The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the ESV. Switch to the ESV to read along with the audio.
Job Asserts His Integrity
31 “I have made a covenant with my (A)eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 “And what is (B)the portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
3 “Is it not (C)calamity to the unjust
And disaster to (D)those who work iniquity?
4 “Does He not (E)see my ways
And (F)number all my steps?
5 “If I have (G)walked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him (H)weigh me with [a]accurate scales,
And let God know (I)my integrity.
7 “If my step has (J)turned from the way,
Or my heart [b]followed my eyes,
Or if any (K)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me (L)sow and another eat,
And let my [c](M)crops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been (N)enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife (O)grind for another,
And let (P)others [d]kneel down over her.
11 “For that would be a (Q)lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be (R)an iniquity punishable by judges.
12 “For it would be (S)fire that consumes to [e](T)Abaddon,
And would (U)uproot all my [f]increase.
13 “If I have (V)despised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
15 “Did not (W)He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have kept (X)the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of (Y)the widow to fail,
17 Or have (Z)eaten my morsel alone,
And (AA)the orphan has not [g]shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from [h]infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish (AB)for lack of clothing,
Or that (AC)the needy had no covering,
20 If his loins have not [i]thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against (AD)the orphan,
Because I saw [j]I had support (AE)in the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from the [k]socket,
And my (AF)arm be broken off [l]at the elbow.
23 “For (AG)calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of (AH)His [m]majesty I can do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in (AI)gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have (AJ)gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
26 If I have (AK)looked at the [n]sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand [o]threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been (AL)an iniquity calling for [p]judgment,
For I would have (AM)denied God above.
29 “Have I (AN)rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or [q]exulted when evil befell him?
30 “[r]No, (AO)I have not [s]allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in (AP)a curse.
31 “Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can [t]find one who has not been (AQ)satisfied with his meat’?
32 “The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the [u]traveler.
33 “Have I (AR)covered my transgressions like [v]Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 Because I (AS)feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35 “Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my [w]signature;
(AT)Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my (AU)adversary has written,
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
37 “I would declare to Him (AV)the number of my steps;
Like (AW)a prince I would approach Him.
38 “If my (AX)land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have (AY)eaten its [x]fruit without money,
Or have (AZ)caused [y]its owners to lose their lives,
40 Let (BA)briars [z]grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Elihu in Anger Rebukes Job
32 Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was (BB)righteous in his own eyes. 2 But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the (BC)Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned (BD)because he justified himself [aa](BE)before God. 3 And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited [ab]to speak to Job because they were years older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.
6 So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite [ac]spoke out and said,
“I am young in years and you are (BF)old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you [ad]what I think.
7 “I [ae]thought [af](BG)age should speak,
And [ag]increased years should teach wisdom.
8 “But it is a spirit in man,
And the (BH)breath of the Almighty gives them (BI)understanding.
9 “The [ah]abundant in years may not be wise,
Nor may (BJ)elders understand justice.
10 “So I [ai]say, ‘Listen to me,
I too will tell [aj]what I think.’
11 “Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings,
While you [ak]pondered what to say.
12 “I even paid close attention to you;
[al]Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
13 “Do not say,
‘(BK)We have found wisdom;
God will [am]rout him, not man.’
14 “For he has not arranged his words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your [an]arguments.
15 “They are dismayed, they no longer answer;
Words have [ao]failed them.
16 “Shall I wait, because they do not speak,
Because they [ap]stop and no longer answer?
17 “I too will answer my share,
I also will tell my opinion.
18 “For I am full of words;
The spirit within me constrains me.
19 “Behold, my belly is like unvented wine,
Like new wineskins it is about to burst.
20 “Let me speak that I may get relief;
Let me open my lips and answer.
21 “Let me now (BL)be partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
22 “For I do not know how to flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me away.
Elihu Claims to Speak for God
33 “However now, Job, please (BM)hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.
2 “Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my [aq]mouth speaks.
3 “My words are from the uprightness of my heart,
And my lips speak (BN)knowledge sincerely.
4 “The (BO)Spirit of God has made me,
And the (BP)breath of [ar]the Almighty gives me life.
5 “(BQ)Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
6 “Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too have been [as]formed out of the (BR)clay.
7 “Behold, (BS)no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words:
9 ‘I am (BT)pure, (BU)without transgression;
I am innocent and there (BV)is no guilt in me.
10 ‘Behold, He [at]invents pretexts against me;
He (BW)counts me as His enemy.
11 ‘He (BX)puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
12 “Behold, let me [au]tell you, (BY)you are not right in this,
For God is greater than man.
13 “Why do you (BZ)complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14 “Indeed (CA)God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
15 “In a (CB)dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,
16 Then (CC)He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,
17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And [av]keep man from pride;
18 He (CD)keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from [aw]passing over (CE)into Sheol.
19 “[ax]Man is also chastened with (CF)pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
20 So that his life (CG)loathes bread,
And his soul favorite food.
21 “His (CH)flesh wastes away from sight,
And his (CI)bones which were not seen stick out.
22 “Then (CJ)his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.
23 “If there is an angel as (CK)mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is [ay]right for him,
24 Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
‘Deliver him from (CL)going down to the pit,
I have found a (CM)ransom’;
25 Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
26 Then he will (CN)pray to God, and He will accept him,
That (CO)he may see His face with joy,
And He may restore His righteousness to man.
27 “He will sing to men and say,
‘I (CP)have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not (CQ)proper for me.
28 ‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life shall (CR)see the light.’
29 “Behold, God does (CS)all these [az]oftentimes with men,
30 To (CT)bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31 “Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
32 “Then if [ba]you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 “If not, (CU)listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Ministers of a New Covenant
3 Are we beginning to (A)commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, (B)letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 (C)You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, [a](D)cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of (E)the living God, not on (F)tablets of stone but on (G)tablets of [b](H)human hearts.
4 Such (I)confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but (J)our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as (K)servants of a (L)new covenant, not of (M)the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but (N)the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the (O)ministry of death, (P)in letters engraved on stones, came [c]with glory, (Q)so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if (R)the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the (S)ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was [d]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
12 (T)Therefore having such a hope, (U)we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not like Moses, (V)who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were (W)hardened; for until this very day at the (X)reading of (Y)the old covenant the same veil [e]remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 (Z)but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where (AA)the Spirit of the Lord is, (AB)there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, (AC)beholding as in a mirror the (AD)glory of the Lord, are being (AE)transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from (AF)the Lord, the Spirit.
Prayer for Deliverance.
43 (A)Vindicate me, O God, and (B)plead my case against an ungodly nation;
[a]O deliver me from (C)the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the (D)God of my strength; why have You (E)rejected me?
Why do I go (F)mourning [b]because of the oppression of the enemy?
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.