The Daily Audio Bible

² “Hear my words, you wise men.
    Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
³ For the ear tries words,
    as the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose for us that which is right.
    Let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
    God has taken away my right.
⁶ Notwithstanding my right I am considered a liar.
    My wound is incurable, though I am without disobedience.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
    who drinks scorn like water,
⁸ who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
    and walks with wicked men?
⁹ For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
    that he should delight himself with God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
    far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,
    from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
¹¹ For the work of a man he will render to him,
    and cause every man to find according to his ways.
¹² Yes surely, God will not do wickedly,
    neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
¹³ Who put him in charge of the earth?
    Or who has appointed him over the whole world?
¹⁴ If he set his heart on himself,
    if he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath,
¹⁵ all flesh would perish together,
    and man would turn again to dust.

¹⁶ “If now you have understanding, hear this.
    Listen to the voice of my words.
¹⁷ Should even one who hates justice govern?
    Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
¹⁸ who says to a king, ‘Vile!’
    or to nobles, ‘Wicked!’?
¹⁹ He doesn’t respect the persons of princes,
    nor respect the rich more than the poor,
    for they all are the work of his hands.
²⁰ In a moment they die, even at midnight.
    The people are shaken and pass away.
    The mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹ “For his eyes are on the ways of a man.
    He sees all his goings.
²² There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,
    where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
²³ For he doesn’t need to consider a man further,
    that he should go before God in judgment.
²⁴ He breaks mighty men in pieces in ways past finding out,
    and sets others in their place.
²⁵ Therefore he takes knowledge of their works.
    He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
²⁶ He strikes them as wicked men
    in the open sight of others;
²⁷ because they turned away from following him,
    and wouldn’t pay attention to any of his ways,
²⁸ so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him.
    He heard the cry of the afflicted.
²⁹ When he gives quietness, who then can condemn?
    When he hides his face, who then can see him?
    He is over a nation or a man alike,
³⁰ that the godless man may not reign,
    that there be no one to ensnare the people.

³¹ “For has any said to God,
    ‘I am guilty, but I will not offend any more.
³² Teach me that which I don’t see.
    If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
³³ Shall his recompense be as you desire, that you refuse it?
    For you must choose, and not I.
    Therefore speak what you know.
³⁴ Men of understanding will tell me,
    yes, every wise man who hears me:
³⁵ ‘Job speaks without knowledge.
    His words are without wisdom.’
³⁶ I wish that Job were tried to the end,
    because of his answering like wicked men.
³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin.
    He claps his hands among us,
    and multiplies his words against God.”

² “Do you think this to be your right,
    or do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s,’
³ that you ask, ‘What advantage will it be to you?
    What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’
⁴ I will answer you,
    and your companions with you.
⁵ Look to the skies, and see.
    See the skies, which are higher than you.
⁶ If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him?
    If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
⁷ If you are righteous, what do you give him?
    Or what does he receive from your hand?
⁸ Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are,
    and your righteousness may profit a son of man.

⁹ “By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out.
    They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
¹⁰ But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
    who gives songs in the night,
¹¹ who teaches us more than the animals of the earth,
    and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
¹² There they cry, but no one answers,
    because of the pride of evil men.
¹³ Surely God will not hear an empty cry,
    neither will the Almighty regard it.
¹⁴ How much less when you say you don’t see him.
    The cause is before him, and you wait for him!
¹⁵ But now, because he has not visited in his anger,
    neither does he greatly regard arrogance,
¹⁶ therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk,
    and he multiplies words without knowledge.”

² “Bear with me a little, and I will show you;
    for I still have something to say on God’s behalf.
³ I will get my knowledge from afar,
    and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
⁴ For truly my words are not false.
    One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵ “Behold, God is mighty, and doesn’t despise anyone.
    He is mighty in strength of understanding.
⁶ He doesn’t preserve the life of the wicked,
    but gives justice to the afflicted.
⁷ He doesn’t withdraw his eyes from the righteous,
    but with kings on the throne,
    he sets them forever, and they are exalted.
⁸ If they are bound in fetters,
    and are taken in the cords of afflictions,
⁹ then he shows them their work,
    and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
¹⁰ He also opens their ears to instruction,
    and commands that they return from iniquity.
¹¹ If they listen and serve him,
    they will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their years in pleasures.
¹² But if they don’t listen, they will perish by the sword;
    they will die without knowledge.

¹³ “But those who are godless in heart lay up anger.
    They don’t cry for help when he binds them.
¹⁴ They die in youth.
    Their life perishes among the unclean.
¹⁵ He delivers the afflicted by their affliction,
    and opens their ear in oppression.
¹⁶ Yes, he would have allured you out of distress,
    into a wide place, where there is no restriction.
    That which is set on your table would be full of fatness.

¹⁷ “But you are full of the judgment of the wicked.
    Judgment and justice take hold of you.
¹⁸ Don’t let riches entice you to wrath,
    neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside.
¹⁹ Would your wealth sustain you in distress,
    or all the might of your strength?
²⁰ Don’t desire the night,
    when people are cut off in their place.
²¹ Take heed, don’t regard iniquity;
    for you have chosen this rather than affliction.
²² Behold, God is exalted in his power.
    Who is a teacher like him?
²³ Who has prescribed his way for him?
    Or who can say, ‘You have committed unrighteousness’?

²⁴ “Remember that you magnify his work,
    about which men have sung.
²⁵ All men have looked on it.
    Man sees it afar off.
²⁶ Behold, God is great, and we don’t know him.
    The number of his years is unsearchable.
²⁷ For he draws up the drops of water,
    which distill in rain from his vapor,
²⁸ which the skies pour down
    and which drop on man abundantly.
²⁹ Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds
    and the thunderings of his pavilion?
³⁰ Behold, he spreads his light around him.
    He covers the bottom of the sea.
³¹ For by these he judges the people.
    He gives food in abundance.
³² He covers his hands with the lightning,
    and commands it to strike the mark.
³³ Its noise tells about him,
    and the livestock also, concerning the storm that comes up.