The Daily Audio Bible
Job Speaks: My Friends Do Not Help Ease My Pain
16 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “I have heard many things like this before.
You are all pathetic at comforting me.
3 Will ⌞your⌟ long-winded speeches never end?
What disturbs you that you keep on answering ⌞me⌟?
4 I, too, could speak like you
if we could trade places.
I could string words together against you
and shake my head at you.
5 I could encourage you with my mouth,
and my quivering lips could ease ⌞your pain⌟.
6 If I speak, my pain is not eased.
If I stop talking, how much of it will go away?
7 “But now, God has worn me out.
You, ⌞God,⌟ have destroyed everyone who supports me.
8 You have shriveled me up, which itself is a witness ⌞against me⌟.
My frail body rises up and testifies against me.
Job Describes What God Has Done to Him
9 “God’s anger tore me ⌞apart⌟ and attacked me.
He gritted his teeth at me.
My opponent looked sharply at me.
10 People ridiculed me with their mouths.
They slapped my cheeks with contempt.
They united against me.
11 God handed me over to unjust people
and threw me into the hands of wicked people.
12 I was at ease, and he shattered me.
He grabbed me by the back of the neck and smashed ⌞my skull⌟.
He set me up as his target,
13 and his archers surrounded me.
He slashes open my kidneys without mercy
and spills my blood[a] on the ground.
14 He inflicts wound after wound on me.
He lunges at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
and I have thrown my strength in the dust.
16 My face is red from crying,
and dark shadows encircle my eyes,
17 although my hands have done nothing violent,
and my prayer is sincere.
Job Appeals His Case to Heaven
18 “Earth, don’t cover my blood.
Don’t ever let my cry ⌞for justice⌟ be stopped.
19 Even now, look! My witness is in heaven,
and the one who testifies for me is above,
20 the spokesman for my thoughts.[b]
My eyes drip ⌞with tears⌟ to God
22 because in a few short years I will take the path of no return.[c]
21 But my witness will plead for a human in front of God.
The Son of Man will plead for his friend!
Job Pleads with God to Declare Him Honest
17 “My spirit is broken.
My days have been snuffed out.
The cemetery ⌞is waiting⌟ for me.
2 Certainly, mockers are around me.
My eyes are focused on their opposition.
3 Please guarantee my bail yourself.
Who else will guarantee it with a handshake?
4 You have closed their minds so that they cannot understand.
That is why you will not honor them.
5 (Whoever turns in friends to get their property
should have his children’s eyesight fail.)
Job Says to His Friends: I’m Still Wiser Than You
6 “Now he has made me a laughingstock for many people.
Now they spit in my face.
7 Now my eyes are blurred from grief.
Now all my limbs are like a shadow.
8 Decent people are shocked by this,
and it stirs up the innocent against godless people.
9 Yet, the righteous person clings to his way,
and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
10 “But now, all of you, come and try again!
I won’t find one wise man among you.
11 My days are passing by.
My plans are broken.
My dreams ⌞are shattered⌟.
12 You say that night is day.
Light has nearly become darkness.
13 If I look for the grave as my home
and make my bed in the darkness,
14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’
and to the worm, ‘You are my mother and sister,’
15 then where is my hope?
Can you see any hope left in me?
16 Will hope go down with me to the gates of the grave?
Will my hope rest with me in the dust?”
Bildad Speaks: Why Do You Think You Are So Great, Job?
18 Then Bildad from Shuah replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “How long before your words will end?
Think it through, and then we’ll talk.
3 Why do you think of us as cattle?
Why are we considered stupid in your eyes?
4 Why do you rip yourself apart in anger?
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake
or a boulder be dislodged?
What a Wicked Person Can Expect from Life
5 “Indeed, the light of the wicked is snuffed out.
The flame of his fire stops glowing.
6 The light in his tent becomes dark,
and the lamp above him is snuffed out.
7 “His healthy stride is shortened,
and his own planning trips him up.
8 His own feet get him tangled in a net
as he walks around on its webbing.
9 A trap catches his heel.
A snare holds him.
10 A rope is hidden on the ground for him.
A trap is on his path ⌞to catch⌟ him.
11 “Terrors suddenly pounce on him from every side
and chase him every step he takes.
12 Hunger undermines his strength.
Disaster is waiting beside him.
13 His skin is eaten away by disease.
Death’s firstborn son eats away at the limbs of his body.
14 He is dragged from the safety of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire lives in his tent.
Sulfur is scattered over his home.
16 His roots dry up under him.
His branches wither over him.
17 All memory about him will vanish from the earth,
and his reputation will not be known on the street corner.
18 He will be driven from the light into the dark
and chased out of the world.
19 He will not have any children or descendants among his people
or any survivor where he used to live.
20 People in the west are shocked by what happens to him.
People in the east are seized with horror.
21 This is what happens to the homes of wicked people
and to those who do not know God.”
Job Speaks: Admit That God Is Mistreating Me
19 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
2 “How long will you torment me
and depress me with words?
3 You have insulted me ten times now.
You’re not even ashamed of mistreating me.
4 Even if it were true that I’ve made a mistake without realizing it,
my mistake would affect only me.
5 If you are trying to make yourselves look better than me
by using my disgrace as an argument against me,
6 then I want you to know that God has wronged me
and surrounded me with his net.
7 Indeed, I cry, ‘Help! I’m being attacked!’ but I get no response.
I call for help, but there is no justice.
What God Has Done to Me
8 “God has blocked my path so that I can’t go on.
He has made my paths dark.
9 He has stripped me of my honor.
He has taken the crown off my head.
10 He beats me down on every side until I’m gone.
He uproots my hope like a tree.
11 He is very angry at me.
He considers me to be his enemy.
12 His troops assemble against me.
They build a ramp to attack me
and camp around my tent.
13 “My brothers stay far away from me.
My friends are complete strangers to me.
14 My relatives and my closest friends have stopped coming.
My house guests have forgotten me.
15 My female slaves consider me to be a stranger.
I am like a foreigner to them.
16 I call my slave, but he doesn’t answer, though I beg him.
17 My breath offends my wife.
I stink to my own children.
18 Even young children despise me.
If I stand up, they make fun of me.
19 All my closest friends are disgusted with me.
Those I love have turned against me.
20 I am skin and bones,
and I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 “Have pity on me, my friends!
Have pity on me because God’s hand has struck me down.
22 Why do you pursue me as God does?
Why are you never satisfied with my flesh?
Job’s Confidence in His Defender
23 “I wish now my words were written.
I wish they were inscribed on a scroll.
24 I wish they were forever engraved on a rock
with an iron stylus and lead.
25 But I know that my defender lives,
and afterwards, he will rise on the earth.
26 Even after my skin has been stripped off my body,
I will see God in my own flesh.
27 I will see him with my own eyes,
not with someone else’s.
My heart fails inside me!
Job Warns His Friends
28 “You say,
‘We will persecute him!
The root of the problem is found in him.’
29 Fear death,
because ⌞your anger⌟ is punishable by death.
Then you will know there is a judge.”
The Collection for the People in Jerusalem
16 Now, concerning the money to be collected for God’s people ⌞in Jerusalem⌟: I want you to do as I directed the churches in Galatia. 2 Every Sunday each of you should set aside some of your money and save it. Then money won’t have to be collected when I come. 3 When I come, I will give letters of introduction to the people whom you choose. You can send your gift to Jerusalem with them. 4 If I think it’s worthwhile for me to go, they can go with me.
Paul’s Plans
5 After I go through the province of Macedonia, I’ll visit you. (I will be going through Macedonia.) 6 I’ll probably stay with you. I might even spend the winter. Then you can give me your support as I travel, wherever I decide to go. 7 Right now all I could do is visit you briefly, but if the Lord lets me, I hope to spend some time with you. 8 I will be staying here in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 I have a great opportunity to do effective work here, although there are many people who oppose me.
News about Timothy, Apollos, and Others
10 If Timothy comes, make sure that he doesn’t have anything to be afraid of while he is with you. He’s doing the Lord’s work as I am, 11 so no one should treat him with contempt. Without quarreling, give him your support for his trip so that he may come to me. I’m expecting him to arrive with the other Christians.
12 Concerning Apollos, our brother in the Christian faith: I tried hard to get him to visit you with the other Christians. He didn’t want to at this time. However, he will visit you when he has an opportunity.
13 Be alert. Be firm in the Christian faith. Be courageous and strong. 14 Do everything with love.
15 You know that the family of Stephanas was the first family to be won ⌞for Christ⌟ in Greece. This family has devoted itself to serving God’s people. So I encourage you, brothers and sisters, 16 to follow the example of people like these and anyone else who shares their labor and hard work. 17 I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus came here. They have made up for your absence. 18 They have comforted me, and they have comforted you. Therefore, show people like these your appreciation.
Greetings
19 The churches in the province of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca and the church that meets in their house send their warmest Christian greetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters ⌞here⌟ greet you. Greet each other with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand.
22 If anyone doesn’t love the Lord, let him be cursed! Our Lord, come!
23 May the good will [a] of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 Through Christ Jesus my love is with all of you.
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
40 I waited patiently for the Lord.
He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
2 He pulled me out of a horrible pit,
out of the mud and clay.
He set my feet on a rock
and made my steps secure.
3 He placed a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see this and worship.
They will trust the Lord.
4 Blessed is the person
who places his confidence in the Lord
and does not rely on arrogant people
or those who follow lies.
5 You have done many miraculous things, O Lord my God.
You have made many wonderful plans for us.
No one compares to you!
I will tell others about your miracles,
which are more than I can count.
6 You were not pleased with sacrifices and offerings.
You have dug out two ears for me.
You did not ask for burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin.
7 Then I said, “I have come!
(It is written about me in the scroll of the book.)
8 I am happy to do your will, O my God.”
Your teachings are deep within me.
9 I will announce the good news of righteousness
among those assembled for worship.
I will not close my lips.
You know that, O Lord.
10 I have not buried your righteousness deep in my heart.
I have been outspoken about your faithfulness and your salvation.
I have not hidden your mercy and your truth
from those assembled for worship.
22 A good name is more desirable than great wealth.
Respect is better than silver or gold.
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