The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the NET. Switch to the NET to read along with the audio.
Job's friend Eliphaz speaks to him[a]
4 Eliphaz, who came from Teman, decided to speak. He said this to Job:
2 ‘Please be patient and listen to what I say.
Allow me to speak, because I cannot remain quiet.
3 Listen! You have taught many people.
You have helped weak people to be strong.
4 With your words, you have saved people from danger.
You have helped people who are in trouble to be brave.
5 But now you are the person who has trouble.
You yourself are not patient.
Trouble has come to you and you feel afraid.
6 But you respect God's authority,
so you should trust him.
You live in an honest way,
so you should still hope for better things.
7 Think about this:
People who are not guilty of sin do not suddenly die.
God does not destroy people who do good things.
8 I will tell you what I have seen.
Trouble comes to people who do wicked things.
They receive the punishment that they deserve.
9 God destroys them with his breath.
His anger is like a storm that blows them away.
10 Lions are strong animals that roar loudly.
But if God breaks a lion's teeth, it cannot eat.
11 Even the strongest lion will die if it has nothing to eat.
The young lions will run away from their mother to find food.[b]
12 One night I heard a quiet voice.
Someone spoke to me and told me a secret.
13 I was asleep, but my dreams woke me.
14 I was very afraid.
Even my bones were shaking.
15 A wind was blowing over my face.
The hair on my skin stood up.
16 Something stopped and it stood in front of me.
I could not recognize its shape.
Then I heard a quiet voice say:
17 “No human is righteous when he stands in front of God.
He cannot be pure in front of his Maker.
18 God knows that even his angels make mistakes.
They may do foolish things.
19 God used clay to make bodies for us who are humans.
We came from the dust of the earth.
We are as weak as moths.
20 We are alive in the morning,
and when evening comes we may be dead.
People disappear for ever.
No one even knows about it.
21 They no longer have their valuable things.
They suddenly die and they are still not wise.” ’
Eliphaz continues to speak to Job
5 ‘Shout for help, Job! But no one will answer you.
None of the angels will come to help you.
2 Foolish people may be angry and jealous.
That is what kills them.
3 I have seen fools who seemed to be successful.
But suddenly a curse destroyed their homes.
4 Their children are never truly safe.
The judge says that they are guilty,
and nobody saves them from punishment.
5 Hungry people take their crops to eat.
They even take them from among the weeds.
Thirsty people take the fool's money for themselves.
6 Problems do not grow like plants in our fields.
Trouble does not come up from the ground.
7 But trouble comes to everyone, as soon as they are born.
It is as certain as smoke that rises from a fire.
8 I suggest that you ask God to help you.
You should tell him about your problems.
9 He does great things that nobody can understand.
He does more miracles than anyone can count.
10 He gives rain for the earth.
He sends water for the fields.
11 He gives honour to humble people.
When people are suffering, he puts them in a safe place.
12 He stops the ideas of clever people.
They cannot do what they want to do.
13 When wise people try to do clever things,
he causes those things to give them trouble.
He quickly stops their clever ideas.
14 In the middle of the day, it becomes dark for those people.
At midday, they see no better than blind people.
15 He saves poor people when wicked people attack them.
He rescues weak people from the power of strong people.
16 So poor people can hope for justice.
Wicked people have to be quiet.
17 If Almighty God warns you to do what is right,
he has blessed you.
So do not be upset when he decides to do that.
18 He may cause you to have pain,
but he will make you well again.
He may hurt you,
but he will also give you health.
19 If trouble comes to you six times, he will rescue you.
No bad thing will hurt you, as often as it happens.
20 If there is a time of famine,
he will keep you alive.
He will protect you from death in a time of war.
21 If people insult you, he will take care of you.
When people attack you, you will not be afraid.
22 In times of danger and famine, you will be brave.
You will not be afraid of wild animals.
23 The stones in your fields will not give you trouble.
The wild animals will not attack you.
24 You will know that your home is strong and safe.
When you check all your land,
you will see that all your animals are safe.
25 You will know that your children will be very many.
You will have as many descendants as the grass that grows in the ground.
26 You will not die until you are old.
You will grow with strength until you die,
like crops that grow until the time of harvest.
27 We have thought carefully about these things.
We know that they are true.
So listen to what we say.
Accept it and it will be good for you.’
Job replies to Eliphaz[c]
6 Then Job replied:
2 ‘I am so upset that nobody could measure it!
My problems are too many to weigh!
3 They are heavier than all the sand on the shore of the sea.
That is why I did not think carefully before I spoke.
4 Almighty God has shot his arrows into me.
Their poison is now deep inside me.
God has sent me many troubles that make me afraid.
5 A wild donkey does not complain when it has grass to eat.
An ox is quiet when it has its food.
6 You cannot enjoy food that has no salt in it.
The white part of an egg is not nice to eat on its own.
7 I cannot eat that kind of food.
It makes me ill.
8 I want God to give me what I ask him for.
I want him to answer my prayer.
9 I would like him to destroy me.
He should kill me himself.
10 Then I would have peace.
I would be happy.
I have received much cruel pain.
But I have always obeyed the words of the holy God.
11 I am not strong enough to hope for my life to become any better.
There is no reason for me to continue my life.
12 I am not as strong as stones.
My body is not strong like bronze.
13 I no longer have strength to help myself.
There is nowhere that I can go to get help.
14 When a man has no hope,
his friends should be kind to him.
They should help him,
even if he no longer respects God Almighty.
15 But you, my friends, have not helped me when I need you.
You are like streams that quickly become dry.
There is no water when you need it.
16 In the spring, ice and deep snow covers them.
17 But in the hot summer time, all the water disappears.
Those streams become completely dry.
18 Travellers leave the road to look for water.
They find no water to drink and they die in the desert.
19 Travellers from Tema look everywhere for these streams.
Traders from Sheba hope to find water.
20 They are very upset, because they expected to find water.
But when they arrive, they are disappointed.
21 My friends, you have become like those streams.
You see my great problem, and you are afraid.
22 I have never said to you, “Give me something to help me.
Please use some of your money to rescue me.”
23 I have not asked you to save me from the power of my enemy.
Or to pay cruel people to let me go free.
24 Teach me the truth, and I will listen carefully.
Explain to me the mistakes that I have made.
25 True words may give pain to the person who listens to them.
But the things that you say against me mean nothing.
26 You are warning me because of what I say.
I have no hope and you think that my words are empty.
27 You would play a game to win a child who has no family.
You would even sell your friends to become rich yourselves.
28 But now, please look at me.
I will not tell you any lies.
29 Change what you are saying about me.
Do not say that I am guilty.
Think again, for I am truly a good person.
30 I have not spoken any lies.
I know what is right and what is wrong.
Job continues to speak
7 People have to work very hard on this earth.
They have to work every day, like servants.
2 A servant waits for the end of the day so that he can rest.
A worker waits for his master to pay him.
3 But there is nothing for me to wait for.
I wait for many months and nothing happens.
Every night, I am always sad.
4 When I lie down at night to sleep,
I think, “How soon will the night end?”
But the night continues and I cannot sleep.
Finally, dawn comes.
5 There are worms all over my body.
All of my skin is painful.
There are dirty sores all over it.
6 My life is passing very fast.
Each day passes too quickly to see it!
The days of my life will finish,
and I cannot hope for anything to get better.
7 Remember, God, that my life is as short as a breath.
I know that I will never be happy again.
8 People who can see me now will not see me any more.
You will look for me, but I will not be there.
9 Clouds disappear and you never see them again.
That is like people who die and go into their graves.
They do not come back again.
10 They do not come back to live in their homes.
People forget about them.
11 So I must continue to speak.
I will tell you how upset I am.
I am angry because of what has happened to me.
So I must complain.
12 Why do you have to watch me, God, like a guard?
Do you think that I am a dangerous monster from the sea?
13 When I lie down to sleep,
I hope that my pain will be less.
14 But even then you give me dreams that frighten me.
I have visions which make me very afraid.
15 I would like someone to stop me breathing!
Death would be better than life.
16 My life is useless.
I do not want to live for ever.
My life is only a short breath.
So let me be alone.
17 Why do you think that people are important?
Why do you watch us so carefully?
18 You never leave us alone.
You test us every moment of every day.
19 You never look the other way.
You never leave me alone, even for a moment.
20 You carefully watch what people do.
Even if I have done something wrong,
it should not cause any trouble for you.
So why do you choose to punish me?
21 You should agree to forgive my sins.
You should say that I am not guilty.
I will soon die and I will go into my grave.
Then you will carefully look for me,
but I will not be there.’
18 I thank God that I speak in different kinds of languages more than all of you. 19 But when the church meets together, I want to help other believers and teach them. So I would rather say five words that people understand than thousands of words in a different language.
20 My Christian friends, do not continue to think like children think. Instead, think properly like men and women should think. The only way you should be like babies is to keep away from evil things. 21 This is written in the Bible:
‘I will send strangers to speak to my people.
They will speak my message to them in strange languages.
But even when I do this, my people will not listen to me.’
That is what the Lord God has said.[a]
22 So the gift to speak in different languages is like a sign. It shows God's power to people who do not believe in him. It is not a sign to help believers. But the gift to speak clear messages from God shows his power to believers. It is not a sign for those people who do not believe.
23 Think about what happens when the whole church meets together. Perhaps some people come in who do not believe in God. Or perhaps they have not learned much about God. If all of you are speaking in strange languages, those visitors would not understand. They would say that you are all crazy! 24 But if all of you are speaking clear messages from God, a visitor will understand you. He may not believe in God. He may not have learned much about God. But he will hear God's message. He will understand that he has done wrong things. He will know that God will judge him. He will learn this from what all of you are saying. 25 The visitor's secret thoughts will become clear. As a result, he will bend down to the ground and he will worship God. He will say, ‘God is really here among you!’
Church meetings
26 My Christian friends, this is what you should do when you meet together. Some of you may have a song to praise God. Some of you may have a lesson to teach about God. Other people may have a special thing that God has shown to them. Some people may have a message in a special language. Other people may explain what the message means. Do all these things to help the church become stronger.
27 If some people speak in special languages, it should only be two or three people. They should speak one person at a time. Then someone must explain what each person said. 28 But perhaps there is nobody among you who can explain like that. Then, anyone who wanted to speak in a special language must be quiet in your meeting. When they are on their own, they should speak to God.
29 When you meet together, two or three people should speak a message from God. Then the other people there should think carefully about each message. 30 Someone who is sitting in your meeting may receive a special message from God. Then, the person who is already speaking should stop. 31 In that way, each person can speak a message from God, one person at a time. Then everyone will learn something that helps them. 32 All of you who speak messages from God have authority over your own spirits. 33 When we meet together as God's people, he wants there to be peace among us. He does not want to bring trouble.
This is what happens in all the churches where God's people meet together. 34 The women should be quiet during the meetings. They should not speak. They should remember that they are under authority. That is also what God's Law teaches. 35 If a woman wants to ask about something, she should ask her husband at home. Women should be ashamed if they speak in the church.[b] 36 Remember that God's message did not start from you in Corinth! You are not the only people who have heard it, either.
37 Someone may think that he has the gift to speak messages from God. Or he may think that he has received other spiritual gifts. Anyone who thinks like that should agree with what I have written to you. He should recognize that it is what the Lord himself is telling his people to do. 38 If anyone refuses to accept this, you should not accept that person.
39 My Christian friends, this is what I am saying to you: It is good when you want to speak clear messages from God. And if anyone has the gift to speak in a special language, do not stop them. 40 But you must do everything in a proper way that helps people.
30 Righteous people speak wise words.
What they say brings justice.
31 They think about God's Law all the time,
so that they do not make mistakes.
32 Evil people wait for a chance to kill righteous people.
33 But the Lord will not leave his righteous people,
so that their enemies have power over them.
When evil people accuse them,
the Lord will show that they are not guilty.
34 Be patient and continue to trust the Lord.
Obey his commands.
Then he will give you honour,
so that you live safely in the land.
You will see that the Lord destroys wicked people.
35 I have seen cruel, wicked people become very powerful,
like trees that grow well in good soil.
36 But soon after that,
I see that they have disappeared!
I looked for them,
but I could not find them anywhere.
37 Think about people who are honest
and who do what is right.
Those who help people to live in peace
will live to enjoy their children.
38 But God will destroy people that turn against him.
Evil people will not have descendants.
39 The Lord will make righteous people safe.
He will take care of them in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them.
He saves them from wicked people.
He keeps them safe
because they turn to him for help.
27 The Lord hates it
when wicked people offer sacrifices to him.
He hates it even more
when they do it with an evil purpose.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.