The Daily Audio Bible
Eliphaz’s First Response to Job
4 Then[a] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “If someone would test a word with you, would you be offended?
But[b] who can refrain from speaking?
3 Look, you have instructed many,
and you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have raised up the one who stumbles,
and you have strengthened knees giving way.
5 But now it has come to you, and you are worn out;
it touches you, and you are horrified.
6 Is not your fear in God your confidence?
Is not your hope even[c] the integrity of your ways?
7 “Think[d] now, who has perished who is innocent?
Or[e] where are the upright destroyed?
8 Just as I have seen, plowers of mischief
and sowers of trouble will reap it.
9 By[f] the breath of God they perish,
and by[g] the blast of his anger they come to an end.
10 The roar of the lion and the voice of a lion in its prime,
and the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The lion is perishing without[h] prey,
and the lion’s whelps are scattered.
12 “And a word came stealing to me,
and my ear received the whisper from it.
13 Amid troubling thoughts from night visions,
at the falling of deep sleep on men,
14 dread met me, and trembling,
and it made many of my bones shake.
15 And a spirit glided before my face;
the hair of my flesh[i] bristled.
16 It stood still, but[j] I could not recognize its appearance;
a form was before[k] my eyes;
there was a hush, and I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can a human being be more righteous than God,
or can a man be more pure than his Maker?
18 Look, he does not trust in his servants
and he charges his angels with error.
19 How much more dwellers in clay houses,
whose foundation is in the dust?
They are crushed like a moth.
20 Between morning and evening[l] they are destroyed;
without anyone regarding it they perish forever.
21 Is not their tent cord pulled up within them?
They die, but[m] not in[n] wisdom.’
Eliphaz’s Response Continues
5 “Call now, is there anyone answering you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 For vexation will slay the fool,
and jealousy will kill the simple.
3 I have seen a fool taking root,
but[o] suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
4 His children are far from deliverance,
and they are crushed in the gate,
and there is no deliverer—
5 whose harvest the hungry eats,
and he takes it from behind[p] the thorns;
and the thirsty pants after their wealth.
6 Indeed,[q] mischief does not come from the dust,
and trouble does not sprout from the earth.
7 But a human being is born to trouble,
and they soar aloft[r] like sparks.[s]
8 “But I myself[t] will seek God,
and to God I would commit my cause.
9 He is doing great and unsearchable[u] things,
marvelous things without number[v]—
10 the one who is giving rain on the surface of[w] the earth
and is sending water on the surface of[x] the fields,
11 to set the lowly on high,
and those mourning are lifted to safety.
12 He is frustrating the devices of the crafty,
and their hands do not achieve success.
13 He is capturing the wise in their craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are rushed.
14 In the daytime they meet with darkness,
and they grope at noon[y] as in the night.
15 And[z] he saves from the sword of[aa] their mouth,
even[ab] the poor from the hand of the strong.
16 So[ac] there is hope[ad] for the powerless,
and wickedness shuts its mouth.
17 “Look, happy is the human being whom God reproves;
and you must not despise the discipline of Shaddai,
18 for he himself[ae] wounds, but[af] he binds up;
he strikes, but[ag] his hands heal.
19 From[ah] six troubles he will deliver you,
and in seven evil shall not touch you.
20 In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of[ai] the sword.
21 From the scourge of the tongue you shall be hidden,
and you shall not be afraid of[aj] destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine[ak] you shall laugh,
and you shall not fear the wild animals of the earth.
23 For your covenant will be with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals[al] of the field will be at peace with you.
24 And you shall know that your tent is safe,
and you will inspect your fold, and you shall not be missing anything.
25 And you shall know that your offspring are many,
and your descendants like the vegetation of the earth.
26 You shall come in maturity to the grave,
as the raising up of a stack of sheaves in its season.
27 “Look, we have searched this out—it is true;
hear it and know it yourself.”[am]
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
6 Then[an] Job answered and said,
2 “If only my vexation could be well weighed,
and my calamity could be lifted up together with it in the balances,
3 for then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
therefore my words have been rash,
4 for the arrows of Shaddai are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5 Does the wild ass bray over grass,
or the ox bellow over its fodder?
6 Can tasteless food be eaten without[ao] salt,
or is there taste in the white of a marshmallow plant?
7 I refused[ap] to touch them;
they are like food that will make me ill.[aq]
8 “O that[ar] my request may come,
and that God may grant my hope,
9 that[as] God would decide that[at] he would crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and kill me.[au]
10 But[av] it will still be my consolation,
and I would recoil in unrelenting[aw] pain,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should hold out?[ax]
12 Or is my strength like the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
13 Indeed,[ay] my help is not in me,
and any success is driven from me.
14 “Loyal love[az] should come for the afflicted from his friend,
even if[ba] he forsakes the fear of Shaddai.
15 My companions are treacherous like a torrent-bed;
like a streambed of wadis[bb] they flow away,
16 which are growing dark because of ice upon them,
it will pile up snow.
17 In time they dry up, they disappear;
when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
18 The paths of their way wind around;
they go up into the wasteland, and they perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked;
the traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.
20 They are disappointed, because they trusted;
they came here[bc] and they are confounded.
21 “For now you[bd] have become such;[be]
you see terrors, and you fear.
22 Is it because I have said, ‘Give to me,’
or,[bf] ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
23 or,[bg] ‘Save me from the foe’s hand,’
or,[bh] ‘Ransom me from the tyrants’ hand’?
24 Teach me, and I myself[bi] will be silent;
and make me understand how I have gone astray.
25 How painful are upright words![bj]
But[bk] what does your reproof[bl] reprove?
26 Do you intend to reprove my words[bm]
and consider the words of a desperate man as wind?
27 Even over the orphan you would cast the lot,
and you would bargain over your friend.
28 “Therefore[bn] be prepared, turn to me,
and I surely will not lie to your face.[bo]
29 Please turn, let no injustice happen;
indeed,[bp] turn, my righteousness is still intact.[bq]
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Or can my palate not discern calamity?[br]
Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz
7 “Does not a human being[bs] have hard service[bt] on earth?
And are not his[bu] days like the days of a laborer?
2 Like a slave he longs for the shadow,
and like a laborer he waits for his wages.
3 So I had to inherit[bv] months of worthlessness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
4 When I lie down, I say,[bw] ‘When shall I rise?’
But[bx] the night is long,
and I have my fill of tossing until dawn.
5 My body is clothed with maggots and clods of dust;
my skin hardens, then[by] it gives way again.
6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
and they come to an end without hope.[bz]
7 Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will not return to see good.
8 The eye of the one seeing me will not see me;
your eyes are upon me, but[ca] I will be gone.[cb]
9 A cloud vanishes, and it goes away,
so he who goes down to Sheol will not come up.
10 He does not return again to his house,
and his place does not recognize him again.
11 “Even[cc] I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in my spirit’s anguish;
I will complain in my inner self’s[cd] bitterness.
12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
that you set a guard over me?
13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
and my couch[ce] will ease my complaint,’
14 then[cf] you terrify me with dreams,[cg]
and with visions you terrify[ch] me.
15 So[ci] my inner self[cj] will choose[ck] strangling—
death more than my existence.[cl]
16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever;
depart from me, for my days are a breath.
17 “What is a human being that you make him great
and that you fix your mind on him,[cm]
18 so that[cn] you visit him every morning,[co]
you test him every moment?[cp]
19 How long[cq] will you not turn away from me?
Or not leave me alone until I swallow[cr] my spit?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, watcher of humanity?
Why have you made me as a target for yourself,
so that[cs] I have become a burden to myself?[ct]
21 And why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my guilt?
For now I shall lie in the dust,
and you will seek me, but[cu] I will be no more.”[cv]
18 I give thanks to God that I speak with tongues more than all of you, 19 but in the church I prefer to speak five words with my mind, in order that I may instruct other people, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers, do not become children in your understanding, but with respect to wickedness be as a child, and in your understanding be mature. 21 In the law it is written:
“By those who speak a foreign language
and by the lips of others
I will speak to this people,
and not even in this way will they obey me,”[a]
says the Lord. 22 So then, tongues are for a sign not to those who believe, but to unbelievers, but prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for those who believe. 23 Therefore, if the whole church comes together at the same time and all speak with tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and some unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all, 25 the secret things of his heart become evident, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
Specific Instructions for Orderly Worship Services
26 Therefore what should you do[b], brothers? Whenever you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things must be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be on one occasion two or at most three, and one after the other[c], and one must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, he must be silent in the church, but let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and the others evaluate. 30 And if something is revealed to another who is seated, the first must be silent. 31 For you are all able to prophesy in turn[d], in order that all may learn and all may be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women must be silent in the churches, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but they must be in submission, just as the law also says. 35 But if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. 36 Or has the word of God gone out from you, or has it come to you only?
37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual,[e] he should recognize that the things which I am writing to you are of the Lord.[f] 38 But if anyone ignores this, he is ignored.[g] 39 So then, my brothers, desire to prophesy, and do not prevent speaking with tongues. 40 But let all things be done decently and according to proper procedure.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart.
His steps will not slip.
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to kill him.
33 Yahweh will not abandon him into his hand,
and he will not let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for Yahweh and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to possess the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen the wicked acting violently
and spreading himself out
like a luxuriant native tree.
36 Then he passed on[a] and behold, he was not.
And I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Observe the blameless and look at the upright,
for there is a future for a man of peace.
38 But transgressors shall be destroyed altogether.
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 And[b] the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh,
their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 And Yahweh helps them and he rescues them.
He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it in divisiveness!
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