The Daily Audio Bible
Job’s Happy Life
1 There was a man in the land of Uz[a] whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 His possessions included seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys. He also had a very large retinue of servants. This man was the greatest of all the men of the East.
4 His sons would regularly arrange feasts, each one in his own house on his assigned day, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When the days of the feast were complete, Job would send for them and consecrate[b] them. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them. Job would say, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed[c] God in their hearts.” Job did this regularly.
Job’s First Test
6 There came a day when the sons of God[d] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[e] also came into their midst. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming the earth and walking around on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and turns away from evil.”
9 Satan answered the Lord, “Is it without cause that Job fears God? 10 You have put a protective hedge around him and his household and everything that belongs to him, haven’t you? You have blessed the work of his hands. His livestock has spread throughout the land. 11 But just stretch out your hand and strike everything that is his, and he will certainly curse you to your face!”
12 So the Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then. Everything that he has is in your hand. But you may not stretch out your hand against the man himself.” So Satan left the presence of the Lord.
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their oldest brother, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 when the Sabeans[f] swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to death with the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the flocks and the servants and consumed them, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The Chaldeans[g] formed three raiding parties and plundered the camels and took them away. They put the servants to death with the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, another servant came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and were drinking wine in the house of their oldest brother. 19 Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it collapsed on the young people, and they died, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshipped. 21 Then he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin or blame God.[h]
Job’s Second Test
2 Another day arrived when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came into their midst. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming the earth and walking around on it.”
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still maintains his integrity, even though you incited me against him to destroy him for no reason.”
4 Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give all he has for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his bones and flesh, and he will certainly curse you to your face!”
6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hand, but preserve his life.”
7 Satan then went out from the presence of the Lord. He struck Job with very painful sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. 8 So Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he was sitting among the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 But he said to her, “You are talking like a woman who lacks moral judgment.[i] If we accept the good that comes from God, shouldn’t we also accept the bad?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job’s Friends Arrive to Comfort Him
11 Three friends of Job heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, and each of them came from his own homeland: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Na’amathite.[j] They met together and went to sympathize with Job and to comfort him. 12 When they caught sight of Job from a distance, they did not recognize him. They raised their voices and wept. Each man tore his robe and tossed dust into the air and onto his head. 13 They sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very great.
The Arguments Between Job and His Friends
Round One: Job’s First Speech
3 Finally, Job opened his lips and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job spoke up and said:
3 May the day of my birth perish,
and the night when it was said, “A child has been conceived!”
4 As for that day, let it be darkness!
May God above have no concern for it.
May light not shine on it.
5 May darkness and the shadow of death[k] reclaim it.
May a dark cloud settle over it.
May whatever blackens the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, may deep darkness take it away!
May it not be included[l] among the days of the year
or show up in the list of months.
7 Oh let that night be barren!
May no joyful shout be heard in it.
8 May those who curse days cast a spell on it,
those who are able to awaken Leviathan.[m]
9 May its twilight stars be darkened.
May it wait hopefully for light but receive none.
May it never see the eyelids of dawn,
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
and it did not hide trouble from my eyes.
11 Why did I not die at birth
or pass away as I came from the womb?
12 Why did my mother’s knees receive me?
Why were her breasts there to nurse me?
13 For then I would be lying down peacefully.
I would be sleeping and resting quietly
14 with the kings and counselors of the earth,
with those who rebuilt ruined cities for themselves,[n]
15 with high officials who accumulated gold,
with those who filled their houses with silver.
16 Why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,
like the infants who never see the light of day?
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil.
There the weary are at rest.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together.
They no longer hear the voice of the slave driver.
19 There the small and great are alike,
and the slave is free from his master.
20 Why is light given to those weighed down with grief?
Why is life given to those whose spirit is bitter,
21 to those who yearn for death but it does not come,
though they dig for it more than for buried treasure,
22 to those who will be thrilled with happiness,
those who will celebrate when they reach the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose path is hidden,
to one whom God has hedged in?
24 Now my sighing takes the place of my daily bread.
My groans gush forth like water,
25 because what I feared has overwhelmed me,
and that which I dreaded has come upon me.
26 I have no ease, no quiet, no rest.
Instead, turmoil has come.
Using Spiritual Gifts in Love to Benefit the Church
14 Keep on pursuing love, and eagerly seek spiritual gifts, but especially prophecy. 2 For the person who speaks in a tongue[a] speaks to God, not to people. For no one understands him, but he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. 3 However, the person who prophesies speaks to people things that edify, encourage, and comfort. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but I would prefer that you prophesy. For the person who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.
6 Brothers,[b] if I come to you speaking in tongues, what good will I do you, unless I communicate to you a revelation, or some knowledge, or a prophecy, or some teaching? 7 Even lifeless instruments that produce sound, such as a flute or a harp, if they do not make the notes distinct from one another, how will anyone know what is being played on the flute or harp? 8 If the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So also with you: Unless you use your tongue to produce intelligible speech, how will anyone know what is being spoken? To be sure, you will be speaking only into the air.
10 There are perhaps ever so many kinds of languages in the world, and not one of them is without meaning. 11 Accordingly, if I do not understand the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and he will be a foreigner to me. 12 So also with you: Since you are eager for spiritual gifts, seek to use them abundantly in a way that will build up the church.
13 That is why a person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding[c] is unfruitful. 15 So what is to be done? I will pray using my spirit, and I will pray also using my understanding. I will sing using my spirit, and I will sing also using my understanding. 16 Otherwise, how will an uninformed person[d] say the “Amen” after you give thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 To be sure, you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
12 The wicked person plots against the righteous.
He gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
because he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked draw their sword,
and they bend their bow
to make the poor and needy fall,
to slaughter those whose ways are upright.
15 Their swords will pierce their hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Be Satisfied With God’s Blessings
16 Better the little that one righteous person has
than the wealth of many wicked people,
17 because the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless.
Their inheritance will last forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in time of disaster.
In days of famine they will be full.
20 Surely the wicked will perish.
The enemies of the Lord will be
like beautiful flowers in the pastures.
But they will vanish. Like smoke they will vanish.
Continue to Live a Godly Life
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous are gracious and give.
22 So those God blesses will inherit the earth,
but those he curses will be cut off.
23 By the Lord the steps of a person are made secure.
Then he will delight in his way.
24 Though he falls, he will not stay down,
because the Lord holds him by his hand.
25 I was a young man. Now I am old.
But I have never seen a righteous person forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 Every day he is gracious and lends.
His children will be blessed.
27 Turn back from evil and do good.
Then you will remain forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice.
He will not forsake his favored ones.[a]
They will be protected forever,
but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will inherit the earth.
They will dwell on it forever.
25 A lazy person’s craving will kill him,
because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he craves something more,
but a righteous person gives and does not hold back.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.