The Daily Audio Bible
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz[a]
16 Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these before.
What miserable comforters[b] are you all!
3 Will[c] there be an end to your[d] windy words?[e]
Or what provokes[f] you that you answer?[g]
4 I also could speak[h] like you,
if[i] you were in my place;
I could pile up[j] words against you
and I could shake my head at you.[k]
5 But[l] I would strengthen[m] you with my words;[n]
comfort from my lips would bring[o] you relief.
Abandonment by God and Man
6 “But[p] if I speak, my pain is not relieved,[q]
and if I refrain from speaking,
how much[r] of it goes away?
7 Surely now he[s] has worn me out,
you have devastated my entire household.
8 You have seized me,[t]
and it[u] has become a witness;
my leanness[v] has risen up against me
and testifies against me.
9 His[w] anger has torn me[x] and persecuted[y] me;
he has gnashed at me with his teeth;
my adversary locks[z] his eyes on me.
10 People[aa] have opened their mouths against me,
they have struck my cheek in scorn;[ab]
they unite[ac] together against me.
11 God abandons me to evil men,[ad]
and throws[ae] me into the hands of wicked men.
12 I was in peace, and he has shattered me.[af]
He has seized me by the neck and crushed me.[ag]
He has made me his target;
13 his archers[ah] surround me.
Without pity[ai] he pierces[aj] my kidneys
and pours out my gall[ak] on the ground.
14 He breaks through against me, time and time again;[al]
he rushes[am] against me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth on my skin,[an]
and buried[ao] my horn[ap] in the dust;
16 my face is reddened[aq] because of weeping,[ar]
and on my eyelids there is a deep darkness,[as]
17 although[at] there is no violence in my hands
and my prayer is pure.
An Appeal to God as Witness
18 “O earth, do not cover my blood,[au]
nor let there be a secret[av] place for my cry.
19 Even now my witness[aw] is in heaven;
my advocate[ax] is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend[ay]
as my eyes pour out tears[az] to God;
21 and[ba] he contends with God on behalf of man
as a man[bb] pleads[bc] for his friend.
22 For the years that lie ahead are few,[bd]
and then I will go on the way of no return.[be]
17 My spirit is broken,[bf]
my days have faded out,[bg]
the grave[bh] awaits me.
2 Surely mockery[bi] is with me;[bj]
my eyes must dwell on their hostility.[bk]
3 Set my pledge[bl] beside you.
Who else will put up security for me?[bm]
4 Because[bn] you have closed their[bo] minds to understanding,
therefore you will not exalt them.[bp]
5 If a man denounces his friends for personal gain,[bq]
the eyes of his children will fail.
6 He has made me[br] a byword[bs] to people,
I am the one in whose face they spit.[bt]
7 My eyes have grown dim[bu] with grief;
my whole frame[bv] is but a shadow.
8 Upright men are appalled[bw] at this;
the innocent man is troubled[bx] with the godless.
9 But the righteous man holds to his way,
and the one with clean hands grows stronger.[by]
Anticipation of Death
10 “But turn, all of you,[bz] and come[ca] now![cb]
I will not find a wise man among you.
11 My days have passed, my plans[cc] are shattered,
even[cd] the desires[ce] of my heart.
12 These men[cf] change[cg] night into day;
they say,[ch] ‘The light is near
in the face of darkness.’[ci]
13 If[cj] I hope for the grave to be my home,
if I spread out my bed in darkness,
14 if I cry out[ck] to corruption,[cl] ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then[cm] is my hope?
And my hope,[cn] who sees it?
16 Will[co] it[cp] go down to the barred gates[cq] of death?
Will[cr] we descend[cs] together into the dust?”
Bildad’s Second Speech[ct]
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “How long until you[cu] make an end of words?[cv]
You must consider,[cw] and then[cx] we can talk.
3 Why should we be regarded as beasts,
and considered stupid[cy] in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself[cz] to pieces in your anger,
will the earth be abandoned[da] for your sake?
Or will a rock be moved from its place?[db]
5 “Yes,[dc] the lamp[dd] of the wicked is extinguished;
his flame of fire[de] does not shine.
6 The light in his tent grows dark;
his lamp above him is extinguished.[df]
7 His vigorous steps[dg] are restricted,[dh]
and his own counsel throws him down.[di]
8 For he has been thrown into a net by his feet[dj]
and he wanders into a mesh.[dk]
9 A trap[dl] seizes him by the heel;
a snare[dm] grips him.
10 A rope is hidden for him[dn] on the ground
and a trap for him[do] lies on the path.
11 Terrors[dp] frighten him on all sides
and dog[dq] his every step.
12 Calamity is[dr] hungry for him,[ds]
and misfortune is ready at his side.[dt]
13 It eats away parts of his skin;[du]
the most terrible death[dv] devours his limbs.
14 He is dragged from the security of his tent,[dw]
and marched off[dx] to the king of terrors.[dy]
15 Fire resides in his tent;[dz]
over his residence burning sulfur is scattered.
16 Below his roots dry up,
and his branches wither above.
17 His memory perishes from the earth,
he has no name in the land.[ea]
18 He is driven[eb] from light into darkness
and is banished from the world.
19 He has neither children nor descendants[ec] among his people,
no survivor in those places he once stayed.[ed]
20 People of the west[ee] are appalled at his fate;[ef]
people of the east are seized with horror,[eg] saying,[eh]
21 ‘Surely such is the residence[ei] of an evil man;
and this is the place of one who has not known God.’”[ej]
Job’s Reply to Bildad[ek]
19 Then Job answered:
2 “How long will you torment me[el]
and crush[em] me with your words?[en]
3 These ten times[eo] you have been reproaching me;[ep]
you are not ashamed to attack me.[eq]
4 But even if it were[er] true that I have erred,[es]
my error[et] remains solely my concern!
5 If indeed[eu] you would exalt yourselves[ev] above me
and plead my disgrace against me,[ew]
6 know[ex] then that God has wronged me[ey]
and encircled[ez] me with his net.[fa]
Job’s Abandonment and Affliction
7 “If[fb] I cry out,[fc] ‘Violence!’[fd]
I receive no answer;[fe]
I cry for help,
but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked[ff] my way so I cannot pass,
and has set darkness[fg] over my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and has taken the crown off my head.[fh]
10 He tears me down[fi] on every side until I perish;[fj]
he uproots[fk] my hope[fl] like an uprooted[fm] tree.
11 Thus[fn] his anger burns against me,
and he considers me among his enemies.[fo]
12 His troops[fp] advance together;
they throw up[fq] a siege ramp against me,
and they camp around my tent.
Job’s Forsaken State
13 “He has put my relatives[fr] far from me;
my acquaintances only[fs] turn away from me.
14 My kinsmen have failed me;
my friends[ft] have forgotten me.[fu]
15 My guests[fv] and my servant girls
consider[fw] me a stranger;
I am a foreigner[fx] in their eyes.
16 I summon[fy] my servant, but he does not respond,
even though I implore[fz] him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is repulsive[ga] to my wife;
I am loathsome[gb] to my brothers.[gc]
18 Even youngsters have scorned me;
when I get up,[gd] they scoff at me.[ge]
19 All my closest friends[gf] detest me;
and those whom[gg] I love have turned against me.[gh]
20 My bones stick to my skin and my flesh;[gi]
I have escaped[gj] alive[gk] with only the skin of my teeth.
21 Have pity on me, my friends, have pity on me,
for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you pursue me like God does?[gl]
Will you never be satiated with my flesh?[gm]
Job’s Assurance of Vindication
23 “O that[gn] my words were written down!
O that they were written on a scroll![go]
24 O that with an iron chisel and with lead[gp]
they were engraved in a rock forever!
25 As for me, I know that my Redeemer[gq] lives,
and that as the last[gr]
he will stand upon the earth.[gs]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,[gt]
yet in my flesh[gu] I will see God,[gv]
27 whom I will see for myself,[gw]
and whom my own eyes will behold,
and not another.[gx]
My heart[gy] grows faint within me.[gz]
28 If you say, ‘How we will pursue him,
since the root of the trouble is found in him!’[ha]
29 Fear the sword yourselves,
for wrath[hb] brings the punishment[hc] by the sword,
so that you may know
that there is judgment.”[hd]
A Collection to Aid Jewish Christians
16 With regard to the collection for the saints, please follow the directions that I gave to the churches of Galatia:[a] 2 On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income[b] and save[c] it to the extent that God has blessed you,[d] so that a collection will not have to be made[e] when I come. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will send those whom you approve with letters of explanation to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it seems advisable that I should go also, they will go with me.
Paul’s Plans to Visit
5 But I will come to you after I have gone through Macedonia—for I will be going through Macedonia— 6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you can send me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now in passing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a door of great opportunity stands wide open for me,[f] but there are many opponents.
10 Now if Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I am too. 11 So then, let no one treat him with contempt. But send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me. For I am expecting him with the brothers.[g]
12 With regard to our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers,[h] but it was simply not his intention to come now.[i] He will come when he has the opportunity.
Final Challenge and Blessing
13 Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong. 14 Everything you do should be done in love.
15 Now, brothers and sisters,[j] you know about the household of Stephanus, that as the first converts[k] of Achaia, they devoted themselves to ministry for the saints. I urge you 16 also to submit to people like this, and to everyone who cooperates in the work and labors hard. 17 I was glad about the arrival of Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus because they have supplied the fellowship with you that I lacked.[l] 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours. So then, recognize people like this.
19 The churches in the province of Asia[m] send greetings to you. Aquila and Prisca[n] greet[o] you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters[p] send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, send this greeting with my own hand.
22 Let anyone who has no love for the Lord be accursed. Our Lord, come![q]
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.[r]
Psalm 40[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
40 I relied completely[b] on the Lord,
and he turned toward me
and heard my cry for help.
2 He lifted me out of the watery pit,[c]
out of the slimy mud.[d]
He placed my feet on a rock
and gave me secure footing.[e]
3 He gave me reason to sing a new song,[f]
praising our God.[g]
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord.[h]
4 How blessed[i] is the one[j] who trusts in the Lord[k]
and does not seek help from[l] the proud or from liars.[m]
5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;
you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us.[n]
No one can thwart you.[o]
I want to declare your deeds and talk about them,
but they are too numerous to recount.[p]
6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern.[q]
You make that quite clear to me.[r]
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
7 Then I say,
“Look, I come!
What is written in the scroll pertains to me.[s]
8 I want to do what pleases you,[t] my God.
Your law dominates my thoughts.”[u]
9 I have told the great assembly[v] about your justice.[w]
Look, I spare no words.[x]
O Lord, you know this is true.
10 I have not failed to tell about your justice;[y]
I spoke about your reliability and deliverance.
I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness.[z]
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