The Daily Audio Bible
Round One: Eliphaz’s Speech
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 If someone ventures to have a word with you, will you grow impatient?
But who can refrain from speaking up?
3 You yourself have instructed many,
and you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have raised up people who were stumbling,
and you have given support to buckling knees.
5 But now that this has happened to you, you grow impatient.
This strikes you and you are disturbed.
6 Shouldn’t your piety give you confidence?
Don’t your blameless ways give you reason to hope?
7 Now remember this:
Who has ever perished if he was innocent?
Where were the upright ever erased?
8 This is what I have observed:
Those who plow evil and sow trouble will reap the same.
9 By the breath of God they perish.
By the blast from his nostrils they come to an end.
10 The lion roars, and the fierce lion growls,
but the teeth of the young lion are broken.[a]
11 The strong lion perishes from a lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12 A word was delivered to me secretly.
My ears caught a whisper of it.
13 In the middle of anxious thoughts arising from visions in the night,
at the time when deep sleep falls upon people,
14 terror and trembling came over me
and made all my bones tremble.
15 A spirit[b] passed in front of my face.
The hair on my body stood on end.
16 A figure stood in front of me,
but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
and I heard a quiet voice say,
17 “Can a person be righteous before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?”[c]
18 If God does not trust his own servants,
if he charges his messengers with error,
19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who are crushed more quickly than a moth!
20 From dawn to dusk they are smashed to pieces.
They perish forever, and no one even notices.
21 Won’t the ropes that hold up their tents be pulled up,[d]
so that they die without gaining wisdom?
5 Call out! Is there anyone there to answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 It’s true, the fool is killed by resentment,
and the gullible are put to death by jealousy.
3 I myself have seen a fool putting down roots,
but immediately I pronounced a curse on his home.[e]
4 His children are far from safety.
They are crushed at the city gate without a defender.
5 His harvest is eaten by the hungry,
who snatch it away, even from among the thorns,
and the thirsty[f] swallow his children’s wealth.
6 Disaster does not just spring up from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the soil.
7 No, mankind is born for[g] trouble as surely as flames fly upward.
8 But I want to appeal to God.
I want to present my case to him.[h]
9 He does great things that are beyond investigation,
and miracles that are too many to be counted.
10 He provides rain for the earth.
He waters the fields in the countryside.
11 He raises the lowly to the heights,
and he lifts those who mourn to safety.
12 He foils the plots of clever schemers,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He traps the wise in their schemes,
and the plans of the devious come to a swift end.
14 By day they encounter darkness,
and at noon they grope around as if it were night.
15 He saves the poor from mouths that cut like a sword
and from the hand of the strong.
16 He does this so that the helpless will have hope,
and injustice will shut its mouth.
17 Consider this:
How blessed is the man whom God corrects!
Do not reject the discipline of the Almighty!
18 For though he may inflict wounds, he also bandages them.
Though he may strike, his hands also heal.
19 From six calamities he will rescue you.
In seven no harm will touch you.
20 In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in battle he will redeem you from the power of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and you will not be afraid of devastation when it comes.
22 You will laugh at devastation and hunger.
You will not be afraid of the wild animals of the countryside,
23 because there will be a covenant between you and the stones in the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure,
and when you inspect your property, you will find nothing missing.
25 You will know that your offspring will be many,
and your descendants will be like grass from the earth.
26 You will come to the grave at a ripe old age,
like a stack of sheaves that is gathered in season.
27 Consider this:
We have investigated this carefully, and it is true!
Pay close attention and apply it to yourself!
Round One: Job’s Second Speech
6 Then Job responded:
2 If only my grief could be weighed,
and my devastation placed on the scales with it!
3 They would certainly weigh more than the sand of the sea!
No wonder my words have been rash.[i]
4 The arrows of the Almighty stick in me.
My spirit drinks in their poison.
The terrors of God are lined up against me.
5 Does the wild donkey bray when it has green grass?
Does the ox bellow when it is near its fodder?
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt?
Is there flavor in the white of an egg?[j]
7 I absolutely refuse to touch it.
It is no better than sickening food.
8 If only my request would be granted.
If only God would grant me what I hope for:
9 that God would decide to crush me,
that he would unleash his hand and cut me off.
10 For then I would still have this comfort:
Even as I writhe in relentless pain,[k]
I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What strength do I have to wait hopefully?
What end awaits me that would make me want to prolong my life?
12 Is my strength like stone,
or is my flesh bronze?
13 Certainly I have no power to help myself,
since the hope that I can recover has been driven far away from me.
14 A despairing person should receive loyalty[l] from his friends,
even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 But my brothers are as undependable as gullies that dry up,
undependable as seasonal streams which overflow
16 when they are darkened by ice and swollen with melting snow,
17 but as quickly as they flood, they dry up in the scorching winds.[m]
When it gets hot, they vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes.
They go off into the empty wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema search for these streams.
The travelers of Sheba hope to find them,
20 but despite being confident, they are disappointed.
They arrive there only to be frustrated.
21 Now that is what you are like!
You have seen something dreadful and you panic.
22 Have I said, “Give me something,
or offer a payment on my behalf from your wealth”?
23 Have I said, “Save me from the hand of my enemy,
or redeem me from the hand of the ruthless”?
24 Teach me and I will be silent.
Help me understand what I have done wrong.
25 How painful honest words are!
But what does your rebuke prove?
26 Do you intend to attack me for mere words
by treating things said by a despairing man like wind?[n]
27 No doubt you would even cast lots for a fatherless child
and barter away your friend!
28 But now, please look at me.
I would not lie to your face!
29 Turn to me,[o] and get rid of injustice.
Turn to me. My righteousness is still intact.[p]
30 Is there any injustice on my tongue?
Wouldn’t my mouth detect it if I were speaking destructive words?[q]
7 Isn’t man’s time on earth like being compelled to serve in the army? Aren’t his days like those of a hired man?
2 Like a slave, he longs for shade,
or like a day laborer, he waits for his pay.
3 In the same way, I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of agony have been assigned to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, “How long before I get up?”
But the night drags on,
and I am filled with restlessness until dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with maggots and caked with dirt.
My skin scabs over and then oozes again.
6 My days pass by more swiftly than the shuttle of a weaver’s loom.
They come to an end without hope.
Job Addresses God
7 Remember that my life is just a breath.[r]
My eyes will never again see good fortune.
8 The eyes that see me now will no longer watch me.
Your eyes will look for me, but I will not be there.
9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
so does the one who goes down to the grave.[s]
He does not come back up again.
10 He never again returns to his home,
and his place will no longer know him.
11 That is why I will not restrain my mouth.
I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit.
I will lament in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea or a great creature of the deep
that you need to put me under guard?
13 When I say that my bed will comfort me,
and my couch will help me with my lament,
14 then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so I would prefer to be strangled,
and I prefer death more than my current existence.[t]
16 I reject my life. I do not want to live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are just a vanishing vapor.
17 What is man that you make so much of him,
that you pay so much attention to him,
18 that you inspect[u] him every morning
and test him every minute?
19 Why do you never stop watching me?
Why don’t you leave me alone long enough for me to swallow my spit?
20 If I have sinned, what harm has it done to you,
you who keep watch on mankind?
Why have you set me up as your target?
How have I become a burden to you?[v]
21 Why do you not forgive my rebellion?
Why do you not take away my guilt?
Soon I will lie down in the dust.
You will search for me, but I will not be there.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking, but be like babies in regard to evil, and be mature in your thinking. 21 It is written in the law, “By different tongues and by foreign lips I will speak to this people, and even so, they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”[a] 22 Therefore, tongues are a sign meant for unbelievers, not believers, whereas prophecy is for believers, not unbelievers. 23 So if the whole church comes together in the same place and all speak in tongues, and uninformed visitors or unbelievers come in, won’t they say that you are crazy? 24 But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or uninformed visitor comes in, he is reproved by all and judged by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are revealed, and under those circumstances he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring, “God really is among you!”
Specific Directions for Order in the Church
26 So, brothers, what is to be done? When you come together, each one of you[b] has a psalm, or a teaching, or a revelation, or an utterance in a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done in a way that builds people up. 27 If someone speaks in a tongue, limit it to two or at most three (speaking one at a time), and have one person interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in the church and keep his speaking between himself and God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others carefully evaluate what was said. 30 But if a revelation comes to another person as he sits there, let the first person become silent. 31 For you all can do your prophesying one at a time, so that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 The spirits of the prophets are also subject to the prophets, 33 for God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints,[c] 34 the[d] women are to keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. Instead they are to be subordinate, as also the Law says. 35 If they desire to learn something, let them ask their own men[e] at home, because it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. 36 Or are you the ones from whom the word of God has gone out? Or did it come to you alone?
37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual person, let him recognize that the things I write to you are the Lord’s commands.[f] 38 But if anyone disregards them, he should be disregarded.
39 So, brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But let all things be done decently and in good order.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom.
His tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart.
His steps do not slip.
Review of the Theme
32 The wicked spy on the righteous one and seek to kill him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in their hand.
He will not let him be condemned when he is put on trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep to his way.
He will raise you up to take possession of the earth.
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I saw a wicked, ruthless man.
He was rooted like a green plant in its native soil,
36 but he passed away. Just like that, he was gone!
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
37 Take note of the blameless. Look at the upright.
Yes, there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But rebels will be completely destroyed.
The future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.
He is their stronghold in times of stress.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them.
He delivers them from the wicked.
He saves them, because they have taken refuge in him.
27 A sacrifice offered by wicked people is an abomination.[a]
How much more when they bring it with evil intent!
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.