The Daily Audio Bible
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First Series of Speeches
Eliphaz Speaks
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Should anyone try to speak with you
when you are exhausted?
Yet who can keep from speaking?
3 Indeed, you have instructed many
and have strengthened(A) weak hands.
4 Your words have steadied the one who was stumbling
and braced the knees that were buckling.(B)
5 But now that this has happened to you,
you have become exhausted.
It strikes(C) you, and you are dismayed.
6 Isn’t your piety your confidence,
and the integrity of your life[a] your hope?(D)
7 Consider: who has perished when he was innocent?
Where have the honest been destroyed?(E)
8 In my experience, those who plow injustice
and those who sow trouble(F) reap the same.(G)
9 They perish at a single blast(H) from God
and come to an end by the breath of His nostrils.(I)
10 The lion may roar and the fierce lion(J) growl,
but the fangs of young lions are broken.(K)
11 The strong lion dies if it catches no prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.(L)
12 A word was brought to me in secret;
my ears caught a whisper of it.(M)
13 Among unsettling thoughts from visions in the night,(N)
when deep sleep(O) descends on men,
14 fear and trembling came over me(P)
and made all my bones shake.
15 A wind[b] passed by me,
and I shuddered with fear.[c]
16 A figure stood there,
but I could not recognize its appearance;
a form loomed before my eyes.
I heard a quiet voice:
17 “Can a person be more righteous than God,
or a man more pure than his Maker?”(Q)
18 If God puts no trust in His servants
and He charges His angels with foolishness,[d](R)
19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,(S)
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like a moth!
20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;
they perish forever while no one notices.(T)
21 Are their tent cords not pulled up?
They die without wisdom.(U)
5 Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you?
Which of the holy ones(V) will you turn to?
2 For anger kills a fool,
and jealousy slays the gullible.(W)
3 I have seen a fool taking root,
but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home.
4 His children are far from safety.
They are crushed at the city gate,(X)
with no one to rescue them.
5 The hungry consume his harvest,
even taking it out of the thorns.[e]
The thirsty[f] pant for his children’s wealth.
6 For distress does not grow out of the soil,
and trouble does not sprout from the ground.
7 But mankind is born for trouble(Y)
as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 However, if I were you, I would appeal to God
and would present my case to Him.(Z)
9 He does great(AA) and unsearchable things,
wonders without number.(AB)
10 He gives rain to the earth
and sends water to the fields.(AC)
11 He sets the lowly on high,
and mourners are lifted to safety.(AD)
12 He frustrates the schemes of the crafty
so that they[g] achieve no success.
13 He traps the wise in their craftiness
so that the plans of the deceptive
are quickly brought to an end.(AE)
14 They encounter darkness by day,
and they grope at noon
as if it were night.(AF)
15 He saves the needy from their sharp words[h](AG)
and from the clutches of the powerful.
16 So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.(AH)
17 See how happy the man is God corrects;
so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18 For He crushes but also binds up;
He strikes, but His hands also heal.(AI)
19 He will rescue you from six calamities;
no harm will touch you in seven.
20 In famine He will redeem you from death,
and in battle, from the power of the sword.(AJ)
21 You will be safe from slander[i]
and not fear destruction when it comes.(AK)
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger
and not fear the animals of the earth.
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(AL)
24 You will know that your tent is secure,(AM)
and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home.
25 You will also know that your offspring will be many
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
26 You will approach the grave(AN) in full vigor,(AO)
as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season.
27 We have investigated this, and it is true!
Hear it and understand it for yourself.
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
6 Then Job answered:
2 If only my grief could be weighed
and my devastation(AP) placed with it in the scales.(AQ)
3 For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas!
That is why my words are rash.
4 Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced[j] me;
my spirit drinks their poison.
God’s terrors are arrayed against me.(AR)
5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass
or an ox low over its fodder?
6 Is bland food eaten without salt?
Is there flavor in an egg white?[k]
7 I refuse to touch them;
they are like contaminated food.(AS)
8 If only my request would be granted
and God would provide what I hope for:
9 that He would decide to crush me,
to unleash His power and cut me off!
10 It would still bring me comfort,
and I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain
that I have not denied[l] the words of the Holy One.(AT)
11 What strength do I have that I should continue to hope?
What is my future, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength that of stone,
or my flesh made of bronze?
13 Since I cannot help myself,
the hope for success has been banished from me.
14 A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends,[m](AU)
even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi,
as seasonal streams that overflow
16 and become darkened[n] because of ice,
and the snow melts into them.
17 The wadis evaporate in warm weather;
they disappear from their channels in hot weather.
18 Caravans turn away from their routes,
go up into the desert, and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema look for these streams.
The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.
20 They are ashamed because they had been confident of finding water.
When they arrive there, they are frustrated.(AV)
21 So this is what you have now become to me.[o]
When you see something dreadful, you are afraid.
22 Have I ever said: “Give me something”
or “Pay a bribe for me from your wealth”
23 or “Deliver me from the enemy’s power”
or “Redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless”?
24 Teach me, and I will be silent.
Help me understand what I did wrong.
25 How painful honest words can be!
But what does your rebuke prove?
26 Do you think that you can disprove my words
or that a despairing man’s words are mere wind?(AW)
27 No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless child
and negotiate a price to sell your friend.(AX)
28 But now, please look at me;
would I lie to your face?(AY)
29 Reconsider; don’t be unjust.
Reconsider; my righteousness(AZ) is still the issue.
30 Is there injustice on my tongue
or can my palate not taste disaster?(BA)
7 Isn’t mankind consigned to forced labor(BB) on earth?
Are not his days like those of a hired hand?
2 Like a slave he longs for shade;
like a hired man he waits for his pay.
3 So I have been made to inherit months of futility,
and troubled nights have been assigned to me.(BC)
4 When I lie down I think:
When will I get up?
But the evening drags on endlessly,
and I toss and turn until dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with maggots and encrusted with dirt.[p]
My skin forms scabs[q] and then oozes.(BD)
6 My days pass more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.(BE)
7 Remember that my life is but a breath.
My eye will never again see anything good.(BF)
8 The eye of anyone who looks on me
will no longer see me.
Your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone.(BG)
9 As a cloud fades away and vanishes,
so the one who goes down to Sheol(BH) will never rise again.
10 He will never return to his house;
his hometown will no longer remember[r] him.(BI)
11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth.
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea[s](BJ) or a sea monster,(BK)
that You keep me under guard?
13 When I say: My bed will comfort me,
and my couch will ease my complaint,
14 then You frighten me with dreams,
and terrify me with visions,(BL)
15 so that I prefer strangling[t]—
death rather than life in this body.[u](BM)
16 I give up! I will not live forever.
Leave me alone,(BN) for my days are a breath.[v]
17 What is man, that You think so highly of him
and pay so much attention to him?(BO)
18 You inspect him every morning,
and put him to the test every moment.(BP)
19 Will You ever look away from me,
or leave me alone long enough to swallow?[w]
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to You,
Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,(BQ)
so that I have become a burden to You?[x]
21 Why not forgive my sin
and pardon my transgression?(BR)
For soon I will lie down in the grave.(BS)
You will eagerly seek me, but I will be gone.(BT)
18 I thank(A) God that I speak in other languages more than all of you; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words(B) with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language.
20 Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.(C) 21 It is written in the law:
I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me,(D)[a]
says the Lord. 22 It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign,[b] not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. 25 The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”(E)
Order in Church Meetings
26 What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one[c] has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation.(F) All things must be done for edification. 27 If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate.(G) 30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.(H) 32 And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, 33 since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints,(I) 34 the women[d] should be silent in the churches,(J) for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands(K) at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. 36 Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only?
37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored.[e] 39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager(L) to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages. 40 But everything must be done decently(M) and in order.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(A)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(B)
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and seeks to kill him;(C)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(D)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
and He will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(E)
35 I have seen a wicked, violent man
well-rooted[a] like a flourishing native tree.(F)
36 Then I passed by and[b] noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(G)
27 The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable—
how much more so
when he brings it with ulterior motives!(A)
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