But the son of Paul's sister  ¹heard of the ambush, and he came and entered into the barracks and reported it to Paul.

And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, Bring this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.

So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.

And the commander took him by the hand and, withdrawing privately, inquired, What is it that you have to report to me?

And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the Sanhedrin, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

So you should not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him; they have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have done away with him. And now they are ready, awaiting the promise from you.

So the commander dismissed the young man, charging him, Do not tell anyone that you have informed me of these things.

And he called to him a certain two of the centurions and said, Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, as well as seventy horsemen and two hundred  ¹spearmen, by the  ²third hour of the night;

And they were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to  ¹Felix the governor.

And he wrote a letter having this form:

Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency, Governor Felix, rejoice.

This man, having been seized by the Jews and about to be done away with by them, I came upon with my detachment of soldiers and rescued, when I learned that he was a Roman.

And intending to ascertain the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin,

And found him to be accused concerning questions of their law, but having nothing worthy of death or of bonds laid to his charge.

And when it was disclosed to me that there was a plot against the man, I sent him at once to you, charging the accusers also to speak the things against him before you.

So the soldiers, according to what they had been directed, took up Paul and brought him by night to  ¹Antipatris.

And on the next day, leaving the horsemen to depart with him, they returned to the barracks.

And when they entered into Caesarea and handed over the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also to him.

And when he had read it, he asked from what province he was; and learning that he was from Cilicia,

He said, I will hear your case fully when your accusers also arrive. And he ordered him to be guarded in Herod's  ¹praetorium.

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

If one attempts a word with you, will you be wearied by it?
But who can refrain from speaking?

Indeed, you have instructed many,
And you have strengthened the weak hands.

Your words have raised up him who was stumbling,
And you have made the bowing knees firm.

But now it comes to you, and you are wearied by it;
It touches you, and you are disturbed.

Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

Remember now, who, being innocent, has ever perished?
And where have the upright ever been cut off?

According to what I have seen, those who plow  ¹iniquity
And those who sow trouble reap the same.

By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

The roaring of the lion and the sound of the fierce lion
And the teeth of the young lions are broken;

The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

But a matter has stolen in unto me,
And my ear has received a whisper of it.

In perplexing thoughts of the night visions,
When deep sleep falls upon men,

Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And caused all my bones to dread.

And a spirit passed before my face;
The hair of my flesh bristled.

It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form stood before my eyes;
I heard a murmur of a voice:

Can a mortal man be more righteous than God?
Can a man be purer than his Maker?

If He puts no trust in His servants,
And He charges His angels with error,

How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in dust,
Who are crushed like a moth!

From morning to evening they are smashed to pieces;
Without any considering it, they  ¹continually perish.

Should their tent cord be plucked up within them,
They die, and not in wisdom.

Call now! Is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

Surely vexation slays the fool,
And jealousy kills the simpleton.

I have seen the fool taking root,
But suddenly I cursed his habitation.

His children are far from safety,
And they are crushed in the gate; and there is no one to deliver them.

The hungry eat his harvest
And  ¹even take it out from the thorns,
And the  ²thirsty pant after  ³his wealth.

For evil does not come forth from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring forth from the ground.

But man is born unto trouble,
Just as sparks fly upward.

But as for me, I would seek after God,
And I would commit my cause to God,

Who does great things that cannot be searched,
Wonderful deeds that cannot be numbered;

Who gives rain upon the surface of the earth
And sends water upon the surface of the fields;

Who sets on high those who are lowly
And puts those who mourn safely above all.

He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands achieve no enterprise.

He seizes the wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the wily is brought to a sudden end.

By day they encounter darkness,
And at noon they grope about as in the night.

But He saves the needy from the sword of their mouth,
From the hand of the strong.

Thus the poor have hope,
And Injustice stops her mouth.

Indeed, blessed is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not reject the  ¹chastening of the  ²Almighty.

For He wounds, but He binds up;
He strikes, but His hands heal.

In six troubles He will deliver you;
Indeed in seven no evil will touch you.

In famine He will redeem you from death,
And in battle, from the power of the sword.

From the scourge of the tongue you will be hidden,
And you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

At destruction and at famine you will laugh,
And you will not be afraid of the animals of the earth.

For you will be in an alliance with the stones of the field,
And the animals of the field will be at peace with you.

And you will know that your tent is at peace,
And you will inspect your fold and miss nothing.

And you will know that your seed will be great,
And your offspring like the grass of the earth.

You will come to the grave at a ripe old age,
Like a shock of grain  ¹coming up in its season.

This is it. We have searched it out; it is so.
Hear then and know it for yourself.

Then Job  ¹answered and said,

Oh that my  ¹vexation were weighed indeed,
And that my ruin were lifted onto the scales together with it!

For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
Therefore my words have been rash.

For the arrows of the Almighty are in me,
The poison of which my spirit drinks up;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

Does the wild ass bray over its grass?
Or does the ox low over its fodder?

Is what is savorless eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

My soul refuses to touch them;
They are like putrid food to me.

Oh that I might have my request,
And that God would grant me what I long for;

That God would be willing to crush me;
That He would release His hand and cut me off!

Then there would still be comfort for me;
And I would exult, even in writhing pain that does not spare,
That I did not  ¹deny the words of the Holy One.

What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should be patient?

Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?

Is there any help for me at all within me,
And has wisdom been driven away from me?

To him who is fainting there should be kindness from his friend,
Else he will forsake the fear of the Almighty.

My brothers have dealt as treacherously as a desert brook,
As the rivulets of the desert brooks that pass away,

Which are turbid because of the ice,
And into which the snow hides itself.

When they are scorched, they are completely consumed;
When it is hot, they are dried up from their place.

Caravans divert their ways for them;
They go up into the waste and perish.

The caravans of Tema look for them;
The companies of Sheba long for them.

They are put to shame because they are confident;
They go there and are confounded.

So now you have become such;
You see a terrible thing and are afraid.

Have I said, Give me something?
Or, Pay a bribe for me out of your wealth?

Or, Deliver me from the hand of the adversary?
Or, From the hand of the oppressors redeem me?

Teach me, and I will be silent;
Cause me to understand how I have erred.

How forceful are upright words!
But what does this reproving from you reprove?

Do you think you can reprove words?
But the words of a desperate man are for the wind.

You would even cast lots over the orphan
And bargain over your friend.

Now then be pleased to look upon me,
For surely I will not lie to your face.

Turn now; let there be no injustice.
Indeed turn; my righteousness is still here.

Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Can my palate not discern calamities?

Does not man have a term of hard service on earth?
And are his days not like the days of a hired hand?

Like a servant who longs for the shade,
And like a hired hand who waits for his pay,

So I am made to inherit months of vanity,
And nights of trouble are appointed to me.

If I lie down, I say,
When will I arise? But the evening is long,
And I am full of tossings until the dawn.

My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt clods;
My skin crusts and then oozes again.

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle
And are spent  ¹without hope.

Remember that my life is a breath;
My eye will not see good again.

The eye of him who sees me will not look on me;
Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.

The cloud is consumed and goes away:
Likewise he who goes down into Sheol does not come up.

He returns no more to his house,
Nor does his place know him anymore.

For my part, I also will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the distress of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Am I the sea, or a sea serpent,
That You must set a watch over me?

When I say, My bed will comfort me,
My couch will bear up my complaint;

Then You scare me with dreams
And terrify me with visions,

So that my soul would choose strangulation
And death rather than my bones.

I  ¹loathe life; I would not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are a mere breath.

What is mortal man that You magnify him,
And that You consider him,

And that You visit him every morning,
You try him every moment?

How long before You look away from me,
Before You abandon me until I swallow my spittle?

If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O Watcher of man?
Why have You made me Your target so that I have become a burden to You?

And why do You not forgive my transgression
And take away my iniquity?
For now I may lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me out, and I will not be.