Author: admin

Savoring Evil as a Delicacy

1-3 Zophar from Naamath again took his turn:

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing!

You’ve put my teeth on edge, my stomach in a knot.

How dare you insult my intelligence like this!

Well, here’s a piece of my mind!

4-11 “Don’t you even know the basics,

how things have been since the earliest days,

when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth?

The good times of the wicked are short-lived;

godless joy is only momentary.

The evil might become world famous,

strutting at the head of the celebrity parade,

But still end up in a pile of dung.

Acquaintances look at them with disgust and say, ‘What’s that?’

They fly off like a dream that can’t be remembered,

like a shadowy illusion that vanishes in the light.

Though once notorious public figures, now they’re nobodies,

unnoticed, whether they come or go.

Their children will go begging on skid row,

and they’ll have to give back their ill-gotten gain.

Right in the prime of life,

and youthful and vigorous, they’ll die.

12-19 “They savor evil as a delicacy,

roll it around on their tongues,

Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence—

real gourmets of evil!

But then they get stomach cramps,

a bad case of food poisoning.

They gag on all that rich food;

God makes them vomit it up.

They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison—

a deadly diet—and it kills them.

No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams

with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks.

They spit out their food half-chewed,

unable to relax and enjoy anything they’ve worked for.

And why? Because they exploited the poor,

took what never belonged to them.

20-29 “Such God-denying people are never content with what they have

or who they are;

their greed drives them relentlessly.

They plunder everything

but they can’t hold on to any of it.

Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes;

they’re served up a plate full of misery.

When they’ve filled their bellies with that,

God gives them a taste of his anger,

and they get to chew on that for a while.

As they run for their lives from one disaster,

they run smack into another.

They’re knocked around from pillar to post,

beaten to within an inch of their lives.

They’re trapped in a house of horrors,

and see their loot disappear down a black hole.

Their lives are a total loss—

not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean.

God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes

and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see.

Life is a complete wipeout for them,

nothing surviving God’s wrath.

There! That’s God’s blueprint for the wicked—

what they have to look forward to.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/20-7c8aa439979c6c230964a69578cd39bd.mp3?version_id=97—

Why Do the Wicked Have It So Good?

1-3 Job replied:

“Now listen to me carefully, please listen,

at least do me the favor of listening.

Put up with me while I have my say—

then you can mock me later to your heart’s content.

4-16 “It’s notyouI’m complaining to—it’sGod.

Is it any wonder I’m getting fed up with his silence?

Take a good look at me. Aren’t you appalled by what’s happened?

No! Don’t say anything. I can do without your comments.

When I look back, I go into shock,

my body is racked with spasms.

Why do the wicked have it so good,

live to a ripe old age and get rich?

They get to see their children succeed,

get to watch and enjoy their grandchildren.

Their homes are peaceful and free from fear;

they never experience God’s disciplining rod.

Their bulls breed with great vigor

and their cows calve without fail.

They send their children out to play

and watch them frolic like spring lambs.

They make music with fiddles and flutes,

have good times singing and dancing.

They have a long life on easy street,

and die painlessly in their sleep.

They say to God, ‘Get lost!

We’ve no interest in you or your ways.

Why should we have dealings with God Almighty?

What’s there in it for us?’

But they’re wrong, dead wrong—they’re not gods.

It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!

17-21 “Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail,

or disaster strikes,

or they get their just deserts?

How often are they blown away by bad luck?

Not very often.

You might say, ‘God is saving up the punishment for their children.’

I say, ‘Give it to them right now so they’ll know what

they’ve done!’

They deserve to experience the effects of their evil,

feel the full force of God’s wrath firsthand.

What do they care what happens to their families

after they’re safely tucked away in the grave?

Fancy Funerals with All the Trimmings

22-26 “But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs?

He’s dealing with matters that are way over our heads.

Some people die in the prime of life,

with everything going for them—

fat and sassy.

Others die bitter and bereft,

never getting a taste of happiness.

They’re laid out side by side in the cemetery,

where the worms can’t tell one from the other.

27-33 “I’m not deceived. I know what you’re up to,

the plans you’re cooking up to bring me down.

Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces,

that the achievements of the wicked collapse.

Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it?

Have you not listened to their stories

Of evil men and women who got off scot-free,

who never had to pay for their wickedness?

Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes?

Did they ever have to face the music?

Not likely—they’re given fancy funerals

with all the trimmings,

Gently lowered into expensive graves,

with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were.

34 “So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense?

Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/21-197eaa44c105871ff2154ea156bc001f.mp3?version_id=97—

Come to Terms with God

1-11 Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme:

“Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand,

or smart enough to give him advice?

So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?

Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think

he’d applaud?

Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity

that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot?

Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure,

because there’s no end to your sins.

When people came to you for help,

you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.

You wouldn’t so much as give a drink to the thirsty,

or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.

And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone,

surrounded by immense wealth!

You turned poor widows away from your door;

heartless, you crushed orphans.

Nowyou’rethe one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear.

Suddenly the tables have turned!

How do you like living in the dark, sightless,

up to your neck in flood waters?

12-14 “You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge?

He runs the universe—just look at the stars!

Yet you dare raise questions: ‘What does God know?

From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?

He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds,

so how can he see us?’

15-18 “Are you going to persist in that tired old line

that wicked men and women have always used?

Where did it get them? They died young,

flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.

They told God, ‘Get lost!

What good is God Almighty to us?’

And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.

It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!

19-20 “Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration.

Relieved, they crow,

‘At last! Our enemies—wiped out.

Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!’

21-25 “Give in to God, come to terms with him

and everything will turn out just fine.

Let him tell you what to do;

take his words to heart.

Come back to God Almighty

and he’ll rebuild your life.

Clean house of everything evil.

Relax your grip on your money

and abandon your gold-plated luxury.

God Almighty will be your treasure,

more wealth than you can imagine.

26-30 “You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One,

and look to him joyfully, boldly.

You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen;

he’ll help you do what you’ve promised.

You’ll decide what you want and it will happen;

your life will be bathed in light.

To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’

and God will save them.

Yes, even the guilty will escape,

escape through God’s grace in your life.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/22-17fae0c4bce5a5bee6edadcf448f3b92.mp3?version_id=97—

I’m Completely in the Dark

1-7 Job replied:

“I’m not letting up—I’m standing my ground.

My complaint is legitimate.

God has no right to treat me like this—

it isn’t fair!

If I knew where on earth to find him,

I’d go straight to him.

I’d lay my case before him face-to-face,

give him all my arguments firsthand.

I’d find out exactly what he’s thinking,

discover what’s going on in his head.

Do you think he’d dismiss me or bully me?

No, he’d take me seriously.

He’d see a straight-living man standing before him;

my Judge would acquit me for good of all charges.

8-9 “I travel East looking for him—I find no one;

then West, but not a trace;

I go North, but he’s hidden his tracks;

then South, but not even a glimpse.

10-12 “But he knows where I am and what I’ve done.

He can cross-examine me all he wants, and I’ll pass the test with honors.

I’ve followed him closely, my feet in his footprints,

not once swerving from his way.

I’ve obeyed every word he’s spoken,

and not just obeyed his advice—I’vetreasuredit.

13-17 “But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him?

He does what he wants, when he wants to.

He’ll complete in detail what he’s decided about me,

and whatever else he determines to do.

Is it any wonder that I dread meeting him?

Whenever I think about it, I get scared all over again.

God makes my heart sink!

God Almighty gives me the shudders!

I’m completely in the dark,

I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/23-ac079a7360b9864f07cf01e9e1d04134.mp3?version_id=97—

An Illusion of Security

1-12 “But if Judgment Day isn’t hidden from the Almighty,

why are we kept in the dark?

There are people out there getting by with murder—

stealing and lying and cheating.

They rip off the poor

and exploit the unfortunate,

Push the helpless into the ditch,

bully the weak so that they fear for their lives.

The poor, like stray dogs and cats,

scavenge for food in back alleys.

They sort through the garbage of the rich,

eke out survival on handouts.

Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street;

they’ve no place to lay their heads.

Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen,

they huddle in makeshift shelters.

Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them;

the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold.

They go about patched and threadbare;

even the hard workers go hungry.

No matter how backbreaking their labor,

they can never make ends meet.

People are dying right and left, groaning in torment.

The wretched cry out for help

and God does nothing, acts like nothing’s wrong!

13-17 “Then there are those who avoid light at all costs,

who scorn the light-filled path.

When the sun goes down, the murderer gets up—

kills the poor and robs the defenseless.

Sexual predators can’t wait for nightfall,

thinking, ‘No one can see us now.’

Burglars do their work at night,

but keep well out of sight through the day.

They want nothing to do with light.

Deep darkness is morning for that bunch;

they make the terrors of darkness their companions in crime.

18-25 “They are scraps of wood floating on the water—

useless, cursed junk, good for nothing.

As surely as snow melts under the hot, summer sun,

sinners disappear in the grave.

The womb has forgotten them, worms have relished them—

nothing that is evil lasts.

Unscrupulous,

they prey on those less fortunate.

However much they strut and flex their muscles,

there’s nothing to them. They’re hollow.

They may have an illusion of security,

but God has his eye on them.

They may get their brief successes,

but then it’s over, nothing to show for it.

Like yesterday’s newspaper,

they’re used to wrap up the garbage.

You’re free to try to prove me a liar,

but you won’t be able to do it.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/24-b792d776fbd49953b406e39f64d81c71.mp3?version_id=97—

Even the Stars Aren’t Perfect in God’s Eyes

1-6 Bildad the Shuhite again attacked Job:

“God is sovereign, God is fearsome—

everything in the cosmos fits and works in his plan.

Can anyone count his angel armies?

Is there any place where his light doesn’t shine?

How can a mere mortal presume to stand up to God?

How can an ordinary person pretend to be guiltless?

Why, even the moon has its flaws,

even the stars aren’t perfect in God’s eyes,

So how much less, plain men and women—

slugs and maggots by comparison!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/25-9eb9310043dc3fe961f6d8b0d36da462.mp3?version_id=97—

God Sets a Boundary Between Light and Darkness

1-4 Job answered:

“Well, you’ve certainly been a great help to a helpless man!

You came to the rescue just in the nick of time!

What wonderful advice you’ve given to a mixed-up man!

What amazing insights you’ve provided!

Where in the world did you learn all this?

How did you become so inspired?

5-14 “All the buried dead are in torment,

and all who’ve been drowned in the deep, deep sea.

Hell is ripped open before God,

graveyards dug up and exposed.

He spreads the skies over unformed space,

hangs the earth out in empty space.

He pours water into cumulus cloud-bags

and the bags don’t burst.

He makes the moon wax and wane,

putting it through its phases.

He draws the horizon out over the ocean,

sets a boundary between light and darkness.

Thunder crashes and rumbles in the skies.

Listen! It’s God raising his voice!

By his power he stills sea storms,

by his wisdom he tames sea monsters.

With one breath he clears the sky,

with one finger he crushes the sea serpent.

And this is only the beginning,

a mere whisper of his rule.

Whatever would we do if hereallyraised his voice!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/26-7de566c6a27740da6c30d53a4f7079c5.mp3?version_id=97—

No Place to Hide

1-6 Having waited for Zophar, Job now resumed his defense:

“God-Alive! He’s denied me justice!

God Almighty! He’s ruined my life!

But for as long as I draw breath,

and for as long as God breathes life into me,

I refuse to say one word that isn’t true.

I refuse to confess to any charge that’s false.

There is no way I’ll ever agree to your accusations.

I’ll not deny my integrity even if it costs me my life.

I’m holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip—

and, believe me, I’ll never regret it.

7-10 “Let my enemy be exposed as wicked!

Let my adversary be proven guilty!

What hope do people without God have when life is cut short?

when God puts an end to life?

Do you think God will listen to their cry for help

when disaster hits?

What interest have they ever shown in the Almighty?

Have they ever been known to pray before?

11-12 “I’ve given you a clear account of God in action,

suppressed nothing regarding God Almighty.

The evidence is right before you. You can all see it for yourselves,

so why do you keep talking nonsense?

13-23 “I’ll quote your own words back to you:

“‘This is how God treats the wicked,

this is what evil people can expect from God Almighty:

Their children—all of them—will die violent deaths;

they’ll never have enough bread to put on the table.

They’ll be wiped out by the plague,

and none of the widows will shed a tear when they’re gone.

Even if they make a lot of money

and are resplendent in the latest fashions,

It’s the good who will end up wearing the clothes

and the decent who will divide up the money.

They build elaborate houses

that won’t survive a single winter.

They go to bed wealthy

and wake up poor.

Terrors pour in on them like flash floods—

a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night,

A cyclone sweeps them up—gone!

Not a trace of them left, not even a footprint.

Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them;

they run this way and that, but there’s no place to hide—

Pummeled by the weather,

blown to kingdom come by the storm.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/27-a6dd648daa4c7900ca1b2f71042b3e52.mp3?version_id=97—

Where Does Wisdom Come From?

1-11 “We all know how silver seams the rocks,

we’ve seen the stuff from which gold is refined,

We’re aware of how iron is dug out of the ground

and copper is smelted from rock.

Miners penetrate the earth’s darkness,

searching the roots of the mountains for ore,

digging away in the suffocating darkness.

Far from civilization, far from the traffic,

they cut a shaft,

and are lowered into it by ropes.

Earth’s surface is a field for grain,

but its depths are a forge

Firing sapphires from stones

and chiseling gold from rocks.

Vultures are blind to its riches,

hawks never lay eyes on it.

Wild animals are oblivious to it,

lions don’t know it’s there.

Miners hammer away at the rock,

they uproot the mountains.

They tunnel through the rock

and find all kinds of beautiful gems.

They discover the origins of rivers,

and bring earth’s secrets to light.

12-19 “But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom?

Where does Insight hide?

Mortals don’t have a clue,

haven’t the slightest idea where to look.

Earth’s depths say, ‘It’s not here’;

ocean deeps echo, ‘Never heard of it.’

It can’t be bought with the finest gold;

no amount of silver can get it.

Even famous Ophir gold can’t buy it,

not even diamonds and sapphires.

Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable;

extravagant jewelry can’t touch it.

Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets—why bother?

None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!

Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will,

they can’t hold a candle to Wisdom.

20-22 “So where does Wisdom come from?

And where does Insight live?

It can’t be found by looking, no matter

how deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.

If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,

they say, ‘We’ve only heard rumors of it.’

23-28 “God alone knows the way to Wisdom,

he knows the exact place to find it.

He knows where everything is on earth,

he sees everything under heaven.

After he commanded the winds to blow

and measured out the waters,

Arranged for the rain

and set off explosions of thunder and lightning,

He focused on Wisdom,

made sure it was all set and tested and ready.

Then he addressed the human race: ‘Here it is!

Fear-of-the-Lord—that’s Wisdom,

and Insight means shunning evil.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/28-eb9895d3dbf25038bda443faaf1f3d0b.mp3?version_id=97—

When God Was Still by My Side

1-6 Job now resumed his response:

“Oh, how I long for the good old days,

when God took such very good care of me.

He always held a lamp before me

and I walked through the dark by its light.

Oh, how I miss those golden years

when God’s friendship graced my home,

When the Mighty One was still by my side

and my children were all around me,

When everything was going my way,

and nothing seemed too difficult.

7-20 “When I walked downtown

and sat with my friends in the public square,

Young and old greeted me with respect;

I was honored by everyone in town.

When I spoke, everyone listened;

they hung on my every word.

People who knew me spoke well of me;

my reputation went ahead of me.

I was known for helping people in trouble

and standing up for those who were down on their luck.

The dying blessed me,

and the bereaved were cheered by my visits.

All my dealings with people were good.

I was known for being fair to everyone I met.

I was eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame,

Father to the needy,

and champion of abused aliens.

I grabbed street thieves by the scruff of the neck

and made them give back what they’d stolen.

I thought, ‘I’ll die peacefully in my own bed,

grateful for a long and full life,

A life deep-rooted and well-watered,

a life limber and dew-fresh,

My soul suffused with glory

and my body robust until the day I die.’

21-25 “Men and women listened when I spoke,

hung expectantly on my every word.

After I spoke, they’d be quiet,

taking it all in.

They welcomed my counsel like spring rain,

drinking it all in.

When I smiled at them, they could hardly believe it;

their faces lit up, their troubles took wing!

I was their leader, establishing the mood

and setting the pace by which they lived.

Where I led, they followed.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/85/32k/JOB/29-1eb44929fbfb1adf886ef98914d534cc.mp3?version_id=97—