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Psalm 50

1  The Lord, the most mighty God, has spoken ♦︎
   and called the world from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2  Out of Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth; ♦︎
   our God comes and will not keep silence.
3  Consuming fire goes out before him ♦︎
   and a mighty tempest stirs about him.
4  He calls the heaven above, ♦︎
   and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5  ‘Gather to me my faithful, ♦︎
   who have sealed my covenant with sacrifice.’
6  Let the heavens declare his righteousness, ♦︎
   for God himself is judge.
7  Hear, O my people, and I will speak: ♦︎
   ‘I will testify against you, O Israel;
      for I am God, your God.
8  ‘I will not reprove you for your sacrifices, ♦︎
   for your burnt offerings are always before me.
9  ‘I will take no bull out of your house, ♦︎
   nor he-goat out of your folds,
10  ‘For all the beasts of the forest are mine, ♦︎
   the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11  ‘I know every bird of the mountains ♦︎
   and the insect of the field is mine.
12  ‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you, ♦︎
   for the whole world is mine and all that fills it.
13  ‘Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, ♦︎
   or drink the blood of goats?
14  ‘Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving ♦︎
   and fulfil your vows to God Most High.
15  ‘Call upon me in the day of trouble; ♦︎
   I will deliver you and you shall honour me.’
16  But to the wicked, says God: ♦︎
   ‘Why do you recite my statutes
      and take my covenant upon your lips,
17  ‘Since you refuse to be disciplined ♦︎
   and have cast my words behind you?
18  ‘When you saw a thief, you made friends with him ♦︎
   and you threw in your lot with adulterers.
19  ‘You have loosed your lips for evil ♦︎
   and harnessed your tongue to deceit.
20  ‘You sit and speak evil of your brother; ♦︎
   you slander your own mother’s son.
21  ‘These things have you done, and should I keep silence? ♦︎
   Did you think that I am even such a one as yourself?
22  ‘But no, I must reprove you, ♦︎
   and set before your eyes the things that you have done.
23  ‘You that forget God, consider this well, ♦︎
   lest I tear you apart and there is none to deliver you.
24  ‘Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me ♦︎
   and to those who keep my way
      will I show the salvation of God.’

Bildad Speaks: Job Should Repent

8Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
² ‘How long will you say these things,
   and the words of your mouth be a great wind?
³ Does God pervert justice?
   Or does the Almighty^* pervert the right?
⁴ If your children sinned against him,
   he delivered them into the power of their transgression.
⁵ If you will seek God
   and make supplication to the Almighty,^*
6 if you are pure and upright,
   surely then he will rouse himself for you
   and restore to you your rightful place.
⁷ Though your beginning was small,
   your latter days will be very great.

⁸ ‘For inquire now of bygone generations,
   and consider what their ancestors have found;
⁹ for we are but of yesterday, and we know nothing,
   for our days on earth are but a shadow.
¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you
   and utter words out of their understanding?

¹¹ ‘Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
   Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
¹² While yet in flower and not cut down,
   they wither before any other plant.
¹³ Such are the paths of all who forget God;
   the hope of the godless shall perish.
¹⁴ Their confidence is gossamer,
   a spider’s house their trust.
¹⁵ If one leans against its house, it will not stand;
   if one lays hold of it, it will not endure.
¹⁶ The wicked thrive^* before the sun,
   and their shoots spread over the garden.
¹⁷ Their roots twine around the stoneheap;
   they live among the rocks.^*
18 If they are destroyed from their place,
   then it will deny them, saying, “I have never seen you.”
¹⁹ See, these are their happy ways,^*
   and out of the earth still others will spring.

²⁰ ‘See, God will not reject a blameless person,
   nor take the hand of evildoers.
²¹ He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
   and your lips with shouts of joy.
²² Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
   and the tent of the wicked will be no more.’

17 Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. ¹⁸They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Look, three^* men are searching for you. ²⁰Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.’ ²¹So Peter went down to the men and said, ‘I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?’ ²²They answered, ‘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.’ ²³So Peter^* invited them in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers^* from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshipped him. ²⁶But Peter made him get up, saying, ‘Stand up; I am only a mortal.’ ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; ²⁸and he said to them, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. ²⁹So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?’

30 Cornelius replied, ‘Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. ³¹He said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.” ³³Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.’