow old in the earth,
  and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
  and put out branches like a young plant.
But a man dies and is laid low;
  man breathes his last, and where is he?
As waters fail from a lake
  and a river wastes away and dries up,
so a man lies down and rises not again;
  till the heavens are no more he will not awake
  or be roused out of his sleep.
Oh that you would hide me in Sheol,
  that you would conceal me until your wrath be past,
  that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man dies, shall he live again?
  All the days of my service I would wait,
  till my renewal should come.
You would call, and I would answer you;
  you would long for the work of your hands.
For then you would number my steps;
  you would not keep watch over my sin;
my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,
  and you would cover over my iniquity.

“But the mountain falls and crumbles away,
  and the rock is removed from its place;
the waters wear away the stones;
  the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
  so you destroy the hope of man.
You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
  you change his countenance, and send him away.
His sons come to honor, and he does not know it;
  they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
He feels only the pain of his own body,
  and he mourns only for himself.”

Eliphaz Accuses: Job Does Not Fear God

15:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

“Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge,
  and fill his belly with the east wind?
Should he argue in unprofitable talk,
  or in words with which he can do no good?
But you are doing away with the fear of God
  and hindering meditation before God.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
  and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
  your own lips testify against you.

“Are you the first man who was born?
  Or were you brought forth before the hills?
Have you listened in the council of God?
  And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
What do you know that we do not know?
  What do you understand that is not clear to us?
Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
  older than your father.
Are the comforts of God too small for you,
  or the word that deals gently with you?
Why does your heart carry you away,
  and why do your eyes flash,
that you turn your spirit against God
  and bring such words out of your mouth?
What is man, that he can be pure?
  Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones,
  and the heavens are not pure in his sight;
how much less one who is abominable and corrupt,
  a man who drinks injustice like water!

“I will show you; hear me,
  and what I have seen I will declare
(what wise men have told,
  without hiding it from their fathers,
to whom alone the land was given,
  and no stranger passed among them).
The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
  through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.
Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
  in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
He does not believe that he will return out of darkness,
  and he is marked for the sword.
He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
  He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand;
distress and anguish terrify him;
  they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.
Because he has stretched out his hand against God
  and defies the Almighty,
running stubbornly against him
  with a thickly bossed shield;
because he has covered his face with his fat
  and gathered fat upon his waist
and has lived in desolate cities,
  in houses that none should inhabit,
  which were ready to become heaps of ruins;
he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure,
  nor will his possessions spread over the earth;
he will not depart from darkness;
  the flame will dry up his shoots,
  and by the breath of his mouth he will depart.
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself,
  for emptiness will be his payment.
It will be paid in full before his time,
  and his branch will not be green.
He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine,
  and cast off his blossom like the olive tree.
For the company of the godless is barren,
  and fire consumes the tents of bribery.
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil,
  and their womb prepares deceit.”

Acts 8:26-40 (Listen)

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
  and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
  so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
  Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 13:15 Or Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope
[2] 13:27 Or you marked
[3] 13:28 Hebrew He
[4] 14:6 Probable reading; Hebrew look away from him, that he may cease
[5] 14:14 Or relief
[6] 15:4 Hebrew lacks of God
[7] 15:15 Hebrew he
[8] 15:29 Or nor will his produce bend down to the earth
[9] 8:26 Or go at about noon
[10] 8:36 Some manuscripts add all or most of verse 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

June 27: Job 10-12, Acts 8:1-25

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:01:00 -0700

Job 10-12 (Listen)

Job Continues: A Plea to God

10:1 “I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
  I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
  let me know why you contend against me.
Does it seem good to you to oppress,
  to despise the work of your hands
  and favor the designs of the wicked?
Have you eyes of flesh?
  Do you see as man sees?
Are your days as the days of man,
  or your years as a man's years,
that you seek out my iniquity
  and search for my sin,
although you know that I am not guilty,
  and there is none to deliver out of your hand?
Your hands fashioned and made me,
  and now you have destroyed me altogether.
Remember that you have made me like clay;
  and will you return me to the dust?
Did you not pour me out like milk
  and curdle me like cheese?
You clothed me with skin and flesh,
  and knit me together with bones and sinews.
You have granted me life and steadfast love,
  and your care has preserved my spirit.
Yet these things you hid in your heart;
  I know that this was your purpose.
If I sin, you watch me
  and do not acquit me of my iniquity.
If I am guilty, woe to me!
  If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
  and look on my affliction.
And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion
  and again work wonders against me.
You renew your witnesses against me
  and increase your vexation toward me;
  you bring fresh troops against me.

“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
  Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
and were as though I had not been,
  carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not my days few?
  Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
before I go—and I shall not return—
  to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
the land of gloom like thick darkness,
  like deep shadow without any order,
  where light is as thick darkness.”

Zophar Speaks: You Deserve Worse

11:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

“Should a multitude of words go unanswered,
  and a man full of talk be judged right?
Should your babble silence men,
  and when you mock, shall no one shame you?
For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure,
  and I am clean in God's eyes.’
But oh, that God would speak
  and open his lips to you,
and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom!
  For he is manifold in understanding.
Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.

“Can you find out the deep things of God?
  Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?
It is higher than heaven—what can you do?
  Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Its measure is longer than the earth
  and broader than the sea.
If he passes through and imprisons
  and summons the court, who can turn him back?
For he knows worthless men;
  when he sees iniquity, will he not consider it?
But a stupid man will get understanding
  when a wild donkey's colt is born a man!

“If you prepare your heart,
  you will stretch out your hands toward him.
If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
  and let not injustice dwell in your tents.
Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish;
  you will be secure and will not fear.
You will forget your misery;
  you will remember it as waters that have passed away.
And your life will be brighter than the noonday;
  its darkness will be like the morning.
And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
  you will look around and take your rest in security.
You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;
  many will court your favor.
But the eyes of the wicked will fail;
  all way of escape will be lost to them,
  and their hope is to breathe their last.”

Job Replies: The LORD Has Done This

12:1 Then Job answered and said:

“No doubt you are the people,
  and wisdom will die with you.
But I have understanding as well as you;
  I am not inferior to you.
  Who does not know such things as these?
I am a laughingstock to my friends;
  I, who called to God and he answered me,
  a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.
In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune;
  it is ready for those whose feet slip.
The tents of robbers are at peace,
  and those who provoke God are secure,
  who bring their god in their hand.

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
  the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;
  and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
  that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing
  and the breath of all mankind.
Does not the ear test words
  as the palate tastes food?
Wisdom is with the aged,
  and understanding in length of days.

“With God are wisdom and might;
  he has counsel and understanding.
If he tears down, none can rebuild;
  if he shuts a man in, none can open.
If he withholds the waters, they dry up;
  if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
With him are strength and sound wisdom;
  the deceived and the deceiver are his.
He leads counselors away stripped,
  and judges he makes fools.
He looses the bonds of kings
  and binds a waistcloth on their hips.
He leads priests away stripped
  and overthrows the mighty.
He deprives of speech those who are trusted
  and takes away the discernment of the elders.
He pours contempt on princes
  and loosens the belt of the strong.
He uncovers the deeps out of darkness
  and brings deep darkness to light.
He makes nations great, and he destroys them;
  he enlarges nations, and leads them away.
He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth
  and makes them wander in a pathless waste.
They grope in the dark without light,
  and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Acts 8:1-25 (Listen)

Saul Ravages the Church

8:1 And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.

Simon the Magician Believes

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 10:16 Hebrew lacks my head
[2] 11:4 Hebrew your
[3] 11:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[4] 11:8 Hebrew The heights of heaven
[5] 12:6 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[6] 12:8 Or speak to the earth
[7] 12:13 Hebrew him
[8] 8:5 Some manuscripts a city
[9] 8:13 Greek works of power
[10] 8:23 That is, a bitter fluid secreted by the liver; bile