The Daily Audio Bible
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Job’s Reply
23 Job replied,
2 “Even today my problems are more than I can handle.
In spite of my groans, God’s hand is heavy on me.
3 I wish I knew where I could find him!
I wish I could go to the place where he lives!
4 I would state my case to him.
I’d give him all my arguments.
5 I’d find out what his answers would be.
I’d think about what he would say to me.
6 Would he strongly oppose me?
No. He wouldn’t bring charges against me.
7 There honest people can prove to him they’re not guilty.
There my Judge would tell me once and for all that I’m not guilty.
8 “But if I go to the east, God isn’t there.
If I go to the west, I don’t find him.
9 When he’s working in the north, I don’t see him there.
When he turns to the south, I don’t see him there either.
10 But he knows every step I take.
When he has tested me,
I’ll come out as pure as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps.
I’ve stayed on his path without turning away.
12 I haven’t disobeyed his commands.
I’ve treasured his words more than my daily bread.
13 “But he’s the only God. Who can oppose him?
He does anything he wants to do.
14 He carries out his plans against me.
And he still has many other plans just like them.
15 That’s why I’m so terrified.
When I think about all of this, I’m afraid of him.
16 God has made my heart weak.
The Mighty One has filled me with terror.
17 But even the darkness of death won’t make me silent.
When the darkness of the grave covers my face, I won’t be quiet.
24 “Why doesn’t the Mighty One set a time for judging sinful people?
Why do those who know him have to keep waiting for that day?
2 People move their neighbor’s boundary stones.
They steal their neighbor’s flocks.
3 They take away the donkeys
that belong to children whose fathers have died.
They take a widow’s ox until she has paid what she owes.
4 They push those who are needy out of their way.
They force all the poor people in the land to go into hiding.
5 The poor are like wild donkeys in the desert.
They have to go around looking for food.
The dry and empty land provides the only food for their children.
6 The poor go to the fields and get a little grain.
They gather up what is left in the vineyards of sinners.
7 The poor don’t have any clothes. So they spend the night naked.
They don’t have anything to cover themselves in the cold.
8 They are soaked by mountain rains.
They hug the rocks because they don’t have anything to keep them warm.
9 Children whose fathers have died
are torn away from their mothers.
A poor person’s baby is taken away to pay back what is owed.
10 The poor don’t have any clothes. They go around naked.
They carry bundles of grain, but they still go hungry.
11 They work very hard as they crush olives.
They stomp on grapes in winepresses,
but they are still thirsty.
12 The groans of those who are dying are heard from the city.
Those who are wounded cry out for help.
But God doesn’t charge anyone with doing what is wrong.
13 “Some people hate it when daylight comes.
In the daytime they never walk outside.
14 When daylight is gone, murderers get up.
They kill poor people and those who are in need.
In the night they sneak around like robbers.
15 Those who commit adultery wait until the sun goes down.
They think, ‘No one will see us.’
They keep their faces hidden.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses.
But by day they shut themselves in.
They don’t want anything to do with the light.
17 Midnight is like morning to them.
The terrors of darkness are their friends.
18 “But sinners are like bubbles on the surface of water.
Their share of the land is under God’s curse.
So no one goes to their vineyards.
19 Melted snow disappears when the air is hot and dry.
And sinners disappear when they go down into their graves.
20 Even their mothers forget them.
The worms in their graves eat them up.
No one remembers sinful people anymore.
They are cut down like trees.
21 They mistreat women who aren’t able to have children.
They aren’t kind to widows.
22 But God is powerful.
He even drags away people who are strong.
When he rises up against them,
they can never be sure they are safe.
23 God might let them rest and feel secure.
But his eyes see how they live.
24 For a little while they are honored.
Then they are gone.
They are brought low.
And they die like everyone else.
They are cut off like heads of grain.
25 “Who can prove that what I’m saying is wrong?
Who can prove that my words aren’t true?”
The Third Speech of Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied,
2 “God is King. He should be feared.
He establishes peace in the highest parts of heaven.
3 Can anyone count his troops?
Is there anyone his light doesn’t shine on?
4 How can human beings be right with God?
How can mere people really be pure?
5 Even the moon isn’t bright
and the stars aren’t pure in God’s eyes.
6 So how about human beings? They are like maggots.
How about mere people? They are like worms.”
Job’s Reply
26 Job replied,
2 “Bildad, you haven’t helped people who aren’t strong!
You haven’t saved people who are weak!
3 You haven’t offered advice to those who aren’t wise!
In fact, you haven’t understood anything at all!
4 Who helped you say these things?
Whose spirit was speaking through you?
5 “The spirits of the dead are suffering greatly.
So are those that are under the waters.
And so are all those that live in them.
6 The place of the dead is naked in the sight of God.
The grave lies open in front of him.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space.
He hangs the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up water in his clouds.
They are heavy, but they don’t burst.
9 He covers the face of the full moon.
He spreads his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the place where the sky meets the sea.
He marks out the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens shake.
They are terrified when his anger blazes out.
12 With his power he stirred up the oceans.
In his wisdom he cut the sea monster Rahab to pieces.
13 His breath made the skies bright and clear.
His hand wounded the serpent that glides through the sea.
14 Those are only on the edges of what he does.
They are only the soft whispers that we hear from him.
So who can understand how very powerful he is?”
Job’s Final Reply to His Friends
27 Job continued to speak. He said,
2 “God hasn’t treated me fairly.
The Mighty One has made my life bitter.
You can be sure that God lives.
And here’s something else you can be sure of.
3 As long as I have life
and God gives me breath,
4 my mouth won’t say evil things.
My lips won’t tell lies.
5 I’ll never admit you people are right.
Until I die, I’ll say I’m telling the truth.
6 I’ll continue to say I’m right.
I’ll never let go of that.
I won’t blame myself as long as I live.
7 “May my enemies suffer like sinful people!
May my attackers be punished like those who aren’t fair!
8 What hope do ungodly people have when their lives are cut short?
What hope do they have when God takes away their lives?
9 God won’t listen to their cry
when trouble comes on them.
10 They won’t take delight in the Mighty One.
They’ll never call out to God.
11 “I’ll teach all of you about God’s power.
I won’t hide the things the Mighty One does.
12 You have seen those things yourselves.
So why do you continue your useless talk?
13 “Here’s what God does to sinful people.
Here’s what those who are mean receive from the Mighty One.
14 All their children will be killed by swords.
They’ll never have enough to eat.
15 A plague will kill those who are left alive.
The widows of sinful men
won’t even weep over their own children.
16 Sinners might store up silver like dust
and clothes like piles of clay.
17 But people who do what is right will wear those clothes.
People who haven’t done anything wrong
will divide up that silver.
18 The house an evil person builds is like a moth’s cocoon.
It’s like a hut that’s made by someone on guard duty.
19 Sinful people lie down wealthy, but their wealth is taken away.
When they open their eyes, everything is gone.
20 Terrors sweep over them like a flood.
A storm takes them away during the night.
21 The east wind carries them off, and they are gone.
It sweeps them out of their houses.
22 It blows against them without mercy.
They try to escape from its power.
23 It claps its hands and makes fun of them.
It hisses them out of their houses.”
Paul Changes His Plans
12 Here is what we take pride in. Our sense of what is right and wrong tells us how we have acted. We have lived with honor and godly honesty. We have depended on God’s grace and not on the world’s wisdom. We lived that way most of all when we were dealing with you. 13 We are writing only what you can read and understand. And here is what I hope. 14 Up to this point you have understood some of the things we have said. But now here is what I hope for when the Lord Jesus returns. I hope that your pride in us will be the same as our pride in you. When this happens, you will understand us completely.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you first. Here is how I thought you would be helped twice. 16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia. I would have come back to you from there. Then you would have sent me on my way to Judea. 17 When I planned all this, was I ready to change my mind for no good reason? No. I don’t make my plans the way the world makes theirs. In the same breath the world says both, “Yes! Yes!” and “No! No!”
18 But just as sure as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 Silas, Timothy and I preached to you about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our message did not say “Yes” and “No” at the same time. The message of Christ has always been “Yes.” 20 God has made a great many promises. They are all “Yes” because of what Christ has done. So through Christ we say “Amen.” We want God to receive glory. 21 He makes both us and you remain strong in the faith because we belong to Christ. He anointed us. 22 He put his Spirit in our hearts and marked us as his own. We can now be sure that he will give us everything he promised us.
23 I call God to be my witness. May he take my life if I’m lying. I wanted to spare you, so I didn’t return to Corinth. 24 Your faith is not under our control. You remain strong in your own faith. But we work together with you for your joy. 2 1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 If I make you sad, who is going to make me glad? Only you, the people I made sad. 3 What I wrote to you I wrote for a special reason. When I came, I didn’t want to be troubled by those who should make me glad. I was sure that all of you would share my joy. 4 I was very troubled when I wrote to you. My heart was sad. My eyes were full of tears. I didn’t want to make you sad. I wanted to let you know that I love you very deeply.
Forgive Those Who Make You Sad
5 Suppose someone has made us sad. In some ways, he hasn’t made me sad so much as he has made all of you sad. But I don’t want to put this too strongly. 6 He has been punished because most of you decided he should be. This punishment is enough. 7 Now you should forgive him and comfort him. Then he won’t be sad more than he can stand. 8 So I’m asking you to tell him again that you still love him. 9 I wrote to you for another special reason. I wanted to see if you could stand the test. I wanted to see if you could obey everything asked of you. 10 Anyone you forgive I also forgive. Was there anything to forgive? If so, I have forgiven it for your benefit, knowing that Christ is watching. 11 We don’t want Satan to outsmart us. We know how he does his evil work.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
41 Blessed are those who care about weak people.
When they are in trouble, the Lord saves them.
2 The Lord guards them and keeps them alive.
They are counted among those who are blessed in the land.
The Lord won’t hand them over to the wishes of their enemies.
3 The Lord will take care of them when they are lying sick in bed.
He will make them well again.
4 I said, “Lord, have mercy on me.
Heal me, because I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies are saying bad things about me.
They say, “When will he die and his name be forgotten?”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
he says things that aren’t true.
At the same time, he thinks up lies to tell against me.
Then he goes out and spreads those lies around.
7 All my enemies whisper to each other about me.
They want something terrible to happen to me.
8 They say, “He is sick and will die very soon.
He will never get up from his bed again.”
9 Even my close friend, someone I trusted, has failed me.
I even shared my bread with him.
10 But Lord, may you have mercy on me.
Make me well, so I can pay them back.
11 Then I will know that you are pleased with me,
because my enemies haven’t won the battle over me.
12 You will take good care of me because I’ve been honest.
You will let me be with you forever.
13 Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel,
for ever and ever.
Amen and Amen.
5 Thorns and traps lie in the paths of evil people.
But those who value their lives stay far away from them.
6 Start children off on the right path.
And even when they are old, they will not turn away from it.
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