Category: DAB Readings

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday August 31, 2021 (NIV)

Job 37-39

37 “At this my heart pounds(A)
and leaps from its place.
2 Listen!(B) Listen to the roar of his voice,(C)
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.(D)
3 He unleashes his lightning(E) beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.(F)
4 After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders(G) with his majestic voice.(H)
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
5 God’s voice thunders(I) in marvelous ways;(J)
he does great things beyond our understanding.(K)
6 He says to the snow,(L) ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’(M)
7 So that everyone he has made may know his work,(N)
he stops all people from their labor.[a](O)
8 The animals take cover;(P)
they remain in their dens.(Q)
9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,(R)
the cold from the driving winds.(S)
10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.(T)
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;(U)
he scatters his lightning(V) through them.(W)
12 At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.(X)
13 He brings the clouds to punish people,(Y)
or to water his earth and show his love.(Z)

14 “Listen(AA) to this, Job;
stop and consider God’s wonders.(AB)
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning(AC) flash?(AD)
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,(AE)
those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?(AF)
17 You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,(AG)
18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,(AH)
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?(AI)

19 “Tell us what we should say to him;(AJ)
we cannot draw up our case(AK) because of our darkness.(AL)
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21 Now no one can look at the sun,(AM)
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;(AN)
God comes in awesome majesty.(AO)
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;(AP)
in his justice(AQ) and great righteousness, he does not oppress.(AR)
24 Therefore, people revere him,(AS)
for does he not have regard for all the wise(AT) in heart?[b]”

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(AU) out of the storm.(AV) He said:

2 “Who is this that obscures my plans(AW)
with words without knowledge?(AX)
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(AY)

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(AZ)
Tell me, if you understand.(BA)
5 Who marked off its dimensions?(BB) Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line(BC) across it?
6 On what were its footings set,(BD)
or who laid its cornerstone(BE)—
7 while the morning stars(BF) sang together(BG)
and all the angels[c](BH) shouted for joy?(BI)

8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors(BJ)
when it burst forth from the womb,(BK)
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,(BL)
10 when I fixed limits for it(BM)
and set its doors and bars in place,(BN)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(BO)
here is where your proud waves halt’?(BP)

12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(BQ)
or shown the dawn its place,(BR)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked(BS) out of it?(BT)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(BU)
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(BV)
and their upraised arm is broken.(BW)

16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(BX)
17 Have the gates of death(BY) been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(BZ)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(CA)
Tell me, if you know all this.(CB)

19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?(CC)
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths(CD) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(CE)
You have lived so many years!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(CF)
or seen the storehouses(CG) of the hail,(CH)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(CI)
for days of war and battle?(CJ)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(CK)
or the place where the east winds(CL) are scattered over the earth?(CM)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,(CN)
26 to water(CO) a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,(CP)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?(CQ)
28 Does the rain have a father?(CR)
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(CS)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?(CT)

31 “Can you bind the chains[d] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(CU)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(CV) in their seasons[e]
or lead out the Bear[f] with its cubs?(CW)
33 Do you know the laws(CX) of the heavens?(CY)
Can you set up God’s[g] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?(CZ)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(DA)
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[h](DB)
or gives the rooster understanding?[i](DC)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars(DD) of the heavens(DE)
38 when the dust becomes hard(DF)
and the clods of earth stick together?(DG)

39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions(DH)
40 when they crouch in their dens(DI)
or lie in wait in a thicket?(DJ)
41 Who provides food(DK) for the raven(DL)
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?(DM)

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(DN) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(DO)
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?(DP)
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.

5 “Who let the wild donkey(DQ) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland(DR) as its home,
the salt flats(DS) as its habitat.(DT)
7 It laughs(DU) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.(DV)
8 It ranges the hills(DW) for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.

9 “Will the wild ox(DX) consent to serve you?(DY)
Will it stay by your manger(DZ) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(EA)
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(EB)
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.(EC)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.(ED)
16 She treats her young harshly,(EE) as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.(EF)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs(EG) at horse and rider.

19 “Do you give the horse its strength(EH)
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(EI)
striking terror(EJ) with its proud snorting?(EK)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(EL)
and charges into the fray.(EM)
22 It laughs(EN) at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(EO) rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear(EP) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(EQ)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(ER) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(ES)

26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?(ET)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?(EU)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag(EV) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(EW)
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(EX)

Footnotes:

  1. Job 37:7 Or work, / he fills all people with fear by his power
  2. Job 37:24 Or for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise.
  3. Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
  4. Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
  5. Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
  6. Job 38:32 Or out Leo
  7. Job 38:33 Or their
  8. Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
  9. Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

Cross references:

  1. Job 37:1 : Ps 38:10; Isa 15:5; Jer 4:19; Hab 3:16
  2. Job 37:2 : S Job 32:10
  3. Job 37:2 : ver 5
  4. Job 37:2 : Ps 18:13; 29:3-9
  5. Job 37:3 : S 2Sa 22:13; Ps 18:14
  6. Job 37:3 : S Job 36:32; Mt 24:27; Lk 17:24
  7. Job 37:4 : S 1Sa 2:10
  8. Job 37:4 : S Ex 20:19
  9. Job 37:5 : S 1Sa 2:10; Jn 12:29
  10. Job 37:5 : S Job 36:33
  11. Job 37:5 : S Job 5:9; S 11:7-9; S 36:4
  12. Job 37:6 : Dt 28:12; Job 38:22
  13. Job 37:6 : S Ge 7:4; S Job 5:10; S 28:26
  14. Job 37:7 : Ps 109:27
  15. Job 37:7 : Ps 104:19-23; 111:2
  16. Job 37:8 : S Job 28:26
  17. Job 37:8 : Job 38:40; Ps 104:22
  18. Job 37:9 : Ps 50:3
  19. Job 37:9 : Ps 147:17
  20. Job 37:10 : Job 38:29-30; Ps 147:17
  21. Job 37:11 : S Job 26:8
  22. Job 37:11 : S Job 36:30
  23. Job 37:11 : S Job 28:26
  24. Job 37:12 : S ver 3; Ps 147:16; 148:8
  25. Job 37:13 : S Ge 7:4; Ex 9:22-23; S 1Sa 12:17
  26. Job 37:13 : S 1Ki 18:45; S Job 5:10; S 36:31; 38:27
  27. Job 37:14 : S Job 32:10
  28. Job 37:14 : S Job 5:9
  29. Job 37:15 : S Job 36:30
  30. Job 37:15 : S Job 36:32
  31. Job 37:16 : S Job 36:29
  32. Job 37:16 : S Job 5:9; S 36:4
  33. Job 37:17 : Ac 27:13
  34. Job 37:18 : S Ge 1:1, 8; S Job 22:14
  35. Job 37:18 : Dt 28:23
  36. Job 37:19 : Ro 8:26
  37. Job 37:19 : S Job 13:18
  38. Job 37:19 : S Job 9:3
  39. Job 37:21 : S Jdg 5:31; Ac 22:11; 26:13
  40. Job 37:22 : Ps 19:5
  41. Job 37:22 : Ex 24:17
  42. Job 37:23 : S Job 5:9; S 36:4; Ro 11:33; 1Ti 6:16
  43. Job 37:23 : S Job 8:3
  44. Job 37:23 : S Job 4:17; Ps 44:1; Isa 63:9; Jer 25:5; La 3:33; Eze 18:23, 32
  45. Job 37:24 : S Ge 22:12; Job 28:28; Ecc 12:13; Mic 6:8; Mt 10:28
  46. Job 37:24 : S Job 5:13; Eph 5:15
  47. Job 38:1 : S Job 11:5
  48. Job 38:1 : S Ex 14:21; S 1Sa 2:10; Job 40:6; Isa 21:1; Eze 1:4
  49. Job 38:2 : S 1Ki 22:5; Isa 40:13
  50. Job 38:2 : S Job 34:35; Mk 10:38; 1Ti 1:7
  51. Job 38:3 : Job 40:7; 42:4; Mk 11:29
  52. Job 38:4 : S ver 5; S Ge 1:1; S 1Sa 2:8
  53. Job 38:4 : ver 18; S Job 34:13; Pr 30:4
  54. Job 38:5 : ver 4; Ps 102:25; Pr 8:29; Isa 40:12; 48:13; Jer 31:37
  55. Job 38:5 : Jer 31:39; Zec 1:16; 4:9-10
  56. Job 38:6 : Pr 8:25
  57. Job 38:6 : S Job 26:7
  58. Job 38:7 : S Ge 1:16
  59. Job 38:7 : Ps 19:1-4; 148:2-3
  60. Job 38:7 : S 1Ki 22:19
  61. Job 38:7 : S Dt 16:15
  62. Job 38:8 : ver 11; Ps 33:7; Pr 8:29; Jer 5:22
  63. Job 38:8 : S Ge 1:9-10
  64. Job 38:9 : S Ge 1:2
  65. Job 38:10 : S Job 28:25; Ps 33:7; 104:9; Isa 40:12
  66. Job 38:10 : Ne 3:3; Job 7:12; 26:10
  67. Job 38:11 : S ver 8
  68. Job 38:11 : Ps 65:7; 89:9; 104:6-9
  69. Job 38:12 : Ps 57:8
  70. Job 38:12 : Ps 74:16; Am 5:8
  71. Job 38:13 : Ps 104:35
  72. Job 38:13 : S Job 8:22
  73. Job 38:14 : Ex 28:11
  74. Job 38:15 : S Dt 28:29; S Job 15:22; S 18:5
  75. Job 38:15 : S Ge 17:14; S Job 4:10; S 31:22
  76. Job 38:16 : S Ge 1:7; S Job 9:8
  77. Job 38:17 : S Job 33:22; Mt 16:18; Rev 1:18
  78. Job 38:17 : S Job 7:9
  79. Job 38:18 : S Job 28:24; Isa 40:12
  80. Job 38:18 : S ver 4
  81. Job 38:19 : S Ge 1:4; S Job 28:3; Ps 139:11-12
  82. Job 38:20 : S Job 24:13
  83. Job 38:21 : Job 15:7
  84. Job 38:22 : S Job 37:6
  85. Job 38:22 : S Dt 28:12
  86. Job 38:22 : Ps 105:32; 147:17
  87. Job 38:23 : Ps 27:5; Isa 28:17; 30:30; Eze 13:11
  88. Job 38:23 : Ex 9:26; Jos 10:11; Eze 13:13; Rev 16:21
  89. Job 38:24 : S Job 28:24
  90. Job 38:24 : S Job 27:21
  91. Job 38:24 : Jer 10:13; 51:16
  92. Job 38:25 : Job 28:26
  93. Job 38:26 : Job 36:27
  94. Job 38:26 : Ps 84:6; 107:35; Isa 41:18
  95. Job 38:27 : S Job 28:26; S 37:13; S Ps 104:14
  96. Job 38:28 : S 2Sa 1:21; S Job 5:10
  97. Job 38:29 : Ps 147:16-17
  98. Job 38:30 : Job 37:10
  99. Job 38:31 : Job 9:9; Am 5:8
  100. Job 38:32 : 2Ki 23:5; Isa 13:10; 40:26; 45:12; Jer 19:13
  101. Job 38:32 : S Ge 1:16
  102. Job 38:33 : Ps 148:6; Jer 31:36
  103. Job 38:33 : S Ge 1:16
  104. Job 38:34 : S Job 5:10; S 22:11
  105. Job 38:35 : S Job 36:32
  106. Job 38:36 : S Job 9:4; S 34:32; Jas 1:5
  107. Job 38:36 : S Job 12:13
  108. Job 38:37 : S Jos 3:16
  109. Job 38:37 : S Job 22:11
  110. Job 38:38 : S Lev 26:19
  111. Job 38:38 : 1Ki 18:45
  112. Job 38:39 : S Ge 49:9
  113. Job 38:40 : S Job 37:8
  114. Job 38:40 : S Ge 49:9
  115. Job 38:41 : S Ge 1:30
  116. Job 38:41 : S Ge 8:7; Lk 12:24
  117. Job 38:41 : Ps 147:9; S Mt 6:26
  118. Job 39:1 : S Dt 14:5
  119. Job 39:1 : Ge 49:21
  120. Job 39:2 : S Ge 31:7-9
  121. Job 39:5 : S Ge 16:12
  122. Job 39:6 : Job 24:5; Ps 107:34; Jer 2:24
  123. Job 39:6 : Job 30:4
  124. Job 39:6 : Job 30:7; Jer 14:6; 17:6
  125. Job 39:7 : S Job 5:22
  126. Job 39:7 : Job 3:18
  127. Job 39:8 : Isa 32:20
  128. Job 39:9 : S Nu 23:22
  129. Job 39:9 : S Ex 21:6
  130. Job 39:9 : S Ge 42:27
  131. Job 39:10 : Job 41:13; Ps 32:9
  132. Job 39:11 : ver 19; Job 40:16; 41:12, 22; Ps 147:10
  133. Job 39:13 : Zec 5:9
  134. Job 39:15 : 2Ki 14:9
  135. Job 39:16 : ver 17; La 4:3
  136. Job 39:17 : S ver 16; S Job 21:22
  137. Job 39:18 : S Job 5:22
  138. Job 39:19 : S ver 11
  139. Job 39:20 : Joel 2:4-5; Rev 9:7
  140. Job 39:20 : Job 41:25
  141. Job 39:20 : Jer 8:16
  142. Job 39:21 : ver 11
  143. Job 39:21 : Jer 8:6
  144. Job 39:22 : S Job 5:22
  145. Job 39:23 : Isa 5:28; Jer 5:16
  146. Job 39:23 : Na 3:3
  147. Job 39:24 : Nu 10:9; Jer 4:5, 19; Eze 7:14; Am 3:6
  148. Job 39:25 : Jos 6:5
  149. Job 39:25 : Jer 8:6; Am 1:14; 2:2
  150. Job 39:26 : Jer 8:7
  151. Job 39:27 : Jer 49:16; Ob 1:4; Hab 2:9
  152. Job 39:28 : Jer 49:16; Ob 1:3
  153. Job 39:29 : S Job 9:26
  154. Job 39:30 : Mt 24:28; Lk 17:37
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[a](A) Since we have that same spirit of[b] faith,(B) we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead(C) will also raise us with Jesus(D) and present us with you to himself.(E) 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving(F) to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart.(G) Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly(H) we are being renewed(I) day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.(J) 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,(K) since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Awaiting the New Body

5 For we know that if the earthly(L) tent(M) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan,(N) longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,(O) 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan(P) and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,(Q) so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.(R)

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight.(S) 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.(T) 9 So we make it our goal to please him,(U) whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us(V) for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:13 Psalm 116:10 (see Septuagint)
  2. 2 Corinthians 4:13 Or Spirit-given

Cross references:

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:13 : Ps 116:10
  2. 2 Corinthians 4:13 : 1Co 12:9
  3. 2 Corinthians 4:14 : S Ac 2:24
  4. 2 Corinthians 4:14 : 1Th 4:14
  5. 2 Corinthians 4:14 : Eph 5:27; Col 1:22; Jude 24
  6. 2 Corinthians 4:15 : 2Co 1:11; 9:11
  7. 2 Corinthians 4:16 : ver 1; Ps 18:45
  8. 2 Corinthians 4:16 : Ro 7:22
  9. 2 Corinthians 4:16 : Ps 103:5; Isa 40:31; Col 3:10
  10. 2 Corinthians 4:17 : Ps 30:5; Ro 8:18; 1Pe 1:6, 7
  11. 2 Corinthians 4:18 : 2Co 5:7; Ro 8:24; Heb 11:1
  12. 2 Corinthians 5:1 : 1Co 15:47
  13. 2 Corinthians 5:1 : Isa 38:12; 2Pe 1:13, 14
  14. 2 Corinthians 5:2 : ver 4; Ro 8:23
  15. 2 Corinthians 5:2 : ver 4; 1Co 15:53, 54
  16. 2 Corinthians 5:4 : ver 2; Ro 8:23
  17. 2 Corinthians 5:4 : ver 2; 1Co 15:53, 54
  18. 2 Corinthians 5:5 : Ro 8:23; 2Co 1:22; Eph 1:13, 14
  19. 2 Corinthians 5:7 : 1Co 13:12; S 2Co 4:18
  20. 2 Corinthians 5:8 : S Jn 12:26
  21. 2 Corinthians 5:9 : Ro 14:18; Eph 5:10; Col 1:10; 1Th 4:1
  22. 2 Corinthians 5:10 : S Mt 16:27; Ac 10:42; Ro 2:16; 14:10; Eph 6:8
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 44:9-26

9 But now you have rejected(A) and humbled us;(B)
you no longer go out with our armies.(C)
10 You made us retreat(D) before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered(E) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(F)
and have scattered us among the nations.(G)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(H)
gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach(I) to our neighbors,(J)
the scorn(K) and derision(L) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(M) among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads(N) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(O) all day long,
and my face is covered with shame(P)
16 at the taunts(Q) of those who reproach and revile(R) me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(S)

17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten(T) you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(U) back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(V) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(W)
you covered us over with deep darkness.(X)

20 If we had forgotten(Y) the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(Z)
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AA)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep(AB) to be slaughtered.(AC)

23 Awake,(AD) Lord! Why do you sleep?(AE)
Rouse yourself!(AF) Do not reject us forever.(AG)
24 Why do you hide your face(AH)
and forget(AI) our misery and oppression?(AJ)

25 We are brought down to the dust;(AK)
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up(AL) and help us;
rescue(AM) us because of your unfailing love.(AN)

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 44:9 : S Ps 43:2
  2. Psalm 44:9 : S Dt 8:3; S 31:17; Ps 107:39; Isa 5:15
  3. Psalm 44:9 : S Jos 7:12; Ps 108:11
  4. Psalm 44:10 : S Lev 26:17
  5. Psalm 44:10 : S Jdg 2:14
  6. Psalm 44:11 : ver 22; Jer 12:3
  7. Psalm 44:11 : S Lev 26:33; S Ps 9:11; Eze 6:8; Zec 2:6
  8. Psalm 44:12 : S Dt 32:30; Isa 52:3; Jer 15:13; 50:1; 52:3
  9. Psalm 44:13 : S 2Ch 29:8; Isa 30:3; Jer 25:9; 42:18; 44:8
  10. Psalm 44:13 : Ps 79:4; 80:6; 89:41
  11. Psalm 44:13 : S Dt 28:37; S Mic 2:6
  12. Psalm 44:13 : Eze 23:32
  13. Psalm 44:14 : S 1Ki 9:7
  14. Psalm 44:14 : S 2Ki 19:21
  15. Psalm 44:15 : Ge 30:23; 2Ch 32:21; Ps 35:26
  16. Psalm 44:15 : S Ps 34:5
  17. Psalm 44:16 : S Ps 42:10
  18. Psalm 44:16 : Ps 10:13; 55:3; 74:10
  19. Psalm 44:16 : S 1Sa 18:25; S Jer 11:19; Ro 12:19
  20. Psalm 44:17 : S Dt 6:12; S 32:18; Ps 119:16, 61, 153, 176; Pr 3:1
  21. Psalm 44:18 : Ps 119:51, 157
  22. Psalm 44:19 : S 2Ch 14:13; Ps 51:8
  23. Psalm 44:19 : S Job 30:29; S Isa 34:13
  24. Psalm 44:19 : S Job 3:5
  25. Psalm 44:20 : S Dt 32:18; S Jdg 3:7
  26. Psalm 44:20 : S Ex 20:3; Isa 43:12; Jer 5:19
  27. Psalm 44:21 : S 1Sa 16:7; 1Ki 8:39; Pr 15:11; Jer 12:3; 17:10
  28. Psalm 44:22 : S ver 11
  29. Psalm 44:22 : Isa 53:7; Jer 11:19; 12:3; Ro 8:36*
  30. Psalm 44:23 : S Ps 7:6
  31. Psalm 44:23 : Ps 78:65
  32. Psalm 44:23 : Ps 59:5
  33. Psalm 44:23 : Ps 74:1; 77:7
  34. Psalm 44:24 : S Dt 32:20; Ps 13:1
  35. Psalm 44:24 : La 5:20
  36. Psalm 44:24 : S Dt 26:7
  37. Psalm 44:25 : Ps 119:25
  38. Psalm 44:26 : S Nu 10:35; S Ps 12:5; 102:13
  39. Psalm 44:26 : Ps 26:11
  40. Psalm 44:26 : Ps 6:4
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 22:13

13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!(A)
I’ll be killed in the public square!”

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 22:13 : Pr 26:13
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday August 30, 2021 (NIV)

Job 34-36

34 Then Elihu said:

2 “Hear my words, you wise men;
listen to me,(A) you men of learning.
3 For the ear tests words
as the tongue tastes food.(B)
4 Let us discern for ourselves what is right;(C)
let us learn together what is good.(D)

5 “Job says, ‘I am innocent,(E)
but God denies me justice.(F)
6 Although I am right,
I am considered a liar;(G)
although I am guiltless,(H)
his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’(I)
7 Is there anyone like Job,
who drinks scorn like water?(J)
8 He keeps company with evildoers;
he associates with the wicked.(K)
9 For he says, ‘There is no profit
in trying to please God.’(L)

10 “So listen to me,(M) you men of understanding.(N)
Far be it from God to do evil,(O)
from the Almighty to do wrong.(P)
11 He repays everyone for what they have done;(Q)
he brings on them what their conduct deserves.(R)
12 It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,(S)
that the Almighty would pervert justice.(T)
13 Who appointed(U) him over the earth?
Who put him in charge of the whole world?(V)
14 If it were his intention
and he withdrew his spirit[a](W) and breath,(X)
15 all humanity would perish(Y) together
and mankind would return to the dust.(Z)

16 “If you have understanding,(AA) hear this;
listen to what I say.(AB)
17 Can someone who hates justice govern?(AC)
Will you condemn the just and mighty One?(AD)
18 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’
and to nobles,(AE) ‘You are wicked,’(AF)
19 who shows no partiality(AG) to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,(AH)
for they are all the work of his hands?(AI)
20 They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;(AJ)
the people are shaken and they pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand.(AK)

21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals;(AL)
he sees their every step.(AM)
22 There is no deep shadow,(AN) no utter darkness,(AO)
where evildoers can hide.(AP)
23 God has no need to examine people further,(AQ)
that they should come before him for judgment.(AR)
24 Without inquiry he shatters(AS) the mighty(AT)
and sets up others in their place.(AU)
25 Because he takes note of their deeds,(AV)
he overthrows them in the night(AW) and they are crushed.(AX)
26 He punishes them for their wickedness(AY)
where everyone can see them,
27 because they turned from following him(AZ)
and had no regard for any of his ways.(BA)
28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,
so that he heard the cry of the needy.(BB)
29 But if he remains silent,(BC) who can condemn him?(BD)
If he hides his face,(BE) who can see him?
Yet he is over individual and nation alike,(BF)
30 to keep the godless(BG) from ruling,(BH)
from laying snares for the people.(BI)

31 “Suppose someone says to God,
‘I am guilty(BJ) but will offend no more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;(BK)
if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’(BL)
33 Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse to repent?(BM)
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know.

34 “Men of understanding declare,
wise men who hear me say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;(BN)
his words lack insight.’(BO)
36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man!(BP)
37 To his sin he adds rebellion;
scornfully he claps his hands(BQ) among us
and multiplies his words(BR) against God.”(BS)

35 Then Elihu said:

2 “Do you think this is just?
You say, ‘I am in the right,(BT) not God.’(BU)
3 Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,[b]
and what do I gain by not sinning?’(BV)

4 “I would like to reply to you
and to your friends with you.
5 Look up at the heavens(BW) and see;
gaze at the clouds so high above you.(BX)
6 If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him?(BY)
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,(BZ)
or what does he receive(CA) from your hand?(CB)
8 Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,(CC)
and your righteousness only other people.(CD)

9 “People cry out(CE) under a load of oppression;(CF)
they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.(CG)
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,(CH)
who gives songs(CI) in the night,(CJ)
11 who teaches(CK) us(CL) more than he teaches[c] the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than[d] the birds in the sky?’
12 He does not answer(CM) when people cry out
because of the arrogance(CN) of the wicked.(CO)
13 Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;
the Almighty pays no attention to it.(CP)
14 How much less, then, will he listen
when you say that you do not see him,(CQ)
that your case(CR) is before him
and you must wait for him,(CS)
15 and further, that his anger never punishes(CT)
and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.[e](CU)
16 So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;(CV)
without knowledge he multiplies words.”(CW)

36 Elihu continued:

2 “Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
3 I get my knowledge from afar;(CX)
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.(CY)
4 Be assured that my words are not false;(CZ)
one who has perfect knowledge(DA) is with you.(DB)

5 “God is mighty,(DC) but despises no one;(DD)
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.(DE)
6 He does not keep the wicked alive(DF)
but gives the afflicted their rights.(DG)
7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous;(DH)
he enthrones them with kings(DI)
and exalts them forever.(DJ)
8 But if people are bound in chains,(DK)
held fast by cords of affliction,(DL)
9 he tells them what they have done—
that they have sinned arrogantly.(DM)
10 He makes them listen(DN) to correction(DO)
and commands them to repent of their evil.(DP)
11 If they obey and serve him,(DQ)
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity(DR)
and their years in contentment.(DS)
12 But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword[f](DT)
and die without knowledge.(DU)

13 “The godless in heart(DV) harbor resentment;(DW)
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.(DX)
14 They die in their youth,(DY)
among male prostitutes of the shrines.(DZ)
15 But those who suffer(EA) he delivers in their suffering;(EB)
he speaks(EC) to them in their affliction.(ED)

16 “He is wooing(EE) you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place(EF) free from restriction,(EG)
to the comfort of your table(EH) laden with choice food.(EI)
17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;(EJ)
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.(EK)
18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe(EL) turn you aside.(EM)
19 Would your wealth(EN) or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20 Do not long for the night,(EO)
to drag people away from their homes.[g]
21 Beware of turning to evil,(EP)
which you seem to prefer to affliction.(EQ)

22 “God is exalted in his power.(ER)
Who is a teacher like him?(ES)
23 Who has prescribed his ways(ET) for him,(EU)
or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?(EV)
24 Remember to extol his work,(EW)
which people have praised in song.(EX)
25 All humanity has seen it;(EY)
mortals gaze on it from afar.
26 How great is God—beyond our understanding!(EZ)
The number of his years is past finding out.(FA)

27 “He draws up the drops of water,(FB)
which distill as rain to the streams[h];(FC)
28 the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers(FD) fall on mankind.(FE)
29 Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders(FF) from his pavilion?(FG)
30 See how he scatters his lightning(FH) about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.(FI)
31 This is the way he governs[i] the nations(FJ)
and provides food(FK) in abundance.(FL)
32 He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.(FM)
33 His thunder announces the coming storm;(FN)
even the cattle make known its approach.[j](FO)

Footnotes:

  1. Job 34:14 Or Spirit
  2. Job 35:3 Or you
  3. Job 35:11 Or night, / 11 who teaches us by
  4. Job 35:11 Or us wise by
  5. Job 35:15 Symmachus, Theodotion and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  6. Job 36:12 Or will cross the river
  7. Job 36:20 The meaning of the Hebrew for verses 18-20 is uncertain.
  8. Job 36:27 Or distill from the mist as rain
  9. Job 36:31 Or nourishes
  10. Job 36:33 Or announces his coming— / the One zealous against evil

Cross references:

  1. Job 34:2 : S Job 32:10
  2. Job 34:3 : Job 12:11
  3. Job 34:4 : S Job 12:12; Heb 5:14
  4. Job 34:4 : 1Th 5:21
  5. Job 34:5 : S Job 10:7
  6. Job 34:5 : S Job 6:29
  7. Job 34:6 : S Job 6:28
  8. Job 34:6 : S Job 9:21
  9. Job 34:6 : S Job 6:4; S 10:3; S Jer 10:19
  10. Job 34:7 : S Job 9:21; S 15:16
  11. Job 34:8 : S Job 22:15
  12. Job 34:9 : S Job 9:29-31; S 21:15
  13. Job 34:10 : Job 32:10
  14. Job 34:10 : ver 16; S Job 12:12
  15. Job 34:10 : S Ge 18:25
  16. Job 34:10 : ver 12; Dt 32:4; Job 8:3; 36:23; Ps 92:15; Ro 3:5; 9:14
  17. Job 34:11 : S Job 21:31; S Mt 16:27
  18. Job 34:11 : Jer 17:10; 32:19; Eze 33:20
  19. Job 34:12 : S ver 10; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18
  20. Job 34:12 : S Job 8:3; Ps 9:16; Col 3:25; 2Th 1:6
  21. Job 34:13 : Heb 1:2
  22. Job 34:13 : Job 36:23; 38:4, 6; Isa 40:14
  23. Job 34:14 : S Ge 6:3
  24. Job 34:14 : S Nu 16:22; S Job 27:3
  25. Job 34:15 : S Ge 6:13; La 3:22; Mal 3:6; Jn 3:16
  26. Job 34:15 : S Ge 2:7; S Job 7:21; 9:22; Ps 90:10
  27. Job 34:16 : S ver 10
  28. Job 34:16 : S Job 32:10
  29. Job 34:17 : ver 30; 2Sa 23:3-4; Pr 20:8, 26; 24:23-25; 28:28
  30. Job 34:17 : ver 29; S Job 10:7; 40:8; Ro 3:5-6
  31. Job 34:18 : S Job 12:18
  32. Job 34:18 : Ex 22:28; Isa 40:24
  33. Job 34:19 : S Job 13:10; S Ac 10:34
  34. Job 34:19 : S Lev 19:15; Jas 2:5
  35. Job 34:19 : S Job 10:3
  36. Job 34:20 : ver 25; S Ex 11:4; S Job 20:8
  37. Job 34:20 : S Job 12:19
  38. Job 34:21 : Jer 32:19
  39. Job 34:21 : S Job 14:16; Pr 15:3; S Heb 4:13
  40. Job 34:22 : S Job 3:5
  41. Job 34:22 : Ps 74:20
  42. Job 34:22 : S Ge 3:8; S Job 11:20
  43. Job 34:23 : Ps 11:4
  44. Job 34:23 : Job 11:11
  45. Job 34:24 : Isa 8:9; 9:4; Jer 51:20; Da 2:34
  46. Job 34:24 : Job 12:19
  47. Job 34:24 : Da 2:21
  48. Job 34:25 : S Job 11:11
  49. Job 34:25 : S ver 20
  50. Job 34:25 : Pr 5:21-23
  51. Job 34:26 : S Ge 6:5; S Job 8:22; S 28:24; Ps 9:5; Jer 44:5
  52. Job 34:27 : Ps 14:3
  53. Job 34:27 : S 1Sa 15:11
  54. Job 34:28 : S Ex 22:23; S Job 5:15; S 12:19
  55. Job 34:29 : Ps 28:1; 83:1; 109:1
  56. Job 34:29 : S ver 17; Ro 8:34
  57. Job 34:29 : Ps 13:1
  58. Job 34:29 : Ps 83:18; 97:9
  59. Job 34:30 : S Job 8:13
  60. Job 34:30 : S ver 17
  61. Job 34:30 : Ps 25:15; 31:4; 91:3; 124:7; 140:5; Pr 29:2-12
  62. Job 34:31 : Ps 51:5; Lk 15:21; Ro 7:24; 1Jn 1:8, 10
  63. Job 34:32 : Ex 33:13; Job 35:11; 38:36; Ps 15:2; 25:4; 27:11; 51:6; 86:11; 139:23-24; 143:8
  64. Job 34:32 : Job 33:27; S Lk 19:8
  65. Job 34:33 : S 2Ki 17:13; Job 33:23; 36:10, 15, 18, 21; 41:11; 42:6; Pr 17:23; Jnh 3:8
  66. Job 34:35 : Job 35:16; 38:2; 42:3
  67. Job 34:35 : Job 26:3
  68. Job 34:36 : S Job 6:29; S 22:15
  69. Job 34:37 : S Job 27:23
  70. Job 34:37 : Job 35:16
  71. Job 34:37 : Job 23:2
  72. Job 35:2 : S Job 33:32
  73. Job 35:2 : S Job 2:9; S 32:2
  74. Job 35:3 : S Job 9:29-31; S 21:15
  75. Job 35:5 : S Ge 15:5; S Dt 10:14
  76. Job 35:5 : S Job 11:7-9; Ps 19:1-4
  77. Job 35:6 : S Job 7:20
  78. Job 35:7 : Ro 11:35
  79. Job 35:7 : 1Co 4:7
  80. Job 35:7 : S Job 22:2-3; Lk 17:10
  81. Job 35:8 : Eze 18:24
  82. Job 35:8 : Eze 18:5-9; Zec 7:9-10
  83. Job 35:9 : Ex 2:23
  84. Job 35:9 : S Job 20:19
  85. Job 35:9 : S Job 5:15; S 12:19
  86. Job 35:10 : S Job 4:17
  87. Job 35:10 : S Job 8:21
  88. Job 35:10 : Ps 42:8; 77:6; 119:62; 149:5; Ac 16:25
  89. Job 35:11 : S Job 21:22; Lk 12:24
  90. Job 35:11 : Job 12:7
  91. Job 35:12 : S 1Sa 8:18
  92. Job 35:12 : S Job 15:25
  93. Job 35:12 : Ps 66:18
  94. Job 35:13 : S Dt 1:45; S 1Sa 8:18; S Job 15:31; S Pr 15:8
  95. Job 35:14 : S Job 9:11
  96. Job 35:14 : Ps 37:6
  97. Job 35:14 : Job 31:35
  98. Job 35:15 : S Job 9:24
  99. Job 35:15 : S Job 18:5; Ps 10:11; Hos 7:2; Am 8:7
  100. Job 35:16 : Tit 1:10
  101. Job 35:16 : S Job 34:35, 37; 1Co 4:20; Jude 1:10
  102. Job 36:3 : S Job 6:28
  103. Job 36:3 : S Job 4:17
  104. Job 36:4 : S Job 6:28; S 13:6
  105. Job 36:4 : Job 37:5, 16, 23
  106. Job 36:4 : S Job 32:17
  107. Job 36:5 : S Job 9:4
  108. Job 36:5 : Ps 5:2; 22:24; 31:22; 69:33; 102:17; 103:10
  109. Job 36:5 : S Nu 23:19; Ro 11:29
  110. Job 36:6 : S Job 34:26
  111. Job 36:6 : S Job 4:10
  112. Job 36:7 : S Job 11:11; Ps 11:5; 33:18; 34:15; Mt 6:18
  113. Job 36:7 : Ps 113:8; Isa 22:23
  114. Job 36:7 : S 1Sa 2:7-8; S Job 4:7
  115. Job 36:8 : S 2Sa 3:34; 2Ki 23:33; Ps 107:10, 14
  116. Job 36:8 : ver 10, 15, 21; Ps 119:67, 71
  117. Job 36:9 : S Job 15:25
  118. Job 36:10 : S Job 33:16
  119. Job 36:10 : S Job 5:17
  120. Job 36:10 : S ver 8; S Jdg 6:8; S Job 34:33; 1Th 5:22
  121. Job 36:11 : S Lev 26:33; Dt 28:1; Isa 1:19; Hag 1:12
  122. Job 36:11 : S Dt 30:15; S Job 8:7
  123. Job 36:11 : S Ex 8:22; S Dt 8:1; Jn 14:21; 1Ti 4:8
  124. Job 36:12 : S Lev 26:38; S Job 15:22
  125. Job 36:12 : S Job 4:21; Eph 4:18
  126. Job 36:13 : S Job 15:12; Ro 2:5
  127. Job 36:13 : S Job 5:2
  128. Job 36:13 : S Job 4:17; Am 4:11
  129. Job 36:14 : S Job 15:32
  130. Job 36:14 : S Dt 23:17
  131. Job 36:15 : S Job 5:15
  132. Job 36:15 : 2Co 12:10
  133. Job 36:15 : S Job 33:16
  134. Job 36:15 : S ver 8; S Job 34:33
  135. Job 36:16 : Hos 2:14
  136. Job 36:16 : S 2Sa 22:20; Ps 18:19
  137. Job 36:16 : Ps 118:5
  138. Job 36:16 : Ps 23:5; 78:19
  139. Job 36:16 : S Ge 17:1; S Job 15:11
  140. Job 36:17 : S Job 20:29
  141. Job 36:17 : Job 22:11
  142. Job 36:18 : S Ex 23:8; Am 5:12
  143. Job 36:18 : S Job 34:33
  144. Job 36:19 : Ps 49:6; Jer 9:23
  145. Job 36:20 : Job 34:20, 25
  146. Job 36:21 : S Job 34:33; Ps 66:18
  147. Job 36:21 : S ver 8; Heb 11:25
  148. Job 36:22 : S Job 5:9; S 9:4
  149. Job 36:22 : S Job 21:22; S Ro 11:34
  150. Job 36:23 : Job 27:11
  151. Job 36:23 : S Job 34:13; Ro 11:33
  152. Job 36:23 : S Ge 18:25; S Job 34:10
  153. Job 36:24 : 1Ch 16:24; Ps 35:27; 92:5; 111:2; 138:5; 145:10
  154. Job 36:24 : S Ex 15:1; Rev 15:3
  155. Job 36:25 : Ro 1:20
  156. Job 36:26 : S Job 5:9; 1Co 13:12
  157. Job 36:26 : S Ge 21:33; S Job 10:5; Heb 1:12
  158. Job 36:27 : S Job 26:8
  159. Job 36:27 : S 2Sa 1:21; Job 28:26; 38:28; Isa 55:10
  160. Job 36:28 : Ps 65:10; 72:6; Joel 2:23
  161. Job 36:28 : S Job 5:10; S 22:11; S 28:26; Mt 5:45
  162. Job 36:29 : Ps 29:3; Jer 10:13
  163. Job 36:29 : S Job 9:6; 37:16; Ps 18:7-15; 19:4, 5; 104:2; Pr 8:28; Isa 40:22
  164. Job 36:30 : Ex 19:16; Job 37:11, 15; Ps 18:12, 14; 97:4; Jer 10:13; Hab 3:11
  165. Job 36:30 : Ps 68:22; Isa 51:10
  166. Job 36:31 : Dt 28:23-24; 1Ki 17:1; Job 37:13; Am 4:7-8
  167. Job 36:31 : Ps 145:15
  168. Job 36:31 : Ps 104:14-15, 27-28; Isa 30:23; Ac 14:17
  169. Job 36:32 : S Job 28:24; 37:12, 15; Ps 18:14; 29:7-9
  170. Job 36:33 : Job 37:5; 40:9
  171. Job 36:33 : S Job 28:26
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy(A) we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.(B) 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;(C) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.(D) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience(E) in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel(F) is veiled,(G) it is veiled to those who are perishing.(H) 4 The god(I) of this age(J) has blinded(K) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,(L) who is the image of God.(M) 5 For what we preach is not ourselves,(N) but Jesus Christ as Lord,(O) and ourselves as your servants(P) for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a](Q) made his light shine in our hearts(R) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.(S)

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay(T) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God(U) and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side,(V) but not crushed; perplexed,(W) but not in despair; 9 persecuted,(X) but not abandoned;(Y) struck down, but not destroyed.(Z) 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,(AA) so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.(AB) 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,(AC) so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.(AD)

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3

Cross references:

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:1 : 1Co 7:25; 1Ti 1:13, 16
  2. 2 Corinthians 4:1 : ver 16; Ps 18:45; Isa 40:31
  3. 2 Corinthians 4:2 : Ro 6:21; S 1Co 4:5
  4. 2 Corinthians 4:2 : 2Co 2:17; S Heb 4:12
  5. 2 Corinthians 4:2 : 2Co 5:11
  6. 2 Corinthians 4:3 : S 2Co 2:12
  7. 2 Corinthians 4:3 : 2Co 3:14
  8. 2 Corinthians 4:3 : S 1Co 1:18
  9. 2 Corinthians 4:4 : S Jn 12:31
  10. 2 Corinthians 4:4 : S 1Co 1:20
  11. 2 Corinthians 4:4 : 2Co 3:14
  12. 2 Corinthians 4:4 : ver 6
  13. 2 Corinthians 4:4 : S Jn 14:9
  14. 2 Corinthians 4:5 : 1Co 1:13
  15. 2 Corinthians 4:5 : 1Co 1:23
  16. 2 Corinthians 4:5 : 1Co 9:19
  17. 2 Corinthians 4:6 : Ge 1:3; Ps 18:28
  18. 2 Corinthians 4:6 : 2Pe 1:19
  19. 2 Corinthians 4:6 : ver 4
  20. 2 Corinthians 4:7 : Job 4:19; Isa 64:8; 2Ti 2:20
  21. 2 Corinthians 4:7 : Jdg 7:2; 1Co 2:5; 2Co 6:7
  22. 2 Corinthians 4:8 : 2Co 7:5
  23. 2 Corinthians 4:8 : Gal 4:20
  24. 2 Corinthians 4:9 : Jn 15:20; Ro 8:35
  25. 2 Corinthians 4:9 : Heb 13:5
  26. 2 Corinthians 4:9 : Ps 37:24; Pr 24:16
  27. 2 Corinthians 4:10 : S Ro 6:6; S 2Co 1:5
  28. 2 Corinthians 4:10 : S Ro 6:5
  29. 2 Corinthians 4:11 : Ro 8:36
  30. 2 Corinthians 4:12 : 2Co 13:9
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 44:1-8

Psalm 44[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b]

1 We have heard it with our ears,(A) O God;
our ancestors have told us(B)
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.(C)
2 With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
3 It was not by their sword(H) that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(I) your arm,(J)
and the light(K) of your face, for you loved(L) them.

4 You are my King(M) and my God,(N)
who decrees[c] victories(O) for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back(P) our enemies;
through your name we trample(Q) our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,(R)
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory(S) over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.(T)
8 In God we make our boast(U) all day long,(V)
and we will praise your name forever.[d](W)

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
  2. Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
  4. Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 44:1 : 2Sa 7:22; 1Ch 17:20; Jer 26:11
  2. Psalm 44:1 : S Jdg 6:13
  3. Psalm 44:1 : S Dt 32:7; S Job 37:23
  4. Psalm 44:2 : S Jos 3:10; Ac 7:45
  5. Psalm 44:2 : S Ex 15:17; S Isa 60:21
  6. Psalm 44:2 : S Jdg 4:23; S 2Ch 14:13
  7. Psalm 44:2 : Ps 80:9; Jer 32:23
  8. Psalm 44:3 : Jos 24:12
  9. Psalm 44:3 : Ps 78:54
  10. Psalm 44:3 : Ex 15:16; Ps 77:15; 79:11; 89:10; 98:1; Isa 40:10; 52:10; 63:5
  11. Psalm 44:3 : Ps 89:15
  12. Psalm 44:3 : S Dt 4:37
  13. Psalm 44:4 : S Ps 24:7
  14. Psalm 44:4 : Ps 5:2
  15. Psalm 44:4 : S Ps 21:5
  16. Psalm 44:5 : S Jos 23:5
  17. Psalm 44:5 : Ps 60:12; 108:13
  18. Psalm 44:6 : Ge 48:22; Hos 1:7
  19. Psalm 44:7 : S Dt 20:4
  20. Psalm 44:7 : S Job 8:22
  21. Psalm 44:8 : S Ps 34:2; 1Co 1:31; 2Co 10:17
  22. Psalm 44:8 : Ps 52:1
  23. Psalm 44:8 : S Ps 30:12
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 22:10-12

10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.(A)

11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.(B)

12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 22:10 : Pr 26:20
  2. Proverbs 22:11 : Pr 16:13; Mt 5:8
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday August 29, 2021 (NIV)

Job 31-33

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(A)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.(B)
2 For what is our lot(C) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?(D)
3 Is it not ruin(E) for the wicked,
disaster(F) for those who do wrong?(G)
4 Does he not see my ways(H)
and count my every step?(I)

5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit(J)—
6 let God weigh me(K) in honest scales(L)
and he will know that I am blameless(M)—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,(N)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands(O) have been defiled,(P)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,(Q)
and may my crops be uprooted.(R)

9 “If my heart has been enticed(S) by a woman,(T)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(U) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,(W)
a sin to be judged.(X)
12 It is a fire(Y) that burns to Destruction[a];(Z)
it would have uprooted my harvest.(AA)

13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(AB)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(AD)
What will I answer when called to account?(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(AF)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(AG)

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(AH)
or let the eyes of the widow(AI) grow weary,(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless(AK)—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow(AL)—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(AM)
or the needy(AN) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(AO)
for warming them with the fleece(AP) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(AQ)
knowing that I had influence in court,(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(AT)
and for fear of his splendor(AU) I could not do such things.(AV)

24 “If I have put my trust in gold(AW)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(AY)
the fortune my hands had gained,(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun(BA) in its radiance
or the moon(BB) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(BC)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(BE)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(BF)

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(BG)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him(BH)—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life(BI)—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(BJ)—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler(BK)—
33 if I have concealed(BL) my sin as people do,[b]
by hiding(BM) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(BN)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent(BO) and would not go outside—

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(BP)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(BR)
I would put it on like a crown.(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(BT)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.(BU))—

38 “if my land cries out against me(BV)
and all its furrows are wet(BW) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(BX)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,(BY)
40 then let briers(BZ) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed(CA) instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.(CB)

Elihu

32 So these three men stopped answering Job,(CC) because he was righteous in his own eyes.(CD) 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite,(CE) of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself(CF) rather than God.(CG) 3 He was also angry with the three friends,(CH) because they had found no way to refute Job,(CI) and yet had condemned him.[c](CJ) 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he.(CK) 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years,
and you are old;(CL)
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.’(CM)
8 But it is the spirit[d](CN) in a person,
the breath of the Almighty,(CO) that gives them understanding.(CP)
9 It is not only the old[e] who are wise,(CQ)
not only the aged(CR) who understand what is right.(CS)

10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me;(CT)
I too will tell you what I know.(CU)
11 I waited while you spoke,
I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
12 I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
none of you has answered his arguments.(CV)
13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;(CW)
let God, not a man, refute(CX) him.’
14 But Job has not marshaled his words against me,(CY)
and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say;
words have failed them.(CZ)
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand there with no reply?
17 I too will have my say;
I too will tell what I know.(DA)
18 For I am full of words,
and the spirit(DB) within me compels me;(DC)
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
like new wineskins ready to burst.(DD)
20 I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.(DE)
21 I will show no partiality,(DF)
nor will I flatter anyone;(DG)
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
my Maker(DH) would soon take me away.(DI)

33 “But now, Job, listen(DJ) to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.(DK)
2 I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words come from an upright heart;(DL)
my lips sincerely speak what I know.(DM)
4 The Spirit(DN) of God has made me;(DO)
the breath of the Almighty(DP) gives me life.(DQ)
5 Answer me(DR) then, if you can;
stand up(DS) and argue your case before me.(DT)
6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;(DU)
I too am a piece of clay.(DV)
7 No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.(DW)

8 “But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
9 ‘I am pure,(DX) I have done no wrong;(DY)
I am clean and free from sin.(DZ)
10 Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.(EA)
11 He fastens my feet in shackles;(EB)
he keeps close watch on all my paths.’(EC)

12 “But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.(ED)
13 Why do you complain to him(EE)
that he responds to no one’s words[f]?(EF)
14 For God does speak(EG)—now one way, now another(EH)—
though no one perceives it.(EI)
15 In a dream,(EJ) in a vision(EK) of the night,(EL)
when deep sleep(EM) falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speak(EN) in their ears
and terrify them(EO) with warnings,(EP)
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,(EQ)
18 to preserve them from the pit,(ER)
their lives from perishing by the sword.[g](ES)

19 “Or someone may be chastened(ET) on a bed of pain(EU)
with constant distress in their bones,(EV)
20 so that their body finds food(EW) repulsive
and their soul loathes the choicest meal.(EX)
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones,(EY) once hidden, now stick out.(EZ)
22 They draw near to the pit,(FA)
and their life to the messengers of death.[h](FB)
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger,(FC) one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,(FD)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
‘Spare them from going down to the pit;(FE)
I have found a ransom for them(FF)—
25 let their flesh be renewed(FG) like a child’s;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth’(FH)—
26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,(FI)
they will see God’s face and shout for joy;(FJ)
he will restore them to full well-being.(FK)
27 And they will go to others and say,
‘I have sinned,(FL) I have perverted what is right,(FM)
but I did not get what I deserved.(FN)
28 God has delivered(FO) me from going down to the pit,(FP)
and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’(FQ)

29 “God does all these things to a person(FR)—
twice, even three times(FS)—
30 to turn them back(FT) from the pit,(FU)
that the light of life(FV) may shine on them.(FW)

31 “Pay attention, Job, and listen(FX) to me;(FY)
be silent,(FZ) and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me;(GA)
speak up, for I want to vindicate you.(GB)
33 But if not, then listen to me;(GC)
be silent,(GD) and I will teach you wisdom.(GE)”

Footnotes:

  1. Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
  2. Job 31:33 Or as Adam did
  3. Job 32:3 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition Job, and so had condemned God
  4. Job 32:8 Or Spirit; also in verse 18
  5. Job 32:9 Or many; or great
  6. Job 33:13 Or that he does not answer for any of his actions
  7. Job 33:18 Or from crossing the river
  8. Job 33:22 Or to the place of the dead

Cross references:

  1. Job 31:1 : Pr 4:25; 17:24; 2Pe 2:14
  2. Job 31:1 : Ex 20:14, 17; Dt 5:18; Mt 5:28
  3. Job 31:2 : Nu 26:55; Ps 11:6; 16:5; 50:18; Ecc 3:22; 5:19; 9:9
  4. Job 31:2 : S Job 16:19; S 20:29
  5. Job 31:3 : S Job 21:30
  6. Job 31:3 : Job 18:12
  7. Job 31:3 : Job 34:22; Ro 2:9
  8. Job 31:4 : 2Ch 16:9; Ps 139:3; Da 4:37; 5:23
  9. Job 31:4 : S ver 14; S Job 10:4
  10. Job 31:5 : S Job 15:31
  11. Job 31:6 : Ps 139:23
  12. Job 31:6 : S Lev 19:36; S Job 6:2
  13. Job 31:6 : S Ge 6:9; S Job 2:3; S 23:10
  14. Job 31:7 : S Job 23:11
  15. Job 31:7 : S Job 9:30
  16. Job 31:7 : Ps 7:3
  17. Job 31:8 : S Job 5:5; S 20:10; Jn 4:37
  18. Job 31:8 : ver 12; Mic 6:15
  19. Job 31:9 : S Dt 11:16; S Job 24:15; Jas 1:14
  20. Job 31:9 : Pr 5:3; 7:5
  21. Job 31:10 : S Jdg 16:21
  22. Job 31:10 : Dt 28:30
  23. Job 31:11 : Pr 6:32-33
  24. Job 31:11 : S Ge 38:24; S Ex 21:12; Jn 8:4-5
  25. Job 31:12 : S Job 15:30
  26. Job 31:12 : S Job 26:6
  27. Job 31:12 : S ver 8
  28. Job 31:13 : S Dt 5:14
  29. Job 31:13 : Ex 21:2-11; Lev 25:39-46; Dt 24:14-15
  30. Job 31:14 : Job 33:5
  31. Job 31:14 : ver 4, 37; Ps 10:13, 15; 94:7; Isa 10:3; Jer 5:31; Hos 9:7; Mic 7:4; Col 4:1
  32. Job 31:15 : S Job 4:17; Pr 22:2
  33. Job 31:15 : S Job 10:3; Eph 6:9
  34. Job 31:16 : S Lev 25:17; S Job 5:16
  35. Job 31:16 : S Job 22:9; Jas 1:27
  36. Job 31:16 : Job 22:7
  37. Job 31:17 : S Job 6:27; S 22:7
  38. Job 31:18 : Isa 51:18
  39. Job 31:19 : Job 22:6; Isa 58:7
  40. Job 31:19 : S Job 24:4
  41. Job 31:20 : Job 29:13
  42. Job 31:20 : Jdg 6:37
  43. Job 31:21 : S Job 22:7; Jas 1:27
  44. Job 31:21 : S Job 29:7, 9
  45. Job 31:22 : Nu 15:30; Job 5:15; 38:15; Ps 10:15; 37:17; 137:5
  46. Job 31:23 : S Job 10:3; S 30:15
  47. Job 31:23 : Job 13:11
  48. Job 31:23 : S Ge 20:11
  49. Job 31:24 : S Job 22:25
  50. Job 31:24 : Mt 6:24; Lk 12:15
  51. Job 31:25 : S Ge 12:16; Ps 49:6; 52:7; 62:10; Isa 10:14
  52. Job 31:25 : S Job 22:24; Eze 28:5; Lk 12:20-21
  53. Job 31:26 : S Ge 1:16
  54. Job 31:26 : Job 25:5
  55. Job 31:27 : S Dt 11:16; S Job 24:15; Jas 1:14
  56. Job 31:27 : Jer 8:2; 16:11
  57. Job 31:28 : S Ge 38:24; Dt 17:2-7
  58. Job 31:28 : S Nu 11:20; Eze 8:16
  59. Job 31:29 : S Nu 14:1; Ps 35:15; Ob 1:12; Mt 5:44
  60. Job 31:29 : Pr 17:5; 24:17-18
  61. Job 31:30 : Job 5:3; Ro 12:14
  62. Job 31:31 : S Job 22:7
  63. Job 31:32 : Ge 19:2-3; Jdg 19:20; Mt 25:35; S Ro 12:13
  64. Job 31:33 : Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13
  65. Job 31:33 : S Ge 3:8
  66. Job 31:34 : Ex 23:2
  67. Job 31:34 : Ps 32:3; 39:2
  68. Job 31:35 : S Job 9:24; 30:28
  69. Job 31:35 : Job 27:7
  70. Job 31:36 : S Ex 28:12
  71. Job 31:36 : Job 29:14
  72. Job 31:37 : S ver 14; S Job 11:11
  73. Job 31:37 : S Job 21:28
  74. Job 31:38 : S Ge 4:10
  75. Job 31:38 : Ps 65:10
  76. Job 31:39 : S 1Ki 21:19
  77. Job 31:39 : S Lev 19:13; Jas 5:4
  78. Job 31:40 : S Ge 3:18; Mt 13:7
  79. Job 31:40 : Zep 2:9; Mt 13:26
  80. Job 31:40 : Ps 72:20; Jer 51:64
  81. Job 32:1 : ver 15
  82. Job 32:1 : S Job 2:3; S 10:7
  83. Job 32:2 : S Ge 22:21
  84. Job 32:2 : ver 1
  85. Job 32:2 : S Job 13:19; 27:5; 30:21; 35:2
  86. Job 32:3 : Job 42:7
  87. Job 32:3 : ver 12-13
  88. Job 32:3 : S Job 15:13
  89. Job 32:4 : S Lev 19:32
  90. Job 32:6 : Job 15:10
  91. Job 32:7 : S 1Ch 29:15; S 2Ch 10:6
  92. Job 32:8 : ver 18
  93. Job 32:8 : S Job 27:3
  94. Job 32:8 : S Job 12:13; S Ps 119:34; Jas 1:5
  95. Job 32:9 : 1Co 1:26
  96. Job 32:9 : Ps 119:100
  97. Job 32:9 : S Job 12:12, 20; Lk 2:47; 1Ti 4:12
  98. Job 32:10 : Job 33:1, 31, 33; 34:2, 16; 37:2, 14; Ps 34:11
  99. Job 32:10 : S Job 5:27
  100. Job 32:12 : ver 3
  101. Job 32:13 : S Job 4:12; S Ecc 9:11
  102. Job 32:13 : S Job 11:5
  103. Job 32:14 : Job 23:4
  104. Job 32:15 : ver 1
  105. Job 32:17 : S Job 5:27; 33:3; 36:4
  106. Job 32:18 : ver 8
  107. Job 32:18 : Ac 4:20; 1Co 9:16; 2Co 5:14
  108. Job 32:19 : Jer 20:9; Am 3:8; Mt 9:17
  109. Job 32:20 : S Job 4:2; S Jer 6:11
  110. Job 32:21 : S Lev 19:15; S 2Ch 19:7; S Job 13:10; Mt 22:16
  111. Job 32:21 : Pr 29:5; 1Th 2:5
  112. Job 32:22 : S Job 4:17; S 9:9
  113. Job 32:22 : Ps 12:2-4
  114. Job 33:1 : Job 32:10
  115. Job 33:1 : S Job 6:28; S 13:6
  116. Job 33:3 : 1Ki 3:6; Ps 7:10; 11:2; 64:10
  117. Job 33:3 : S Job 6:28
  118. Job 33:4 : S Ge 1:2
  119. Job 33:4 : Job 10:3
  120. Job 33:4 : S Job 27:3
  121. Job 33:4 : S Nu 16:22; S Job 12:10
  122. Job 33:5 : ver 32
  123. Job 33:5 : Job 13:18
  124. Job 33:5 : S Job 31:14
  125. Job 33:6 : Ac 14:15; Jas 5:17
  126. Job 33:6 : S Job 4:19
  127. Job 33:7 : S Job 9:34; 2Co 2:4
  128. Job 33:9 : S Job 10:7
  129. Job 33:9 : S Job 9:30; S 13:23
  130. Job 33:9 : S Job 2:9
  131. Job 33:10 : S Job 13:24
  132. Job 33:11 : S Job 13:27
  133. Job 33:11 : Job 14:16; Pr 3:6; Isa 30:21
  134. Job 33:12 : S Job 5:9; Ps 8:4; 50:21; Ecc 7:20; Isa 55:8-9
  135. Job 33:13 : Job 40:2; Isa 45:9
  136. Job 33:13 : S Job 11:8
  137. Job 33:14 : Ps 62:11
  138. Job 33:14 : ver 29
  139. Job 33:14 : Job 4:12
  140. Job 33:15 : S Ge 20:3; Job 4:13; S Mt 27:19
  141. Job 33:15 : Ac 16:9
  142. Job 33:15 : S Ge 15:1; Da 2:19
  143. Job 33:15 : S Ge 2:21
  144. Job 33:16 : Job 36:10, 15
  145. Job 33:16 : S Job 6:4
  146. Job 33:16 : Ps 88:15-16
  147. Job 33:17 : S Job 20:6
  148. Job 33:18 : ver 22, 24, 28, 30; Ps 28:1; 30:9; 69:15; 88:6; 103:4; Pr 1:12; Isa 14:15; 38:17; Jnh 2:6; Zec 9:11
  149. Job 33:18 : S Job 15:22; Mt 26:52
  150. Job 33:19 : S Job 5:17
  151. Job 33:19 : S Ge 17:1; S Dt 8:5; 2Co 12:7-10; Jas 1:3
  152. Job 33:19 : S Job 16:16; Ps 6:2; 38:3; Isa 38:13
  153. Job 33:20 : Ps 102:4; 107:18
  154. Job 33:20 : S Job 3:24; S 6:6
  155. Job 33:21 : S Job 2:5
  156. Job 33:21 : S Job 16:8
  157. Job 33:22 : S ver 18
  158. Job 33:22 : Job 38:17; Ps 9:13; 88:3; 107:18; 116:3
  159. Job 33:23 : Gal 3:19; Heb 8:6; 9:15
  160. Job 33:23 : Job 36:9-10; Mic 6:8
  161. Job 33:24 : S ver 18
  162. Job 33:24 : S Job 6:22
  163. Job 33:25 : Ps 103:5
  164. Job 33:25 : 2Ki 5:14
  165. Job 33:26 : S Job 5:15; Pr 8:35; 12:2; 18:22; Lk 2:52
  166. Job 33:26 : S Ezr 3:13; S Job 22:26
  167. Job 33:26 : Ps 13:5; 50:15; 51:12; 1Jn 1:9
  168. Job 33:27 : S Nu 22:34
  169. Job 33:27 : Lk 15:21
  170. Job 33:27 : S Ezr 9:13; Ps 22:27; 51:13; Ro 6:21; Jas 2:13
  171. Job 33:28 : S Ex 15:13; Ps 34:22; 107:20
  172. Job 33:28 : S ver 18; S Job 17:16
  173. Job 33:28 : S Job 22:28
  174. Job 33:29 : Ps 139:16; Pr 16:9; 20:24; Jer 10:23; 1Co 12:6; Eph 1:11; Php 2:13
  175. Job 33:29 : ver 14
  176. Job 33:30 : Jas 5:19
  177. Job 33:30 : S ver 18
  178. Job 33:30 : Ps 49:19; 56:13; 116:9; Isa 53:11
  179. Job 33:30 : Isa 60:1; Eph 5:14
  180. Job 33:31 : Jer 23:18
  181. Job 33:31 : S Job 32:10
  182. Job 33:31 : ver 33
  183. Job 33:32 : ver 5
  184. Job 33:32 : S Job 6:29; 35:2
  185. Job 33:33 : S Job 32:10
  186. Job 33:33 : ver 31
  187. Job 33:33 : S Job 6:24; Pr 10:8, 10, 19
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 Corinthians 3

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves(A) again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation(B) to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.(C) 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,(D) not on tablets of stone(E) but on tablets of human hearts.(F)

4 Such confidence(G) we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves(H) to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.(I) 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant(J)—not of the letter(K) but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.(L)

The Greater Glory of the New Covenant

7 Now if the ministry that brought death,(M) which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory,(N) transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation(O) was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!(P) 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope,(Q) we are very bold.(R) 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face(S) to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull,(T) for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant(U) is read.(V) It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord,(W) the veil is taken away.(X) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit,(Y) and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.(Z) 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a](AA) the Lord’s glory,(AB) are being transformed into his image(AC) with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Footnotes:

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Or reflect

Cross references:

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:1 : Ro 16:1; 2Co 5:12; 10:12, 18; 12:11
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:1 : Ac 18:27; Ro 16:1; 1Co 16:3
  3. 2 Corinthians 3:2 : 1Co 9:2
  4. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : S Mt 16:16
  5. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : ver 7; Ex 24:12; 31:18; 32:15, 16
  6. 2 Corinthians 3:3 : Pr 3:3; 7:3; Jer 31:33; Eze 36:26
  7. 2 Corinthians 3:4 : S Eph 3:12
  8. 2 Corinthians 3:5 : 2Co 2:16
  9. 2 Corinthians 3:5 : 1Co 15:10
  10. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : S Lk 22:20
  11. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : Ro 2:29; 7:6
  12. 2 Corinthians 3:6 : Jn 6:63
  13. 2 Corinthians 3:7 : ver 9; S Ro 4:15
  14. 2 Corinthians 3:7 : ver 13; Ex 34:29-35; Isa 42:21
  15. 2 Corinthians 3:9 : ver 7; Dt 27:26
  16. 2 Corinthians 3:9 : Ro 1:17; 3:21, 22
  17. 2 Corinthians 3:12 : Ro 5:4, 5; 8:24, 25
  18. 2 Corinthians 3:12 : S Ac 4:29
  19. 2 Corinthians 3:13 : ver 7; Ex 34:33
  20. 2 Corinthians 3:14 : Ro 11:7, 8; 2Co 4:4
  21. 2 Corinthians 3:14 : Ac 13:15; 15:21
  22. 2 Corinthians 3:14 : ver 6
  23. 2 Corinthians 3:16 : Ro 11:23
  24. 2 Corinthians 3:16 : Ex 34:34; Isa 25:7
  25. 2 Corinthians 3:17 : Isa 61:1, 2; Gal 4:6, 7
  26. 2 Corinthians 3:17 : S Jn 8:32
  27. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : 1Co 13:12
  28. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : Jn 17:22, 24; 2Co 4:4, 6
  29. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : S Ro 8:29
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 43

Psalm 43[a]

1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause(A)
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me(B) from those who are
deceitful and wicked.(C)
2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected(D) me?
Why must I go about mourning,(E)
oppressed by the enemy?(F)
3 Send me your light(G) and your faithful care,(H)
let them lead me;(I)
let them bring me to your holy mountain,(J)
to the place where you dwell.(K)
4 Then I will go(L) to the altar(M) of God,
to God, my joy(N) and my delight.(O)
I will praise you with the lyre,(P)
O God, my God.

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.(Q)

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 43:1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.

Cross references:

  1. Psalm 43:1 : S Jdg 6:31
  2. Psalm 43:1 : S Ps 25:20
  3. Psalm 43:1 : S Ps 36:3; 109:2
  4. Psalm 43:2 : Ps 44:9; 74:1; 88:14; 89:38
  5. Psalm 43:2 : S Ps 35:14
  6. Psalm 43:2 : S Ps 42:9
  7. Psalm 43:3 : Ps 27:1
  8. Psalm 43:3 : S Ps 26:3
  9. Psalm 43:3 : S Ps 25:5
  10. Psalm 43:3 : Ps 2:6
  11. Psalm 43:3 : S 2Sa 15:25
  12. Psalm 43:4 : S Ps 42:2
  13. Psalm 43:4 : Ps 26:6; 84:3
  14. Psalm 43:4 : S Ps 21:6
  15. Psalm 43:4 : Ps 16:3
  16. Psalm 43:4 : S Ge 4:21
  17. Psalm 43:5 : S Ps 42:6
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 22:8-9

8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,(A)
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.(B)

9 The generous will themselves be blessed,(C)
for they share their food with the poor.(D)

Cross references:

  1. Proverbs 22:8 : S Ex 1:20; S Job 4:8; Gal 6:7-8
  2. Proverbs 22:8 : Hos 8:7
  3. Proverbs 22:9 : S Dt 14:29
  4. Proverbs 22:9 : S Pr 11:25; S 19:17; 28:27
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday August 28, 2021 (NIV)

Job 28-30

Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding

28 “People know where to mine silver
and how to refine gold.
2 They know where to dig iron from the earth
and how to smelt copper from rock.
3 They know how to shine light in the darkness
and explore the farthest regions of the earth
as they search in the dark for ore.
4 They sink a mine shaft into the earth
far from where anyone lives.
They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
5 Food is grown on the earth above,
but down below, the earth is melted as by fire.
6 Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli,
and the dust contains gold.
7 These are treasures no bird of prey can see,
no falcon’s eye observe.
8 No wild animal has walked upon these treasures;
no lion has ever set his paw there.
9 People know how to tear apart flinty rocks
and overturn the roots of mountains.
10 They cut tunnels in the rocks
and uncover precious stones.
11 They dam up the trickling streams
and bring to light the hidden treasures.

12 “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
13 No one knows where to find it,[a]
for it is not found among the living.
14 ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
15 It cannot be bought with gold.
It cannot be purchased with silver.
16 It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,
greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
18 Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
19 Precious peridot from Ethiopia[b] cannot be exchanged for it.
It’s worth more than the purest gold.

20 “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.
22 Destruction[c] and Death say,
‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
he knows where it can be found,
24 for he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 He decided how hard the winds should blow
and how much rain should fall.
26 He made the laws for the rain
and laid out a path for the lightning.
27 Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
28 And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Job Speaks of His Former Blessings

29 Job continued speaking:

2 “I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
3 when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
4 When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
5 The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
6 My steps were awash in cream,
and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

7 “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
and took my place among the honored leaders.
8 The young stepped aside when they saw me,
and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
9 The princes stood in silence
and put their hands over their mouths.
10 The highest officials of the city stood quietly,
holding their tongues in respect.

11 “All who heard me praised me.
All who saw me spoke well of me.
12 For I assisted the poor in their need
and the orphans who required help.
13 I helped those without hope, and they blessed me.
And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy.
14 Everything I did was honest.
Righteousness covered me like a robe,
and I wore justice like a turban.
15 I served as eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor
and assisted strangers who needed help.
17 I broke the jaws of godless oppressors
and plucked their victims from their teeth.

18 “I thought, ‘Surely I will die surrounded by my family
after a long, good life.[d]
19 For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
whose branches are refreshed with the dew.
20 New honors are constantly bestowed on me,
and my strength is continually renewed.’

21 “Everyone listened to my advice.
They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
22 And after I spoke, they had nothing to add,
for my counsel satisfied them.
23 They longed for me to speak as people long for rain.
They drank my words like a refreshing spring rain.
24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.
25 Like a chief, I told them what to do.
I lived like a king among his troops
and comforted those who mourned.

Job Speaks of His Anguish

30 “But now I am mocked by people younger than I,
by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.
2 A lot of good they are to me—
those worn-out wretches!
3 They are gaunt from poverty and hunger.
They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.
4 They pluck wild greens from among the bushes
and eat from the roots of broom trees.
5 They are driven from human society,
and people shout at them as if they were thieves.
6 So now they live in frightening ravines,
in caves and among the rocks.
7 They sound like animals howling among the bushes,
huddled together beneath the nettles.
8 They are nameless fools,
outcasts from society.

9 “And now they mock me with vulgar songs!
They taunt me!
10 They despise me and won’t come near me,
except to spit in my face.
11 For God has cut my bowstring.
He has humbled me,
so they have thrown off all restraint.
12 These outcasts oppose me to my face.
They send me sprawling
and lay traps in my path.
13 They block my road
and do everything they can to destroy me.
They know I have no one to help me.
14 They come at me from all directions.
They jump on me when I am down.
15 I live in terror now.
My honor has blown away in the wind,
and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.

16 “And now my life seeps away.
Depression haunts my days.
17 At night my bones are filled with pain,
which gnaws at me relentlessly.
18 With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.[e]
He grips me by the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the mud.
I’m nothing more than dust and ashes.

20 “I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer.
I stand before you, but you don’t even look.
21 You have become cruel toward me.
You use your power to persecute me.
22 You throw me into the whirlwind
and destroy me in the storm.
23 And I know you are sending me to my death—
the destination of all who live.

24 “Surely no one would turn against the needy
when they cry for help in their trouble.
25 Did I not weep for those in trouble?
Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
26 So I looked for good, but evil came instead.
I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
27 My heart is troubled and restless.
Days of suffering torment me.
28 I walk in gloom, without sunlight.
I stand in the public square and cry for help.
29 Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals
and a companion to owls.
30 My skin has turned dark,
and my bones burn with fever.
31 My harp plays sad music,
and my flute accompanies those who weep.

Footnotes:

  1. 28:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads knows its value.
  2. 28:19 Hebrew from Cush.
  3. 28:22 Hebrew Abaddon.
  4. 29:18 Hebrew after I have counted my days like sand.
  5. 30:18 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads hand, my garment is disfigured.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


2 Corinthians 2:12-17

12 When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me. 13 But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.

Ministers of the New Covenant

14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters[a] who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Footnotes:

  1. 2:17 Some manuscripts read the rest of the hucksters.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 42

Book two (Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

For the choir director: A psalm[a] of the descendants of Korah.

1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
3 Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?”

4 My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!

5 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and 6 my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.

9 “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
10 Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!

Footnotes:

  1. 42:Title Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 22:7

7 Just as the rich rule the poor,
so the borrower is servant to the lender.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday August 27, 2021 (NIV)

Job 23-27

Job’s Eighth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

23 Then Job spoke again:

2 “My complaint today is still a bitter one,
and I try hard not to groan aloud.
3 If only I knew where to find God,
I would go to his court.
4 I would lay out my case
and present my arguments.
5 Then I would listen to his reply
and understand what he says to me.
6 Would he use his great power to argue with me?
No, he would give me a fair hearing.
7 Honest people can reason with him,
so I would be forever acquitted by my judge.
8 I go east, but he is not there.
I go west, but I cannot find him.
9 I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
I look to the south, but he is concealed.

10 “But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
11 For I have stayed on God’s paths;
I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from his commands,
but have treasured his words more than daily food.
13 But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind?
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
14 So he will do to me whatever he has planned.
He controls my destiny.
15 No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
When I think of it, terror grips me.
16 God has made me sick at heart;
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Darkness is all around me;
thick, impenetrable darkness is everywhere.

Job Asks Why the Wicked Are Not Punished

24 “Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment?
Why must the godly wait for him in vain?
2 Evil people steal land by moving the boundary markers.
They steal livestock and put them in their own pastures.
3 They take the orphan’s donkey
and demand the widow’s ox as security for a loan.
4 The poor are pushed off the path;
the needy must hide together for safety.
5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
the poor must spend all their time looking for food,
searching even in the desert for food for their children.
6 They harvest a field they do not own,
and they glean in the vineyards of the wicked.
7 All night they lie naked in the cold,
without clothing or covering.
8 They are soaked by mountain showers,
and they huddle against the rocks for want of a home.

9 “The wicked snatch a widow’s child from her breast,
taking the baby as security for a loan.
10 The poor must go about naked, without any clothing.
They harvest food for others while they themselves are starving.
11 They press out olive oil without being allowed to taste it,
and they tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst.
12 The groans of the dying rise from the city,
and the wounded cry for help,
yet God ignores their moaning.

13 “Wicked people rebel against the light.
They refuse to acknowledge its ways
or stay in its paths.
14 The murderer rises in the early dawn
to kill the poor and needy;
at night he is a thief.
15 The adulterer waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No one will see me then.’
He hides his face so no one will know him.
16 Thieves break into houses at night
and sleep in the daytime.
They are not acquainted with the light.
17 The black night is their morning.
They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.

18 “But they disappear like foam down a river.
Everything they own is cursed,
and they are afraid to enter their own vineyards.
19 The grave[a] consumes sinners
just as drought and heat consume snow.
20 Their own mothers will forget them.
Maggots will find them sweet to eat.
No one will remember them.
Wicked people are broken like a tree in the storm.
21 They cheat the woman who has no son to help her.
They refuse to help the needy widow.

22 “God, in his power, drags away the rich.
They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
23 They may be allowed to live in security,
but God is always watching them.
24 And though they are great now,
in a moment they will be gone like all others,
cut off like heads of grain.
25 Can anyone claim otherwise?
Who can prove me wrong?”

Bildad’s Third Response to Job

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2 “God is powerful and dreadful.
He enforces peace in the heavens.
3 Who is able to count his heavenly army?
Doesn’t his light shine on all the earth?
4 How can a mortal be innocent before God?
Can anyone born of a woman be pure?
5 God is more glorious than the moon;
he shines brighter than the stars.
6 In comparison, people are maggots;
we mortals are mere worms.”

Job’s Ninth Speech: A Response to Bildad

26 Then Job spoke again:

2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the weak!
3 How you have enlightened my stupidity!
What wise advice you have offered!
4 Where have you gotten all these wise sayings?
Whose spirit speaks through you?

5 “The dead tremble—
those who live beneath the waters.
6 The underworld[b] is naked in God’s presence.
The place of destruction[c] is uncovered.
7 God stretches the northern sky over empty space
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
9 He covers the face of the moon,[d]
shrouding it with his clouds.
10 He created the horizon when he separated the waters;
he set the boundary between day and night.
11 The foundations of heaven tremble;
they shudder at his rebuke.
12 By his power the sea grew calm.
By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.[e]
13 His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
and his power pierced the gliding serpent.
14 These are just the beginning of all that he does,
merely a whisper of his power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”

Job’s Final Speech

27 Job continued speaking:

2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
3 As long as I live,
while I have breath from God,
4 my lips will speak no evil,
and my tongue will speak no lies.
5 I will never concede that you are right;
I will defend my integrity until I die.
6 I will maintain my innocence without wavering.
My conscience is clear for as long as I live.

7 “May my enemy be punished like the wicked,
my adversary like those who do evil.
8 For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off
and takes away their life?
9 Will God listen to their cry
when trouble comes upon them?
10 Can they take delight in the Almighty?
Can they call to God at any time?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.
12 But you have seen all this,
yet you say all these useless things to me.

13 “This is what the wicked will receive from God;
this is their inheritance from the Almighty.
14 They may have many children,
but the children will die in war or starve to death.
15 Those who survive will die of a plague,
and not even their widows will mourn them.

16 “Evil people may have piles of money
and may store away mounds of clothing.
17 But the righteous will wear that clothing,
and the innocent will divide that money.
18 The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web,[f]
as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.
19 The wicked go to bed rich
but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.
20 Terror overwhelms them like a flood,
and they are blown away in the storms of the night.
21 The east wind carries them away, and they are gone.
It sweeps them away.
22 It whirls down on them without mercy.
They struggle to flee from its power.
23 But everyone jeers at them
and mocks them.

Footnotes:

  1. 24:19 Hebrew Sheol.
  2. 26:6a Hebrew Sheol.
  3. 26:6b Hebrew Abaddon.
  4. 26:9 Or covers his throne.
  5. 26:12 Hebrew Rahab, the name of a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature.
  6. 27:18 As in Greek and Syriac versions (see also 8:14); Hebrew reads a moth.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11

Paul’s Change of Plans

12 We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness[a] and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. 13 Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, 14 even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus[b] returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

15 Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice— 16 first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia.[c] Then you could send me on my way to Judea.

17 You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” 19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas,[d] Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. 20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

21 It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.

23 Now I call upon God as my witness that I am telling the truth. The reason I didn’t return to Corinth was to spare you from a severe rebuke. 24 But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.

2 So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. 3 That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. 4 I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.

Forgiveness for the Sinner

5 I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

9 I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:12 Some manuscripts read honesty.
  2. 1:14 Some manuscripts read our Lord Jesus.
  3. 1:16 Macedonia was in the northern region of Greece.
  4. 1:19 Greek Silvanus.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 41

Psalm 41

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.
2 The Lord protects them
and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity in the land
and rescues them from their enemies.
3 The Lord nurses them when they are sick
and restores them to health.

4 “O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.
“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.
6 They visit me as if they were my friends,
but all the while they gather gossip,
and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
7 All who hate me whisper about me,
imagining the worst.
8 “He has some fatal disease,” they say.
“He will never get out of that bed!”
9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

10 Lord, have mercy on me.
Make me well again, so I can pay them back!
11 I know you are pleased with me,
for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
12 You have preserved my life because I am innocent;
you have brought me into your presence forever.

13 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and amen!

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 22:5-6

5 Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road;
whoever values life will avoid it.

6 Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday August 26, 2021 (NIV)

Job 20-22

Zophar’s Second Response to Job

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

2 “I must reply
because I am greatly disturbed.
3 I’ve had to endure your insults,
but now my spirit prompts me to reply.

4 “Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time,
ever since people were first placed on the earth,
5 the triumph of the wicked has been short lived
and the joy of the godless has been only temporary?
6 Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens
and their heads touch the clouds,
7 yet they will vanish forever,
thrown away like their own dung.
Those who knew them will ask,
‘Where are they?’
8 They will fade like a dream and not be found.
They will vanish like a vision in the night.
9 Those who once saw them will see them no more.
Their families will never see them again.
10 Their children will beg from the poor,
for they must give back their stolen riches.
11 Though they are young,
their bones will lie in the dust.

12 “They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness,
letting it melt under their tongue.
13 They savored it,
holding it long in their mouths.
14 But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour,
a poisonous venom in their stomach.
15 They will vomit the wealth they swallowed.
God won’t let them keep it down.
16 They will suck the poison of cobras.
The viper will kill them.
17 They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil
or rivers of milk and honey.
18 They will give back everything they worked for.
Their wealth will bring them no joy.
19 For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.
They foreclosed on their homes.
20 They were always greedy and never satisfied.
Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
21 Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.
Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.

22 “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble
and be overcome by misery.
23 May God give them a bellyful of trouble.
May God rain down his anger upon them.
24 When they try to escape an iron weapon,
a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.
25 The arrow is pulled from their back,
and the arrowhead glistens with blood.[a]
The terrors of death are upon them.
26 Their treasures will be thrown into deepest darkness.
A wildfire will devour their goods,
consuming all they have left.
27 The heavens will reveal their guilt,
and the earth will testify against them.
28 A flood will sweep away their house.
God’s anger will descend on them in torrents.
29 This is the reward that God gives the wicked.
It is the inheritance decreed by God.”

Job’s Seventh Speech: A Response to Zophar

21 Then Job spoke again:

2 “Listen closely to what I am saying.
That’s one consolation you can give me.
3 Bear with me, and let me speak.
After I have spoken, you may resume mocking me.

4 “My complaint is with God, not with people.
I have good reason to be so impatient.
5 Look at me and be stunned.
Put your hand over your mouth in shock.
6 When I think about what I am saying, I shudder.
My body trembles.

7 “Why do the wicked prosper,
growing old and powerful?
8 They live to see their children grow up and settle down,
and they enjoy their grandchildren.
9 Their homes are safe from every fear,
and God does not punish them.
10 Their bulls never fail to breed.
Their cows bear calves and never miscarry.
11 They let their children frisk about like lambs.
Their little ones skip and dance.
12 They sing with tambourine and harp.
They celebrate to the sound of the flute.
13 They spend their days in prosperity,
then go down to the grave[b] in peace.
14 And yet they say to God, ‘Go away.
We want no part of you and your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him?
What good will it do us to pray?’
16 (They think their prosperity is of their own doing,
but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)

17 “Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished.
Do they ever have trouble?
Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?
18 Are they driven before the wind like straw?
Are they carried away by the storm like chaff?
Not at all!

19 “‘Well,’ you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!’
But I say he should punish the ones who sin,
so that they understand his judgment.
20 Let them see their destruction with their own eyes.
Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty.
21 For they will not care what happens to their family
after they are dead.

22 “But who can teach a lesson to God,
since he judges even the most powerful?
23 One person dies in prosperity,
completely comfortable and secure,
24 the picture of good health,
vigorous and fit.
25 Another person dies in bitter poverty,
never having tasted the good life.
26 But both are buried in the same dust,
both eaten by the same maggots.

27 “Look, I know what you’re thinking.
I know the schemes you plot against me.
28 You will tell me of rich and wicked people
whose houses have vanished because of their sins.
29 But ask those who have been around,
and they will tell you the truth.
30 Evil people are spared in times of calamity
and are allowed to escape disaster.
31 No one criticizes them openly
or pays them back for what they have done.
32 When they are carried to the grave,
an honor guard keeps watch at their tomb.
33 A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery.
Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest,
and the earth gives sweet repose.

34 “How can your empty clichés comfort me?
All your explanations are lies!”

Eliphaz’s Third Response to Job

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2 “Can a person do anything to help God?
Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
3 Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous?
Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
4 Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you
and brings judgment against you?
5 No, it’s because of your wickedness!
There’s no limit to your sins.

6 “For example, you must have lent money to your friend
and demanded clothing as security.
Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
7 You must have refused water for the thirsty
and food for the hungry.
8 You probably think the land belongs to the powerful
and only the privileged have a right to it!
9 You must have sent widows away empty-handed
and crushed the hopes of orphans.
10 That is why you are surrounded by traps
and tremble from sudden fears.
11 That is why you cannot see in the darkness,
and waves of water cover you.

12 “God is so great—higher than the heavens,
higher than the farthest stars.
13 But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing!
How can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us.
He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’

15 “Will you continue on the old paths
where evil people have walked?
16 They were snatched away in the prime of life,
the foundations of their lives washed away.
17 For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things,
so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

19 “The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed,
and the innocent will laugh in contempt.
20 They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed.
The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’

21 “Submit to God, and you will have peace;
then things will go well for you.
22 Listen to his instructions,
and store them in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored—
so clean up your life.
24 If you give up your lust for money
and throw your precious gold into the river,
25 the Almighty himself will be your treasure.
He will be your precious silver!

26 “Then you will take delight in the Almighty
and look up to God.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows to him.
28 You will succeed in whatever you choose to do,
and light will shine on the road ahead of you.
29 If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’
God will save them.
30 Even sinners will be rescued;
they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”

Footnotes:

  1. 20:25 Hebrew with gall.
  2. 21:13 Hebrew to Sheol.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


1 Corinthians 1:1-11

Greetings from Paul

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.

2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,[a] to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,[b] just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6 This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters,[c] by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:2a Corinth was the capital city of Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula.
  2. 1:2b Or because you belong to Christ Jesus.
  3. 1:10 Greek brothers; also in 1:11, 26.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 40:11-17

11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.

13 Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
14 May those who try to destroy me
be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
be turned back in disgrace.
15 Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

16 But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 22:2-4

2 The rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord made them both.

3 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

4 True humility and fear of the Lord
lead to riches, honor, and long life.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday August 25, 2021 (NIV)

Job 16-19

Job’s Fifth Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

16 Then Job spoke again:

2 “I have heard all this before.
What miserable comforters you are!
3 Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air?
What makes you keep on talking?
4 I could say the same things if you were in my place.
I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you.
5 But if it were me, I would encourage you.
I would try to take away your grief.
6 Instead, I suffer if I defend myself,
and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.

7 “O God, you have ground me down
and devastated my family.
8 As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones.
My gaunt flesh testifies against me.
9 God hates me and angrily tears me apart.
He snaps his teeth at me
and pierces me with his eyes.
10 People jeer and laugh at me.
They slap my cheek in contempt.
A mob gathers against me.
11 God has handed me over to sinners.
He has tossed me into the hands of the wicked.

12 “I was living quietly until he shattered me.
He took me by the neck and broke me in pieces.
Then he set me up as his target,
13 and now his archers surround me.
His arrows pierce me without mercy.
The ground is wet with my blood.[a]
14 Again and again he smashes against me,
charging at me like a warrior.
15 I wear burlap to show my grief.
My pride lies in the dust.
16 My eyes are red with weeping;
dark shadows circle my eyes.
17 Yet I have done no wrong,
and my prayer is pure.

18 “O earth, do not conceal my blood.
Let it cry out on my behalf.
19 Even now my witness is in heaven.
My advocate is there on high.
20 My friends scorn me,
but I pour out my tears to God.
21 I need someone to mediate between God and me,
as a person mediates between friends.
22 For soon I must go down that road
from which I will never return.

Job Continues to Defend His Innocence

17 “My spirit is crushed,
and my life is nearly snuffed out.
The grave is ready to receive me.
2 I am surrounded by mockers.
I watch how bitterly they taunt me.

3 “You must defend my innocence, O God,
since no one else will stand up for me.
4 You have closed their minds to understanding,
but do not let them triumph.
5 They betray their friends for their own advantage,
so let their children faint with hunger.

6 “God has made a mockery of me among the people;
they spit in my face.
7 My eyes are swollen with weeping,
and I am but a shadow of my former self.
8 The virtuous are horrified when they see me.
The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
9 The righteous keep moving forward,
and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.

10 “As for all of you, come back with a better argument,
though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
11 My days are over.
My hopes have disappeared.
My heart’s desires are broken.
12 These men say that night is day;
they claim that the darkness is light.
13 What if I go to the grave[b]
and make my bed in darkness?
14 What if I call the grave my father,
and the maggot my mother or my sister?
15 Where then is my hope?
Can anyone find it?
16 No, my hope will go down with me to the grave.
We will rest together in the dust!”

Bildad’s Second Response to Job

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

2 “How long before you stop talking?
Speak sense if you want us to answer!
3 Do you think we are mere animals?
Do you think we are stupid?
4 You may tear out your hair in anger,
but will that destroy the earth?
Will it make the rocks tremble?

5 “Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
The sparks of their fire will not glow.
6 The light in their tent will grow dark.
The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
7 The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.
Their own schemes will be their downfall.
8 The wicked walk into a net.
They fall into a pit.
9 A trap grabs them by the heel.
A snare holds them tight.
10 A noose lies hidden on the ground.
A rope is stretched across their path.

11 “Terrors surround the wicked
and trouble them at every step.
12 Hunger depletes their strength,
and calamity waits for them to stumble.
13 Disease eats their skin;
death devours their limbs.
14 They are torn from the security of their homes
and are brought down to the king of terrors.
15 The homes of the wicked will burn down;
burning sulfur rains on their houses.
16 Their roots will dry up,
and their branches will wither.
17 All memory of their existence will fade from the earth;
no one will remember their names.
18 They will be thrust from light into darkness,
driven from the world.
19 They will have neither children nor grandchildren,
nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
20 People in the west are appalled at their fate;
people in the east are horrified.
21 They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person,
the place of one who rejected God.’”

Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad

19 Then Job spoke again:

2 “How long will you torture me?
How long will you try to crush me with your words?
3 You have already insulted me ten times.
You should be ashamed of treating me so badly.
4 Even if I have sinned,
that is my concern, not yours.
5 You think you’re better than I am,
using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
6 But it is God who has wronged me,
capturing me in his net.[c]

7 “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
I protest, but there is no justice.
8 God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
He has plunged my path into darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor
and removed the crown from my head.
10 He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
11 His fury burns against me;
he counts me as an enemy.
12 His troops advance.
They build up roads to attack me.
They camp all around my tent.

13 “My relatives stay far away,
and my friends have turned against me.
14 My family is gone,
and my close friends have forgotten me.
15 My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
I am like a foreigner to them.
16 When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
I have to plead with him!
17 My breath is repulsive to my wife.
I am rejected by my own family.
18 Even young children despise me.
When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
19 My close friends detest me.
Those I loved have turned against me.
20 I have been reduced to skin and bones
and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

21 “Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
for the hand of God has struck me.
22 Must you also persecute me, like God does?
Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

23 “Oh, that my words could be recorded.
Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
engraved forever in the rock.

25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26 And after my body has decayed,
yet in my body I will see God![d]
27 I will see him for myself.
Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought!

28 “How dare you go on persecuting me,
saying, ‘It’s his own fault’?
29 You should fear punishment yourselves,
for your attitude deserves punishment.
Then you will know that there is indeed a judgment.”

Footnotes:

  1. 16:13 Hebrew my gall.
  2. 17:13 Hebrew to Sheol; also in 17:16.
  3. 19:6 Or for I am like a city under siege.
  4. 19:26 Or without my body I will see God. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


1 Corinthians 16

The Collection for Jerusalem

16 Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 3 When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.

Paul’s Final Instructions

5 I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia,[a] for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. 7 This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 8 In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. 9 There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

10 When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. 11 Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.[b]

12 Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.[c] Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece,[d] and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,[e] 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. 17 I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.

Paul’s Final Greetings

19 The churches here in the province of Asia[f] send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla[g] and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.

21 HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come![h]

23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.[i]

Footnotes:

  1. 16:5 Macedonia was in the northern region of Greece.
  2. 16:11 Greek with the brothers; also in 16:12.
  3. 16:13 Greek Be men.
  4. 16:15a Greek in Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula.
  5. 16:15b Greek brothers; also in 16:20.
  6. 16:19a Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.
  7. 16:19b Greek Prisca.
  8. 16:22 From Aramaic, Marana tha. Some manuscripts read Maran atha, “Our Lord has come.”
  9. 16:24 Some manuscripts add Amen.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 40:1-10

Psalm 40

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand[a]—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Footnotes:

  1. 40:6 Greek version reads You have given me a body. Compare Heb 10:5.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 22:1

22 Choose a good reputation over great riches;
being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday August 24, 2021 (NIV)

Job 12-15

Job’s Fourth Speech: A Response to Zophar

12 Then Job spoke again:

2 “You people really know everything, don’t you?
And when you die, wisdom will die with you!
3 Well, I know a few things myself—
and you’re no better than I am.
Who doesn’t know these things you’ve been saying?
4 Yet my friends laugh at me,
for I call on God and expect an answer.
I am a just and blameless man,
yet they laugh at me.
5 People who are at ease mock those in trouble.
They give a push to people who are stumbling.
6 But robbers are left in peace,
and those who provoke God live in safety—
though God keeps them in his power.[a]

7 “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
9 For they all know
that my disaster[b] has come from the hand of the Lord.
10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand,
and the breath of every human being.
11 The ear tests the words it hears
just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.
12 Wisdom belongs to the aged,
and understanding to the old.

13 “But true wisdom and power are found in God;
counsel and understanding are his.
14 What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.
15 If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert.
If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.
16 Yes, strength and wisdom are his;
deceivers and deceived are both in his power.
17 He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment;
wise judges become fools.
18 He removes the royal robe of kings.
They are led away with ropes around their waist.
19 He leads priests away, stripped of status;
he overthrows those with long years in power.
20 He silences the trusted adviser
and removes the insight of the elders.
21 He pours disgrace upon princes
and disarms the strong.

22 “He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness;
he brings light to the deepest gloom.
23 He builds up nations, and he destroys them.
He expands nations, and he abandons them.
24 He strips kings of understanding
and leaves them wandering in a pathless wasteland.
25 They grope in the darkness without a light.
He makes them stagger like drunkards.

Job Wants to Argue His Case with God

13 “Look, I have seen all this with my own eyes
and heard it with my own ears, and now I understand.
2 I know as much as you do.
You are no better than I am.
3 As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty.
I want to argue my case with God himself.
4 As for you, you smear me with lies.
As physicians, you are worthless quacks.
5 If only you could be silent!
That’s the wisest thing you could do.
6 Listen to my charge;
pay attention to my arguments.

7 “Are you defending God with lies?
Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake?
8 Will you slant your testimony in his favor?
Will you argue God’s case for him?
9 What will happen when he finds out what you are doing?
Can you fool him as easily as you fool people?
10 No, you will be in trouble with him
if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor.
11 Doesn’t his majesty terrify you?
Doesn’t your fear of him overwhelm you?
12 Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes.
Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.

13 “Be silent now and leave me alone.
Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
14 Why should I put myself in mortal danger[c]
and take my life in my own hands?
15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope.[d]
I am going to argue my case with him.
16 But this is what will save me—I am not godless.
If I were, I could not stand before him.

17 “Listen closely to what I am about to say.
Hear me out.
18 I have prepared my case;
I will be proved innocent.
19 Who can argue with me over this?
And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.

Job Asks How He Has Sinned

20 “O God, grant me these two things,
and then I will be able to face you.
21 Remove your heavy hand from me,
and don’t terrify me with your awesome presence.
22 Now summon me, and I will answer!
Or let me speak to you, and you reply.
23 Tell me, what have I done wrong?
Show me my rebellion and my sin.
24 Why do you turn away from me?
Why do you treat me as your enemy?
25 Would you terrify a leaf blown by the wind?
Would you chase dry straw?

26 “You write bitter accusations against me
and bring up all the sins of my youth.
27 You put my feet in stocks.
You examine all my paths.
You trace all my footprints.
28 I waste away like rotting wood,
like a moth-eaten coat.

14 “How frail is humanity!
How short is life, how full of trouble!
2 We blossom like a flower and then wither.
Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
3 Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature
and demand an accounting from me?
4 Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
No one!
5 You have decided the length of our lives.
You know how many months we will live,
and we are not given a minute longer.
6 So leave us alone and let us rest!
We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.

7 “Even a tree has more hope!
If it is cut down, it will sprout again
and grow new branches.
8 Though its roots have grown old in the earth
and its stump decays,
9 at the scent of water it will bud
and sprout again like a new seedling.

10 “But when people die, their strength is gone.
They breathe their last, and then where are they?
11 As water evaporates from a lake
and a river disappears in drought,
12 people are laid to rest and do not rise again.
Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up
nor be roused from their sleep.

13 “I wish you would hide me in the grave[e]
and forget me there until your anger has passed.
But mark your calendar to think of me again!
14 Can the dead live again?
If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,
and I would eagerly await the release of death.
15 You would call and I would answer,
and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
16 For then you would guard my steps,
instead of watching for my sins.
17 My sins would be sealed in a pouch,
and you would cover my guilt.

18 “But instead, as mountains fall and crumble
and as rocks fall from a cliff,
19 as water wears away the stones
and floods wash away the soil,
so you destroy people’s hope.
20 You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene.
You disfigure them in death and send them away.
21 They never know if their children grow up in honor
or sink to insignificance.
22 They suffer painfully;
their life is full of trouble.”

Eliphaz’s Second Response to Job

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2 “A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk!
You are nothing but a windbag.
3 The wise don’t engage in empty chatter.
What good are such words?
4 Have you no fear of God,
no reverence for him?
5 Your sins are telling your mouth what to say.
Your words are based on clever deception.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I.
Your own lips testify against you.

7 “Were you the first person ever born?
Were you born before the hills were made?
8 Were you listening at God’s secret council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we don’t?
What do you understand that we do not?
10 On our side are aged, gray-haired men
much older than your father!

11 “Is God’s comfort too little for you?
Is his gentle word not enough?
12 What has taken away your reason?
What has weakened your vision,[f]
13 that you turn against God
and say all these evil things?
14 Can any mortal be pure?
Can anyone born of a woman be just?
15 Look, God does not even trust the angels.[g]
Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.
16 How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person
with a thirst for wickedness!

17 “If you will listen, I will show you.
I will answer you from my own experience.
18 And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men
who have heard the same thing from their fathers—
19 from those to whom the land was given
long before any foreigners arrived.

20 “The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives.
Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.
21 The sound of terror rings in their ears,
and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
22 They dare not go out into the darkness
for fear they will be murdered.
23 They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’[h]
They know their day of destruction is near.
24 That dark day terrifies them.
They live in distress and anguish,
like a king preparing for battle.
25 For they shake their fists at God,
defying the Almighty.
26 Holding their strong shields,
they defiantly charge against him.

27 “These wicked people are heavy and prosperous;
their waists bulge with fat.
28 But their cities will be ruined.
They will live in abandoned houses
that are ready to tumble down.
29 Their riches will not last,
and their wealth will not endure.
Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.

30 “They will not escape the darkness.
The burning sun will wither their shoots,
and the breath of God will destroy them.
31 Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches,
for emptiness will be their only reward.
32 They will be cut down in the prime of life;
their branches will never again be green.
33 They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early,
like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.
34 For the godless are barren.
Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
Their womb produces deceit.”

Footnotes:

  1. 12:6 Or safety—those who try to manipulate God. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  2. 12:9 Hebrew that this.
  3. 13:14 Hebrew Why should I take my flesh in my teeth.
  4. 13:15 An alternate reading in the Masoretic Text reads God might kill me, but I hope in him.
  5. 14:13 Hebrew in Sheol.
  6. 15:12 Or Why do your eyes flash with anger; Hebrew reads Why do your eyes blink.
  7. 15:15 Hebrew the holy ones.
  8. 15:23 Greek version reads He is appointed to be food for a vulture.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


1 Corinthians 15:29-58

29 If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?

30 And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? 31 For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. 32 And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus[a]—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”[b] 33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. 38 Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39 Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

40 There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”[c] But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[d] the heavenly man.

50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[e] this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.[f]
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?[g]”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Footnotes:

  1. 15:32a Greek fighting wild beasts in Ephesus.
  2. 15:32b Isa 22:13.
  3. 15:45 Gen 2:7.
  4. 15:49 Some manuscripts read let us be like.
  5. 15:54a Some manuscripts add and our mortal bodies have been transformed into immortal bodies.
  6. 15:54b Isa 25:8.
  7. 15:55 Hos 13:14 (Greek version).
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 39

Psalm 39

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
2 But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude

6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.
9 I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
for my punishment is from you.
10 But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
11 When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
13 Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 21:30-31

30 No human wisdom or understanding or plan
can stand against the Lord.

31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday August 23, 2021 (NIV)

Job 8-11

Bildad’s First Response to Job

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:

2 “How long will you go on like this?
You sound like a blustering wind.
3 Does God twist justice?
Does the Almighty twist what is right?
4 Your children must have sinned against him,
so their punishment was well deserved.
5 But if you pray to God
and seek the favor of the Almighty,
6 and if you are pure and live with integrity,
he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.
7 And though you started with little,
you will end with much.

8 “Just ask the previous generation.
Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.
9 For we were born but yesterday and know nothing.
Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.
10 But those who came before us will teach you.
They will teach you the wisdom of old.

11 “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh?
Can marsh grass flourish without water?
12 While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut,
they begin to wither more quickly than grass.
13 The same happens to all who forget God.
The hopes of the godless evaporate.
14 Their confidence hangs by a thread.
They are leaning on a spider’s web.
15 They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last.
They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.
16 The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine,
its branches spreading across the garden.
17 Its roots grow down through a pile of stones;
it takes hold on a bed of rocks.
18 But when it is uprooted,
it’s as though it never existed!
19 That’s the end of its life,
and others spring up from the earth to replace it.

20 “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity,
nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.
21 He will once again fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”

Job’s Third Speech: A Response to Bildad

9 Then Job spoke again:

2 “Yes, I know all this is true in principle.
But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
3 If someone wanted to take God to court,[a]
would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?
4 For God is so wise and so mighty.
Who has ever challenged him successfully?

5 “Without warning, he moves the mountains,
overturning them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place,
and its foundations tremble.
7 If he commands it, the sun won’t rise
and the stars won’t shine.
8 He alone has spread out the heavens
and marches on the waves of the sea.
9 He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
10 He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.

11 “Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him.
When he moves by, I do not see him go.
12 If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him?
Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’
13 And God does not restrain his anger.
Even the monsters of the sea[b] are crushed beneath his feet.

14 “So who am I, that I should try to answer God
or even reason with him?
15 Even if I were right, I would have no defense.
I could only plead for mercy.
16 And even if I summoned him and he responded,
I’m not sure he would listen to me.
17 For he attacks me with a storm
and repeatedly wounds me without cause.
18 He will not let me catch my breath,
but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.
19 If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one.
If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him[c] to court?
20 Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty.
Though I am blameless, it[d] would prove me wicked.

21 “I am innocent,
but it makes no difference to me—
I despise my life.
22 Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God.
That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When a plague[e] sweeps through,
he laughs at the death of the innocent.
24 The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked,
and God blinds the eyes of the judges.
If he’s not the one who does it, who is?

25 “My life passes more swiftly than a runner.
It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.
26 It disappears like a swift papyrus boat,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 If I decided to forget my complaints,
to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
28 I would still dread all the pain,
for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
29 Whatever happens, I will be found guilty.
So what’s the use of trying?
30 Even if I were to wash myself with soap
and clean my hands with lye,
31 you would plunge me into a muddy ditch,
and my own filthy clothing would hate me.

32 “God is not a mortal like me,
so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33 If only there were a mediator between us,
someone who could bring us together.
34 The mediator could make God stop beating me,
and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
35 Then I could speak to him without fear,
but I cannot do that in my own strength.

Job Frames His Plea to God

10 “I am disgusted with my life.
Let me complain freely.
My bitter soul must complain.
2 I will say to God, ‘Don’t simply condemn me—
tell me the charge you are bringing against me.
3 What do you gain by oppressing me?
Why do you reject me, the work of your own hands,
while smiling on the schemes of the wicked?
4 Are your eyes like those of a human?
Do you see things only as people see them?
5 Is your lifetime only as long as ours?
Is your life so short
6 that you must quickly probe for my guilt
and search for my sin?
7 Although you know I am not guilty,
no one can rescue me from your hands.

8 “‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,
yet now you completely destroy me.
9 Remember that you made me from dust—
will you turn me back to dust so soon?
10 You guided my conception
and formed me in the womb.[f]
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and you knit my bones and sinews together.
12 You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
My life was preserved by your care.

13 “‘Yet your real motive—
your true intent—
14 was to watch me, and if I sinned,
you would not forgive my guilt.
15 If I am guilty, too bad for me;
and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high,
because I am filled with shame and misery.
16 And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion
and display your awesome power against me.
17 Again and again you witness against me.
You pour out your growing anger on me
and bring fresh armies against me.

18 “‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb?
Why didn’t you let me die at birth?
19 It would be as though I had never existed,
going directly from the womb to the grave.
20 I have only a few days left, so leave me alone,
that I may have a moment of comfort
21 before I leave—never to return—
for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
22 It is a land as dark as midnight,
a land of gloom and confusion,
where even the light is dark as midnight.’”

Zophar’s First Response to Job

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied to Job:

2 “Shouldn’t someone answer this torrent of words?
Is a person proved innocent just by a lot of talking?
3 Should I remain silent while you babble on?
When you mock God, shouldn’t someone make you ashamed?
4 You claim, ‘My beliefs are pure,’
and ‘I am clean in the sight of God.’
5 If only God would speak;
if only he would tell you what he thinks!
6 If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom is not a simple matter.
Listen! God is doubtless punishing you
far less than you deserve!

7 “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
8 Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
and who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld[g]—
what do you know?
9 It is broader than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If God comes and puts a person in prison
or calls the court to order, who can stop him?
11 For he knows those who are false,
and he takes note of all their sins.
12 An empty-headed person won’t become wise
any more than a wild donkey can bear a human child.[h]

13 “If only you would prepare your heart
and lift up your hands to him in prayer!
14 Get rid of your sins,
and leave all iniquity behind you.
15 Then your face will brighten with innocence.
You will be strong and free of fear.
16 You will forget your misery;
it will be like water flowing away.
17 Your life will be brighter than the noonday.
Even darkness will be as bright as morning.
18 Having hope will give you courage.
You will be protected and will rest in safety.
19 You will lie down unafraid,
and many will look to you for help.
20 But the wicked will be blinded.
They will have no escape.
Their only hope is death.”

Footnotes:

  1. 9:3 Or If God wanted to take someone to court.
  2. 9:13 Hebrew the helpers of Rahab, the name of a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature.
  3. 9:19 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads me.
  4. 9:20 Or he.
  5. 9:23 Or disaster.
  6. 10:10 Hebrew You poured me out like milk / and curdled me like cheese.
  7. 11:8 Hebrew than Sheol.
  8. 11:12 Or than a wild male donkey can bear a tame colt.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


1 Corinthians 15:1-28

The Resurrection of Christ

15 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.[b]

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter[c] and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 11 So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.

24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”[e] (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28 Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

Footnotes:

  1. 15:1 Greek brothers; also in 15:31, 50, 58.
  2. 15:2 Or unless you never believed it in the first place.
  3. 15:5 Greek Cephas.
  4. 15:6 Greek the brothers.
  5. 15:27 Ps 8:6.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 38

Psalm 38

A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage!
2 Your arrows have struck deep,
and your blows are crushing me.
3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
my health is broken because of my sins.
4 My guilt overwhelms me—
it is a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and stink
because of my foolish sins.
6 I am bent over and racked with pain.
All day long I walk around filled with grief.
7 A raging fever burns within me,
and my health is broken.
8 I am exhausted and completely crushed.
My groans come from an anguished heart.

9 You know what I long for, Lord;
you hear my every sigh.
10 My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,
and I am going blind.
11 My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.
Even my own family stands at a distance.
12 Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.
Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.
All day long they plan their treachery.

13 But I am deaf to all their threats.
I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
14 I choose to hear nothing,
and I make no reply.
15 For I am waiting for you, O Lord.
You must answer for me, O Lord my God.
16 I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me
or rejoice at my downfall.”

17 I am on the verge of collapse,
facing constant pain.
18 But I confess my sins;
I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
19 I have many aggressive enemies;
they hate me without reason.
20 They repay me evil for good
and oppose me for pursuing good.
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
Do not stand at a distance, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my savior.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 21:28-29

28 A false witness will be cut off,
but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

29 The wicked bluff their way through,
but the virtuous think before they act.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday August 22, 2021 (NIV)

Job 4-7

Eliphaz’s First Response to Job

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied to Job:

2 “Will you be patient and let me say a word?
For who could keep from speaking out?

3 “In the past you have encouraged many people;
you have strengthened those who were weak.
4 Your words have supported those who were falling;
you encouraged those with shaky knees.
5 But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.
You are terrified when it touches you.
6 Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?
Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

7 “Stop and think! Do the innocent die?
When have the upright been destroyed?
8 My experience shows that those who plant trouble
and cultivate evil will harvest the same.
9 A breath from God destroys them.
They vanish in a blast of his anger.
10 The lion roars and the wildcat snarls,
but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.
11 The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

12 “This truth was given to me in secret,
as though whispered in my ear.
13 It came to me in a disturbing vision at night,
when people are in a deep sleep.
14 Fear gripped me,
and my bones trembled.
15 A spirit[a] swept past my face,
and my hair stood on end.[b]
16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape.
There was a form before my eyes.
In the silence I heard a voice say,
17 ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?
Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

18 “If God does not trust his own angels
and has charged his messengers with foolishness,
19 how much less will he trust people made of clay!
They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.
20 They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,
gone forever without a trace.
21 Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,
and they die in ignorance.

Eliphaz’s Response Continues

5 “Cry for help, but will anyone answer you?
Which of the angels[c] will help you?
2 Surely resentment destroys the fool,
and jealousy kills the simple.
3 I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment,
but then comes sudden disaster.
4 Their children are abandoned far from help;
they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
5 The hungry devour their harvest,
even when it is guarded by brambles.[d]
The thirsty pant after their wealth.[e]
6 But evil does not spring from the soil,
and trouble does not sprout from the earth.
7 People are born for trouble
as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.

8 “If I were you, I would go to God
and present my case to him.
9 He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
10 He gives rain for the earth
and water for the fields.
11 He gives prosperity to the poor
and protects those who suffer.
12 He frustrates the plans of schemers
so the work of their hands will not succeed.
13 He traps the wise in their own cleverness
so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
14 They find it is dark in the daytime,
and they grope at noon as if it were night.
15 He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong,
and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.
16 And so at last the poor have hope,
and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.

17 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God!
Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.
18 For though he wounds, he also bandages.
He strikes, but his hands also heal.
19 From six disasters he will rescue you;
even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
20 He will save you from death in time of famine,
from the power of the sword in time of war.
21 You will be safe from slander
and have no fear when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine;
wild animals will not terrify you.
23 You will be at peace with the stones of the field,
and its wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your home is safe.
When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.
25 You will have many children;
your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!
26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!

27 “We have studied life and found all this to be true.
Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”

Job’s Second Speech: A Response to Eliphaz

6 Then Job spoke again:

2 “If my misery could be weighed
and my troubles be put on the scales,
3 they would outweigh all the sands of the sea.
That is why I spoke impulsively.
4 For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows.
Their poison infects my spirit.
God’s terrors are lined up against me.
5 Don’t I have a right to complain?
Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass,
and oxen bellow when they have no food?
6 Don’t people complain about unsalted food?
Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?[f]
7 My appetite disappears when I look at it;
I gag at the thought of eating it!

8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant my desire.
9 I wish he would crush me.
I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
10 At least I can take comfort in this:
Despite the pain,
I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 But I don’t have the strength to endure.
I have nothing to live for.
12 Do I have the strength of a stone?
Is my body made of bronze?
13 No, I am utterly helpless,
without any chance of success.

14 “One should be kind to a fainting friend,
but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.[g]
15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook
that overflows its banks in the spring
16 when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.
17 But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.
The brook vanishes in the heat.
18 The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,
but there is nothing to drink, so they die.
19 The caravans from Tema search for this water;
the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.
20 They count on it but are disappointed.
When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.
21 You, too, have given no help.
You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.
22 But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift?
Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?
23 Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies,
or to save me from ruthless people?
24 Teach me, and I will keep quiet.
Show me what I have done wrong.
25 Honest words can be painful,
but what do your criticisms amount to?
26 Do you think your words are convincing
when you disregard my cry of desperation?
27 You would even send an orphan into slavery[h]
or sell a friend.
28 Look at me!
Would I lie to your face?
29 Stop assuming my guilt,
for I have done no wrong.
30 Do you think I am lying?
Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?

7 “Is not all human life a struggle?
Our lives are like that of a hired hand,
2 like a worker who longs for the shade,
like a servant waiting to be paid.
3 I, too, have been assigned months of futility,
long and weary nights of misery.
4 Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’
But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.
5 My body is covered with maggots and scabs.
My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.

Job Cries Out to God

6 “My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle.
They end without hope.
7 O God, remember that my life is but a breath,
and I will never again feel happiness.
8 You see me now, but not for long.
You will look for me, but I will be gone.
9 Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes,
those who die[i] will not come back.
10 They are gone forever from their home—
never to be seen again.

11 “I cannot keep from speaking.
I must express my anguish.
My bitter soul must complain.
12 Am I a sea monster or a dragon
that you must place me under guard?
13 I think, ‘My bed will comfort me,
and sleep will ease my misery,’
14 but then you shatter me with dreams
and terrify me with visions.
15 I would rather be strangled—
rather die than suffer like this.
16 I hate my life and don’t want to go on living.
Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.

17 “What are people, that you should make so much of us,
that you should think of us so often?
18 For you examine us every morning
and test us every moment.
19 Why won’t you leave me alone,
at least long enough for me to swallow!
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of all humanity?
Why make me your target?
Am I a burden to you?[j]
21 Why not just forgive my sin
and take away my guilt?
For soon I will lie down in the dust and die.
When you look for me, I will be gone.”

Footnotes:

  1. 4:15a Or wind; also in 4:16.
  2. 4:15b Or its wind sent shivers up my spine.
  3. 5:1 Hebrew the holy ones.
  4. 5:5a The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  5. 5:5b As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads A snare snatches their wealth.
  6. 6:6 Or the tasteless juice of the mallow plant?
  7. 6:14 Or friend, / or he might lose his fear of the Almighty.
  8. 6:27 Hebrew even gamble over an orphan.
  9. 7:9 Hebrew who go down to Sheol.
  10. 7:20 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads target, so that I am a burden to myself?
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


1 Corinthians 14:18-40

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you. 19 But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.

20 Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind. 21 It is written in the Scriptures[a]:

“I will speak to my own people
through strange languages
and through the lips of foreigners.
But even then, they will not listen to me,”[b]
says the Lord.

22 So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. 23 Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy. 24 But if all of you are prophesying, and unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting, they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say. 25 As they listen, their secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring, “God is truly here among you.”

A Call to Orderly Worship

26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

27 No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. 28 But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.

29 Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. 30 But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. 31 In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. 32 Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.[c]

34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. 35 If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.[d]

36 Or do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given? 37 If you claim to be a prophet or think you are spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from the Lord himself. 38 But if you do not recognize this, you yourself will not be recognized.[e]

39 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

Footnotes:

  1. 14:21a Greek in the law.
  2. 14:21b Isa 28:11-12.
  3. 14:33 The phrase as in all the meetings of God’s holy people could instead be joined to the beginning of 14:34.
  4. 14:35 Some manuscripts place verses 34-35 after 14:40.
  5. 14:38 Some manuscripts read If you are ignorant of this, stay in your ignorance.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 37:30-40

30 The godly offer good counsel;
they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.

32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
they have no future.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in him.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 21:27

27 The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable,
especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.