Author: admin

1 Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you?

Which of the holy oneswill you turn to?

2 For anger kills a fool,

and jealousy slays the gullible.

3 I have seen a fool taking root,

but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home.

4 His children are far from safety.

They are crushed at the city gate,

with no one to rescue them.

5 The hungry consume his harvest,

even taking it out of the thorns.

The thirstypant for his children’s wealth.

6 For distress does not grow out of the soil,

and trouble does not sprout from the ground.

7 But mankind is born for trouble

as surely as sparks fly upward.

8 However, if I were you, I would appeal to God

and would present my case to Him.

9 He does greatand unsearchable things,

wonders without number.

10 He gives rain to the earth

and sends water to the fields.

11 He sets the lowly on high,

and mourners are lifted to safety.

12 He frustrates the schemes of the crafty

so that theyachieve no success.

13 He traps the wise in their craftiness

so that the plans of the deceptive

are quickly brought to an end.

14 They encounter darkness by day,

and they grope at noon

as if it were night.

15 He saves the needy from their sharp words

and from the clutches of the powerful.

16 So the poor have hope,

and injustice shuts its mouth.

17 See how happy the man is God corrects;

so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.

18 For He crushes but also binds up;

He strikes, but His hands also heal.

19 He will rescue you from six calamities;

no harm will touch you in seven.

20 In famine He will redeem you from death,

and in battle, from the power of the sword.

21 You will be safe from slander

and not fear destruction when it comes.

22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger

and not fear the animals of the earth.

23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,

and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

24 You will know that your tent is secure,

and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home.

25 You will also know that your offspring will be many

and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

26 You will approach the gravein full vigor,

as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season.

27 We have investigated this, and it is true!

Hear it and understand it for yourself.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/5-b2d5378735f1b46354b0b5fa1c8eddee.mp3?version_id=72—

Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

1 Then Job answered:

2 If only my grief could be weighed

and my devastationplaced with it in the scales.

3 For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas!

That is why my words are rash.

4 Surely the arrows of the Almighty have piercedme;

my spirit drinks their poison.

God’s terrors are arrayed against me.

5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass

or an ox low over its fodder?

6 Is bland food eaten without salt?

Is there flavor in an egg white?

7 I refuse to touch them;

they are like contaminated food.

8 If only my request would be granted

and God would provide what I hope for:

9 that He would decide to crush me,

to unleash His power and cut me off!

10 It would still bring me comfort,

and I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain

that I have not deniedthe words of the Holy One.

11 What strength do I have that I should continue to hope?

What is my future, that I should be patient?

12 Is my strength that of stone,

or my flesh made of bronze?

13 Since I cannot help myself,

the hope for success has been banished from me.

14 A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends,

even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi,

as seasonal streams that overflow

16 and become darkenedbecause of ice,

and the snow melts into them.

17 The wadis evaporate in warm weather;

they disappear from their channels in hot weather.

18 Caravans turn away from their routes,

go up into the desert, and perish.

19 The caravans of Tema look for these streams.

The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.

20 They are ashamed because they had been confident of finding water.

When they arrive there, they are frustrated.

21 So this is what you have now become to me.

When you see something dreadful, you are afraid.

22 Have I ever said: “Give me something”

or “Pay a bribe for me from your wealth”

23 or “Deliver me from the enemy’s power”

or “Redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless”?

24 Teach me, and I will be silent.

Help me understand what I did wrong.

25 How painful honest words can be!

But what does your rebuke prove?

26 Do you think that you can disprove my words

or that a despairing man’s words are mere wind?

27 No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless child

and negotiate a price to sell your friend.

28 But now, please look at me;

would I lie to your face?

29 Reconsider; don’t be unjust.

Reconsider; my righteousnessis still the issue.

30 Is there injustice on my tongue

or can my palate not taste disaster?

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/6-b83f916e5d3335753722a76c8e22fa01.mp3?version_id=72—

1 Isn’t mankind consigned to forced laboron earth?

Are not his days like those of a hired hand?

2 Like a slave he longs for shade;

like a hired man he waits for his pay.

3 So I have been made to inherit months of futility,

and troubled nights have been assigned to me.

4 When I lie down I think:

When will I get up?

But the evening drags on endlessly,

and I toss and turn until dawn.

5 My flesh is clothed with maggots and encrusted with dirt.

My skin forms scabsand then oozes.

6 My days pass more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle;

they come to an end without hope.

7 Remember that my life is but a breath.

My eye will never again see anything good.

8 The eye of anyone who looks on me

will no longer see me.

Your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone.

9 As a cloud fades away and vanishes,

so the one who goes down to Sheolwill never rise again.

10 He will never return to his house;

his hometown will no longer rememberhim.

11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth.

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I the seaor a sea monster,

that You keep me under guard?

13 When I say: My bed will comfort me,

and my couch will ease my complaint,

14 then You frighten me with dreams,

and terrify me with visions,

15 so that I prefer strangling—

death rather than life in this body.

16 I give up! I will not live forever.

Leave me alone,for my days are a breath.

17 What is man, that You think so highly of him

and pay so much attention to him?

18 You inspect him every morning,

and put him to the test every moment.

19 Will You ever look away from me,

or leave me alone long enough to swallow?

20 If I have sinned, what have I done to You,

Watcher of mankind?

Why have You made me Your target,

so that I have become a burden to You?

21 Why not forgive my sin

and pardon my transgression?

For soon I will lie down in the grave.

You will eagerly seek me, but I will be gone.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/7-3f0023bc72b9d38f372803deca5dc35f.mp3?version_id=72—

Bildad Speaks

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2 How long will you go on saying these things?

Your wordsare a blast of wind.

3 Does God pervert justice?

Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

4 Since your children sinned against Him,

He gave them over to their rebellion.

5 But if you earnestly seekGod

and ask the Almighty for mercy,

6 if you are pure and upright,

then He will move even now on your behalf

and restore the home where your righteousness dwells.

7 Then, even if your beginnings were modest,

your final days will be full of prosperity.

8 For ask the previous generation,

and pay attention to what their fathers discovered,

9 since we were born only yesterday and know nothing.

Our days on earth are but a shadow.

10 Will they not teach you and tell you

and speak from their understanding?

11 Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh?

Do reeds flourish without water?

12 While still uncut shoots,

they would dry up quicker than any other plant.

13 Such is the destinyof all who forget God;

the hope of the godlesswill perish.

14 His source of confidence is fragile;

what he trusts in is a spider’s web.

15 He leans on his web, but it doesn’t stand firm.

He grabs it, but it does not hold up.

16 He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine;

his shoots spread out over his garden.

17 His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks.

He looks for a home among the stones.

18 If he is uprootedfrom his place,

it will deny knowing him, saying, “I never saw you.”

19 Surely this is the joy of his way of life;

yet others will sprout from the dust.

20 Look, God does not reject a person of integrity,

and He will not support evildoers.

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

and your lips with a shout of joy.

22 Your enemies will be clothed with shame;

the tentof the wicked will exist no longer.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/8-128277be5775f1491122f0038ca71d5c.mp3?version_id=72—

Job’s Reply to Bildad

1 Then Job answered:

2 Yes, I know what you’ve said is true,

but how can a person be justified before God?

3 If one wanted to takeHim to court,

he could not answer Godonce in a thousand times.

4 God is wiseand all-powerful.

Who has opposed Him and come out unharmed?

5 He removes mountains without their knowledge,

overturning them in His anger.

6 He shakes the earth from its place

so that its pillars tremble.

7 He commands the sun not to shine

and seals off the stars.

8 He alone stretches out the heavens

and treads on the waves of the sea.

9 He makes the stars: the Bear,Orion,

the Pleiades,and the constellationsof the southern sky.

10 He does great and unsearchable things,

wonders without number.

11 If He passes by me, I wouldn’t see Him;

if He goes right by, I wouldn’t recognize Him.

12 If He snatches something, who can stopHim?

Who can ask Him, “What are You doing? ”

13 God does not hold back His anger;

Rahab’sassistants cringe in fear beneath Him!

14 How then can I answer Him

or choose my arguments against Him?

15 Even if I were in the right, I could not answer.

I could only beg my Judge for mercy.

16 If I summoned Him and He answered me,

I do not believe He would pay attention to what I said.

17 He batters me with a whirlwind

and multiplies my wounds without cause.

18 He doesn’t let me catch my breath

but soaks me with bitter experiences.

19 If it is a matter of strength, look, He is the Mighty One!

If it is a matter of justice, who can summonHim?

20 Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me;

if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty.

21 Though I am blameless,

I no longer care about myself;

I renounce my life.

22 It is all the same. Therefore I say,

“He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”

23 When disaster brings sudden death,

He mocks the despair of the innocent.

24 The earthis handed over to the wicked;

He blindfoldsits judges.

If it isn’t He, then who is it?

25 My days fly by faster than a runner;

they flee without seeing any good.

26 They sweep by like boats made of papyrus,

like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

27 If I said, “I will forget my complaint,

change my expression, and smile,”

28 I would still live in terror of all my pains.

I know You will not acquit me.

29 Since I will be found guilty,

why should I labor in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow,

and cleanse my hands with lye,

31 then You dip me in a pit of mud,

and my own clothes despise me!

32 For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him,

that we can take each other to court.

33 There is no one to judge between us,

to lay his hand on both of us.

34 Let Him take His rod away from me

so His terror will no longer frighten me.

35 Then I would speak and not fear Him.

But that is not the case; I am on my own.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/9-88ef01b2c47311a6933bf269bd3faeaf.mp3?version_id=72—

1 I am disgusted with my life.

I will express my complaint

and speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 I will say to God:

“Do not declare me guilty!

Let me know why You prosecute me.

3 Is it good for You to oppress,

to reject the work of Your hands,

and favorthe plans of the wicked?

4 Do You have eyes of flesh,

or do You see as a human sees?

5 Are Your days like those of a human,

or Your years like those of a man,

6 that You look for my wrongdoing

and search for my sin,

7 even though You know that I am not wicked

and that there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?

8 “Your hands shaped me and formed me.

Will You now turn and destroy me?

9 Please remember that You formed me like clay.

Will You now return me to dust?

10 Did You not pour me out like milk

and curdle me like cheese?

11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,

and wove me together with bones and tendons.

12 You gave me life and faithful love,

and Your care has guarded my life.

13 “Yet You concealed these thoughts in Your heart;

I know that this was Your hidden plan:

14 if I sin, You would notice,

and would not acquit me of my wrongdoing.

15 If I am wicked, woe to me!

And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head.

I am filled with shame

and aware of my affliction.

16 If I am proud,You hunt me like a lion

and again display Your miraculous power against me.

17 You produce new witnessesagainst me

and multiply Your anger toward me.

Hardships assault me, wave after wave.

18 “Why did You bring me out of the womb?

I should have died and never been seen.

19 I wishI had never existed

but had been carried from the womb to the grave.

20 Are my days not few? Stop it!

Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little

21 before I go to a land of darkness and gloom,

never to return.

22 It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness,

gloomy and chaotic,

where even the light is likethe darkness.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/10-cb183d18b45baa992ad4ed6cda7ce06f.mp3?version_id=72—

Zophar Speaks

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2 Should this stream of wordsgo unanswered

and such a talkerbe acquitted?

3 Should your babbling put others to silence,

so that you can keep on ridiculing

with no one to humiliate you?

4 You have said, “My teachingis sound,

and I am pure in Your sight.”

5 But if only God would speak

and declare His caseagainst you,

6 He would show you the secrets of wisdom,

for true wisdom has two sides.

Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your sin.

7 Can you fathom the depths of God

or discover the limits of the Almighty?

8 They are higher than the heavens — what can you do?

They are deeper than Sheol — what can you know?

9 Their measure is longer than the earth

and wider than the sea.

10 If He passes by and throws someone in prison

or convenes a court, who can stop Him?

11 Surely He knows which people are worthless.

If He sees iniquity, will He not take note of it?

12 But a stupid man will gain understanding

as soon as a wild donkey is born a man!

13 As for you, if you redirect your heart

and lift up your hands to Him in prayer —

14 if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it,

and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents —

15 then you will hold your head high, free from fault.

You will be firmly established and unafraid.

16 For you will forget your suffering,

recalling it only as waters that have flowed by.

17 Your life will be brighter than noonday;

its darknesswill be like the morning.

18 You will be confident, because there is hope.

You will look carefully about and lie down in safety.

19 You will lie down without fear,

and many will seek your favor.

20 But the sight of the wickedwill fail.

Their way of escape will be cut off,

and their only hope is their last breath.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/11-d4a994e2b158082c2f88c66a1c87be66.mp3?version_id=72—

Job’s Reply to Zophar

1 Then Job answered:

2 No doubt you are the people,

and wisdom will die with you!

3 But I also have a mind;

I am not inferior to you.

Who doesn’t know the things you are talking about?

4 I am a laughingstock to myfriends,

by calling on God, who answers me.

The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.

5 The one who is at easeholds calamity in contempt

and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping.

6 The tents of robbers are safe,

and those who provoke God are secure;

God’s power provides this.

7 But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;

ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

8 Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you;

let the fish of the sea inform you.

9 Which of all these does not know

that the hand of theLordhas done this?

10 The life of every living thing is in His hand,

as well as the breath of all mankind.

11 Doesn’t the ear test words

as the palate tastes food?

12 Wisdom is found with the elderly,

and understanding comes with long life.

13 Wisdom and strength belong to God;

counsel and understanding are His.

14 Whatever He tears down cannot be rebuilt;

whoever He imprisons cannot be released.

15 When He withholds the waters, everything dries up,

and when He releases them, they destroy the land.

16 True wisdom and power belong to Him.

The deceived and the deceiver are His.

17 He leads counselors away barefoot

and makes judges go mad.

18 He releases the bondsput on by kings

and fastens a belt around their waists.

19 He leads priests away barefoot

and overthrows established leaders.

20 He deprives trusted advisers of speech

and takes away the elders’ good judgment.

21 He pours out contempt on nobles

and disarmsthe strong.

22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness

and brings the deepest darkness into the light.

23 He makes nations great, then destroys them;

He enlarges nations,then leads them away.

24 He deprives the world’s leaders of reason,

and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

25 They grope around in darkness without light;

He makes them stagger like drunken men.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/12-1779216c4c71367e6a13cd501b9378b9.mp3?version_id=72—

1 Look, my eyes have seen all this;

my earshave heard and understood it.

2 Everything you know, I also know;

I am not inferior to you.

3 Yet I prefer to speak to the Almighty

and argue my case before God.

4 But you coat the truth with lies;

you are all worthless doctors.

5 If only you would shut up

and let that be your wisdom!

6 Hear now my argument,

and listen to my defense.

7 Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf

or speak deceitfully for Him?

8 Would you show partialityto Him

or argue the case in His defense?

9 Would it go well if He examined you?

Could you deceive Him as you would deceive a man?

10 Surely He would rebuke you

if you secretly showed partiality.

11 Would God’s majesty not terrify you?

Would His dread not fall on you?

12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash;

your defenses are made of clay.

13 Be quiet,and I will speak.

Let whatever comes happen to me.

14 Why do I put myself at risk

and take my life in my own hands?

15 Even if He kills me, I will hope in Him.

I will still defendmy ways before Him.

16 Yes, this will result in my deliverance,

for no godless personcan appear before Him.

17 Pay close attention to my words;

let my declaration ring in your ears.

18 Now then, I have prepared my case;

I know that I am right.

19 Can anyone indict me?

If so, I will be silent and die.

20 Only grant these two things to me, God,

so that I will not have to hide from Your presence:

21 remove Your hand from me,

and do not let Your terror frighten me.

22 Then call, and I will answer,

or I will speak, and You can respond to me.

23 How many iniquitiesand sins have I committed?

Reveal to me my transgression and sin.

24 Why do You hide Your face

and consider me Your enemy?

25 Will You frighten a wind-driven leaf?

Will You chase after dry straw?

26 For You record bitter accusations against me

and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth.

27 You put my feet in the stocks

and stand watch over all my paths,

setting a limit for the solesof my feet.

28 Man wears out like something rotten,

like a moth-eaten garment.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/13-7271ad89438951c7bc990c0ce623d5cc.mp3?version_id=72—

1 Man born of woman

is short of days and full of trouble.

2 He blossoms like a flower, then withers;

he flees like a shadow and does not last.

3 Do You really take notice of one like this?

Will You bring me into judgment against You?

4 Who can produce something pure from what is impure?

No one!

5 Since man’s days are determined

and the number of his months depends on You,

and since You have setlimits he cannot pass,

6 look away from him and let him rest

so that he can enjoy his day like a hired hand.

7 There is hope for a tree:

If it is cut down, it will sprout again,

and its shoots will not die.

8 If its roots grow old in the ground

and its stump starts to die in the soil,

9 the smell of water makes it thrive

and produce twigs like a sapling.

10 But a man dies and fades away;

he breathes his last — where is he?

11 As water disappears from the sea

and a river becomes parched and dry,

12 so man lies down never to rise again.

They will not wake up until the heavens are no more;

they will not stir from their sleep.

13 If only You would hide me in Sheol

and conceal me until Your angerpasses.

If only You would appoint a time for me

and then remember me.

14 When a man dies, will he come back to life?

If so, I would waitall the days of my struggle

until my relief comes.

15 You would call, and I would answer You.

You would long for the work of Your hands.

16 For then You would count my steps

but would not take noteof my sin.

17 My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag,

and You would cover over my iniquity.

18 But as a mountain collapses and crumbles

and a rock is dislodged from its place,

19 as water wears away stones

and torrents wash away the soil from the land,

so You destroy a man’s hope.

20 You completely overpower him, and he passes on;

You change his appearance and send him away.

21 If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;

if they become insignificant, he is unaware of it.

22 He feels only the pain of his own body

and mourns only for himself.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOB/14-2a3a5443a24311196cd6091dbafc2332.mp3?version_id=72—