Job 4-7
Eliphaz Speaks
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “If someone tried to speak with you, would you be ·upset [or discouraged]?
I cannot keep from speaking.
3 Think about the many people you have taught
and the weak hands you have made strong.
4 Your words have ·comforted [L lifted up] those who ·fell [stumbled],
and you have strengthened those ·who could not stand [L with weak knees].
5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;
·trouble hits [L it touches] you, and you are ·terrified [disturbed].
6 ·You should have [Shouldn’t you have…?] confidence because you ·respect [fear; have awe for] God;
·you should [should you not…?] have hope because ·you are innocent [L of your innocent ways].
7 “Remember ·that the innocent will not die [L who being innocent/blameless has perished…?];
·honest people will never be [L when were the honest/virtuous…? ] destroyed.
8 I have ·noticed [seen] that people who plow ·evil [wickedness]
and plant trouble, harvest it.
9 God’s breath destroys them,
and a blast of his anger ·kills [finishes] them.
10 Lions may roar and lion cubs growl,
but when the teeth of a strong lion are broken,
11 that lion dies ·of hunger [L without prey].
The cubs of the mother lion are scattered [C the wicked may briefly prosper but will ultimately perish].
12 “A word ·was brought to me in secret [L stole over me],
and my ears heard a whisper of it [C Eliphaz claims a supernatural revelation that supports his teaching].
13 It was during ·a nightmare [L anxious thoughts of a night vision]
when people are in deep sleep.
14 I was trembling with fear;
all my bones were shaking.
15 A spirit glided past my face,
and the hair on my ·body [L skin] stood on end.
16 The spirit stopped,
but I could not see what it was.
A shape stood before my eyes,
and I heard a quiet voice.
17 It said, ‘Can a human be more right than God?
Can a person be pure before his maker? [C the implied answer is no]
18 God does not trust his ·angels [L servants];
he blames ·them [L angels] for mistakes.
19 So ·he puts even more blame on [L what about…?] people who live in clay houses [C physical bodies],
whose foundations are made of dust [Gen. 2:7],
who can be crushed like a moth.
20 Between ·dawn and sunset [L morning and evening] many people are broken to pieces;
without being noticed, they die and are gone forever.
21 The ropes of their tents are pulled up,
and they die without wisdom.’
5 “Call if you want to, Job, ·but no one [L is there anyone who…?] will answer you.
·You can’t [L Can you…?] turn to any of the holy ones [C angels].
2 ·Anger [Irritation] kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the ·stupid [or naïve; simpleminded; C these emotions can lead to death; Prov. 14:30; 27:4].
3 I have seen a fool ·succeed [L taking root],
but I cursed his ·home [household; pasturage] ·immediately [suddenly].
4 His children are far from safety
and are crushed in court with no ·defense [or rescuer].
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
even taking what grew among the thorns,
and thirsty people ·want [L pant after] his wealth.
6 ·Hard times do [Misery does] not come up from the ·ground [dust],
and trouble does not ·grow [sprout] from the earth [C they come from anger and jealousy].
7 People ·produce [L are born for] trouble
as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 “But if I were you, I would ·call on [L seek] God
and ·bring my problem [L commit my thoughts/cause] before him [C argues that Job needs to repent].
9 God does wonders that cannot be understood;
he does so many ·miracles [marvelous acts] they cannot be counted.
10 He gives rain to the earth
and sends water on the fields.
11 He makes the ·humble [lowly] person important [Ps. 113]
and lifts ·the sad [mourners] to places of safety.
12 He ruins the ·plans [pretensions; strategies] of those who ·trick others [are crafty]
so ·they [L their hands] have no success.
13 He catches the ·wise [crafty; clever] in their own ·clever traps [craftiness]
and ·sweeps away [ends; finishes off] the ·plans [advice; schemes] of those who ·try to trick others [are wily].
14 Darkness ·covers them up [or encounters them] in the daytime;
even at noon they ·feel [grope] around in the dark.
15 God saves the needy from their lies
and from the harm done by powerful people.
16 So the poor have hope,
while those who are ·unfair [unjust] ·are silenced [L shut their mouth].
17 “The one whom God ·corrects [reproves] is ·happy [blessed],
so do not ·hate being corrected by [L reject/despise the instruction of] the Almighty [Prov. 3:11–12].
18 God ·hurts [wounds], but he also bandages up;
he ·injures [strikes], but his hands also heal.
19 He will ·save [rescue] you from six ·troubles [dangers];
even seven ·troubles [or evils] will not ·harm [L touch] you [C “six…seven” is a poetic way of saying “all troubles”].
20 God will ·buy you back [redeem/ransom you] from death in times of ·hunger [famine],
and in ·battle [war] he will save you from the sword.
21 You will be ·protected [hidden] from the ·tongue that strikes like a whip [lash of the tongue],
and you will not be afraid when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger [Ps. 112:7],
and you will not fear the wild animals,
23 because you will have an ·agreement [treaty; alliance; covenant] with the stones in the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you [C describes a peaceful relationship with all nature].
24 You will know that your tent is safe,
because you will ·check [visit] ·the things you own [your pasturage/home] and find nothing missing.
25 You will know that you will have many ·children [descendants],
and your ·descendants [offspring] will be like the grass on the earth.
26 You will come to the grave ·with all your strength [or at a ripe old age],
like bundles of grain gathered at the right time.
27 “We have ·checked [examined] this, and it is true,
so hear it and ·decide what it means to you [know it yourself].”
Job Answers Eliphaz
6 Then Job answered [L and said]:
2 “·I wish [or If only] my ·suffering [anguish; irritation] could be weighed
and my misery put on scales.
3 ·My sadness [L It] would be heavier than the sand of the seas.
No wonder my words ·seem careless [blurt out; are wild/rash].
4 [L For] The arrows of ·the Almighty [L Shaddai] are in me;
my spirit drinks in their poison;
God’s terrors ·are gathered [are ranged; enter into battle] against me.
5 ·A wild donkey does not bray when it has grass to eat [L Does not a wild donkey bray for grass?],
·and an ox is quiet when it has feed [L Does not an ox bellow for fodder?; C Job’s complaints are as natural as the sounds animals make when hungry].
6 ·Tasteless food is not [L Would tasteless food be…?] eaten without salt,
and ·there is no [L is there…?] flavor in the ·white of an egg [or juice of a weed; C Job’s “food” (his lot in life) is inedible].
7 I refuse to touch it;
such food makes me sick [C a word connected to menstruation and therefore ritual uncleanness; Lev. 15:19–30].
8 “How I wish that I might have what I ask for
and that God would give me what I hope for.
9 How I wish God would crush me
and reach out his hand to ·destroy me [cut me off].
10 Then I would have this ·comfort [consolation]
and be glad even in this unending pain,
because I would know I did not reject the words of the Holy One.
11 “·I do not have the [L What is my…?] strength to wait.
·There is nothing to hope for,
so why should I be patient [L What is my end that I should arrange my life]?
12 ·I do not [L Do I…?] have the strength of stone;
·my flesh is not [L is my flesh…?] bronze.
13 ·I have no power to help myself [L Is there no help for me?],
because ·success [resourcefulness] has been ·taken away [driven] from me.
14 “They say, ‘·A person’s friends should be kind to him when he is in trouble,
even if he stops fearing the Almighty [or Those who withhold loyalty from their friend do not fear the Almighty/Shaddai; C Job here criticizes his friends’ attitude toward him].’
15 But my ·brothers [C Job’s three friends] cannot be counted on.
They are like ·streams that do not always flow [L wadis; C seasonal riverbeds that are dry in the summer],
streams that sometimes run over.
16 They are made dark by melting ice
and rise with melting snow.
17 But they ·stop flowing [L are silent] in the dry season;
they disappear when it is hot.
18 ·Travelers [or Caravans] turn away from their paths
and go into the desert and die.
19 The groups of travelers from Tema [C an oasis in north Arabia] look for water,
and the traders of Sheba [C in south Arabia; both places were well known for their trade through the desert] look for it hopefully.
20 They are ·upset [L ashamed] because they had been sure;
when they arrive, they are ·disappointed [dismayed].
21 You ·also have been no help [L become like this to me].
You see something terrible, and you are afraid.
22 ·I have never said [L Did I ever say…?], ‘Give me a gift.
Use your wealth to ·pay my debt [or make a bribe for me].
23 ·Save [Rescue] me from the enemy’s power.
·Buy me back [Redeem me] from the clutches of ·cruel [violent] people.’
24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet.
·Show me [L Help me understand] where I have been wrong.
25 ·Honest [Virtuous; C Job speaks sarcastically] words are painful,
but your ·arguments [reproofs] prove nothing.
26 Do you mean to correct what I say?
Will you treat the words of a ·troubled [despairing] man as if they were only wind [C that is, empty]?
27 You would even ·gamble [cast lots] for orphans
and would ·trade away [sell] your friend.
28 “But now please look at me.
I would not lie to your face.
29 ·Change your mind [L Return now]; do not be unfair;
·think [return] again, because my ·innocence [righteousness] is being questioned.
30 What I am saying is not wicked;
I can ·tell [L taste] ·the difference between right and wrong [or tragedy].
7 “·People have [L Do not people have…?] a hard ·task [service] on earth,
and their days are like those of a [L hired] laborer [C hard work with little profit].
2 They are like a ·slave [servant] ·wishing [L panting] for the evening shadows,
like a [L hired] laborer waiting to be paid.
3 But I ·am given [L inherit] months that are ·empty [vain; futile],
and nights of ·misery [or toil] have been ·given [L allotted] to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, ‘How long until I get up?’
The night is long, and I toss until dawn.
5 My body is covered with worms and ·scabs [L clods of dust/dirt],
and my skin ·is broken and full of sores [L crusts over and oozes].
6 “My days go by faster than a weaver’s ·tool [shuttle],
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, God, that my life is only a breath.
My eyes will never see happy times again.
8 ·Those who [L The eyes that] see me now will see me no more;
you will look for me, but I will ·be gone [L be no more; not exist].
9 As a cloud ·disappears [fades] and is gone,
people go to ·the grave [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld] and never return.
10 They will never come back to their houses again,
and their places will not know them anymore.
11 “So I will not ·stay quiet [L restrain my mouth];
I will speak out in the ·suffering [distress; L pinch] of my spirit.
I will ·complain [groan] ·because I am so unhappy [L in the bitterness of my soul].
12 ·I am not [L Am I…?] ·the sea [L Yam] or ·the sea monster [L Tannin; C Yam and Tannin are legendary sea monsters representing chaos].
·So why have you […that you] set a guard over me?
13 Sometimes I think my bed will comfort me
or that my couch will ·stop my complaint [ease my groans].
14 Then you ·frighten [terrorize] me with dreams
and ·terrify [scare] me with visions.
15 My throat prefers to be choked;
my bones welcome death.
16 I ·hate [L reject] my life; I don’t want to live forever.
Leave me alone, because my days have no meaning.
17 “Why do you make people so important
and ·give them so much attention [L set your heart on them; C contrast Ps. 8:4]?
18 You ·examine [visit] them every morning
and test them ·every moment [all the time].
19 Will you never look away from me
or leave me alone even long enough to swallow [L my saliva]?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
you watcher of humans?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a ·heavy load [burden] for you?
21 Why don’t you ·pardon [forgive] my ·wrongs [transgressions]
and ·forgive my sins [carry away my guilt]?
I will soon lie down in the dust of death.
Then you will ·search [look] for me, but I will be no more.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 14:18-40
18 I thank God that I speak ·in different kinds of languages [or with ecstatic utterance; L in tongues] more than all of you. 19 But in the church meetings I would rather speak five words ·I understand [L with my mind] in order to teach others than thousands of words ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; L in a tongue].
20 Brothers and sisters, do not think like children. In evil things be like ·babies [infants], but in your thinking you should be ·like adults [mature; grown-up]. 21 It is written in the ·Scriptures [L Law; C referring here to all of Scripture]:
“With people who use ·strange words [L different tongues/languages] and ·foreign languages [L different lips]
I will speak to these people.
But even then they will not ·listen to [or obey] me [Is. 28:11–12; see also Deut. 28:49],”
says the Lord. [C Israel didn’t listen when God used foreign-speaking Assyrians to punish them; similarly people won’t benefit from hearing tongues they don’t understand.]
22 So ·the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages [or ecstatic utterance; L tongues] is a sign for unbelievers, not for believers [C tongues served as a warning of judgment and a call to repentance; see Acts 2:4, 21, 38–40]. And prophecy is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23 Suppose the whole church meets together and everyone speaks in ·different languages [L tongues]. If some people come in who ·do not understand [or are inquirers/seekers; v. 16] or are unbelievers, they will say you are ·crazy [insane; C unintelligible tongues sound like babbling]. 24 But suppose everyone is prophesying and unbelievers or ·those who does not understand [or inquirers/seekers] come in. If everyone is prophesying, ·their sin will be shown to them [L they will be convicted by all], and they will be judged by ·all that they hear [L all]. 25 The secret things in their hearts will be made known. So they will ·bow down [L fall face down] and worship God saying, “Truly, God is ·with you [among you; in your midst].” [C Though prophecy is for believers (v. 22), it also convicts unbelievers better than uninterpreted (and so incoherent) tongues (see vv. 27–28), since it is a coherent message from God.]
Meetings Should Help the Church
26 So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a ·song [psalm; hymn], and another has a teaching. Another has a ·new truth from God [L revelation]. Another speaks ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; L tongue], and another person ·interprets that language [L an interpretation]. The purpose of all these things should be ·to help the church grow strong [L for edification/building up]. 27 When you meet together, if anyone speaks ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; L in a tongue], it should be only two, or not more than three, who speak. They should speak one after the other, and someone should interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, then they should ·be quiet [remain silent] in the church meeting. They should speak only to themselves and to God.
29 Only two or three prophets should speak, and the others should ·judge [evaluate; consider; weigh] what they say. 30 If a ·message from God [L revelation] comes to another person who is sitting, the first speaker should stop. 31 [L For] You can all prophesy one after the other. In this way all the people can be taught and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are ·under the control of [subject to] the prophets themselves [C unlike in pagan religions, where a spirit would seize control of a speaker, causing frenzy, mania or ecstasy]. 33 [L For] God is not a God of ·confusion [disorder] but a God of peace.
As is true in all the ·churches [assemblies] of ·God’s people [T the saints; C some commentators take this clause as part of the previous sentence], 34 ·women [or wives] should keep quiet in the ·church meetings [churches; assemblies; C the context here may be the evaluation of prophecy (v. 29), rather than general worship (where women presumably could speak; see 11:2–16)]. [L For] They are not allowed to speak, but they must ·yield to this rule [or be in submission; or keep their ordered place] as the law says [C perhaps Gen. 3:16, or a nonbiblical Jewish tradition]. 35 If they want to ·learn something [or ask questions], they should ask their own husbands at home. It is ·shameful [disgraceful; improper] for a woman to speak in ·the church meeting [the assembly; church]. 36 Did ·God’s teaching [the word of God] ·come from [originate with] you? Or are you the only ones to whom it has come? [C Apparently, some women were being disruptive during meetings.]
37 Those who think they are prophets or spiritual persons should ·understand [or acknowledge] that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 Those who ignore this will ·be ignored by God [or themselves be ignored].[a]
39 So my brothers and sisters, you should ·truly want [be eager] to prophesy. And do not ·stop people from using the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages [L forbid/hinder speaking in tongues]. 40 But let everything be done in a ·right [proper; fitting] and orderly way.
Footnotes:
- 1 Corinthians 14:38 Those… God. Some Greek copies read “Those who are ignorant of this will stay ignorant.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Psalm 37:30-40
30 ·Good people speak with [L The mouth of the righteous mutters] wisdom,
and ·they say what is fair [L their tongue speaks justice/judgment].
31 The ·teachings [instructions; laws] of their God are in their heart [Jer. 31:33],
so ·they do not fail to keep them [L their steps do not slip/slide/totter].
32 The wicked watch for ·good [righteous] people
·so that they may [L to seek to] kill them [Prov. 1:8–19].
33 But the Lord will not ·take away his protection [L abandon/forsake them to their hand/power/control]
or let ·good people be judged guilty [them be condemned when brought to trial].
34 ·Wait for [Hope in] the Lord
and ·follow him [L keep/guard his way].
He will ·honor [exalt] you and ·give you [you will inherit] the land,
and you will see the wicked ·sent away [or destroyed].
35 I saw a wicked and ·cruel [oppressive] man
who ·looked [flourished] like a luxurious cedar tree [C strong and healthy].
36 But he ·died [passed on] and was ·gone [no more];
I ·looked for [sought] him, but he couldn’t be found.
37 ·Think of [Observe] the ·innocent [blameless] person,
and watch the ·honest [upright; virtuous] one.
The man who has peace
will have ·children to live after him [posterity].
38 But sinners will be destroyed;
·in the end [or the posterity of] the wicked will ·die [L be cut off].
39 The Lord ·saves [rescues; T delivers] ·good [righteous] people;
he is their strength in times of ·trouble [distress].
40 The Lord helps them and ·saves [rescues; T delivers] them;
he ·saves [rescues; T delivers] them from the wicked,
because they ·trust [take refuge] in him for protection.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 21:27
27 The Lord ·hates [detests] sacrifices brought by evil people,
particularly when they offer them for ·the wrong [scheming] reasons.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.