Elihu Condemns Job
1 And Elihu answered and said:
2 “Do you think this to be just?
Do you say, v‘It is my right before God,’
3 that you ask, w‘What advantage have I?
How am I better off than if I had sinned?’
4 I will answer you
and xyour friends with you.
5 yLook at the heavens, and see;
and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.
6 If you have sinned, zwhat do you accomplish against him?
And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7 aIf you are righteous, what do you give to him?
Or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,
and your righteousness ba son of man.
9 “Because of the multitude of coppressions people dcry out;
they call for help because of the arm of ethe mighty.1
10 But none says, ‘Where is God my fMaker,
who gives gsongs in the night,
11 who teaches us hmore than the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
12 There they icry out, but he does not answer,
because of the pride of evil men.
13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
nor does the Almighty regard it.
14 How much less when you say that you jdo not see him,
that the case is before him, and you are kwaiting for him!
15 And now, because lhis anger does not punish,
and he does not take much note of transgression,2
16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk;
Elihu Extols God’s Greatness
1 And Elihu continued, and said:
2 “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,
for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf.
3 I will get my knowledge from oafar
and ascribe prighteousness to my qMaker.
4 For truly my words are not false;
one who is rperfect in knowledge is with you.
5 “Behold, God is mighty, and sdoes not despise any;
he is tmighty in strength of understanding.
6 He does not keep the wicked alive,
but gives uthe afflicted their right.
7 He does not withdraw his veyes from the righteous,
but with wkings on the throne
he sets them forever, and they are xexalted.
8 And if they are ybound in chains
and caught in the cords of affliction,
9 then he declares to them their work
and their transgressions, that they are zbehaving arrogantly.
10 He aopens their ears to instruction
and commands that they breturn from iniquity.
11 cIf they listen and serve him,
they dcomplete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness.
12 But if they do not listen, they eperish by the sword
and die fwithout knowledge.
13 “The ggodless in heart cherish anger;
they do not cry for help when he hbinds them.
14 They idie in youth,
and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
15 He delivers jthe afflicted by their affliction
and kopens their ear by adversity.
16 He also allured you out of distress
into la broad place where there was no cramping,
17 “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;
judgment and justice seize you.
18 Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
and let not the greatness of othe ransom turn you aside.
19 Will your pcry for help avail to keep you from distress,
or all the force of your strength?
20 Do not long for qthe night,
when peoples vanish rin their place.
21 Take care; sdo not turn to iniquity,
for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
22 Behold, God is exalted in his power;
who is ta teacher like him?
23 Who has uprescribed for him his way,
or who can say, v‘You have done wrong’?
24 “Remember to wextol his work,
of which men have xsung.
25 All mankind has looked on it;
man beholds it from afar.
26 Behold, God is great, and we yknow him not;
the number of his zyears is unsearchable.
27 For he draws up the drops of water;
they distill his amist in brain,
28 which cthe skies pour down
and drop on mankind abundantly.
29 Can anyone understand dthe spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his epavilion?
30 Behold, he scatters his lightning about him
and covers the roots of the sea.
31 For by these he fjudges peoples;
he gives gfood in abundance.
32 He covers his hhands with the lightning
and commands it to strike the mark.
33 Its crashing declares his presence;3
the cattle also declare that he rises.
Deliver Me from My Enemies
To the choirmaster: according to xDo Not Destroy. A yMiktam1 of David, zwhen Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
1 aDeliver me from my enemies, O my God;
bprotect me from those who crise up against me;
2 deliver me from dthose who work evil,
and save me from ebloodthirsty men.
3 For behold, they flie in wait for my life;
fierce men gstir up strife against me.
hFor no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
iAwake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, jLord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they kcome back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, lbellowing with their mouths
with mswords in their lips—
8 But you, O Lord, olaugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are pmy fortress.
10 qMy God in his steadfast love3 rwill meet me;
God will let me slook in triumph on my enemies.
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter4 by your power and tbring them down,
O Lord, our ushield!
12 For vthe sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 wconsume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may xknow that God rules over Jacob
to ythe ends of the earth. Selah
14 zEach evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They awander about for food
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me ba fortress
and ca refuge in dthe day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, bare my fortress,
ethe God who shows me steadfast love.
Jesus Before Pilate
1 cThen the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man dmisleading our nation and eforbidding us to give tribute to fCaesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, ga king.” 3 hAnd Pilate asked him, i“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, j“You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, k“I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, lfrom Galilee even to this place.”
Jesus Before Herod
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to mHerod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, nfor he had long desired to see him, obecause he had heard about him, and he was hoping pto see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers qtreated him with contempt and rmocked him. Then, sarraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And tHerod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and uthe rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man vas one who was misleading the people. And wafter examining him before you, behold, I xdid not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for yhe sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 zI will therefore punish and release him.”1
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
18 aBut they all cried out together, b“Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and cfor murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? dWhat evil has he done? eI have found in him no guilt deserving death. fI will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison gfor insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, hbut he delivered Jesus over to their will.
The Crucifixion
26 iAnd as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were jmourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, kthe days are coming when they will say, l‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 mThen they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For nif they do these things when othe wood is green, what will happen owhen it is dry?”
32 pTwo others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 qAnd when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, pone on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, rforgive them, sfor they know not what they do.”2 And they cast lots tto divide his garments. 35 And uthe people stood by, watching, vbut wthe rulers xscoffed at him, saying, y“He saved others; zlet him save himself, aif he is bthe Christ of God, chis Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and doffering him sour wine 37 and saying, e“If you are fthe King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 gThere was also an inscription over him,3 “This is fthe King of the Jews.”
39 hOne of the criminals who were hanged irailed at him,4 saying, “Are you not jthe Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me kwhen you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in lparadise.”
The Death of Jesus
44 mIt was now about the sixth hour,5 and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,6 45 while the sun’s light failed. And nthe curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, ocalling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, pinto your hands I qcommit my spirit!” And having said this rhe breathed his last. 47 Now swhen the centurion saw what had taken place, the praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home ubeating their breasts. 49 And all vhis acquaintances and wthe women who had followed him from Galilee xstood at a distance watching these things.
Jesus Is Buried
50 yNow there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he zwas looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and alaid him in a tomb cut in stone, bwhere no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of cPreparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.7 55 dThe women ewho had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and fprepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested gaccording to the commandment.
