The Daily Audio Bible

23 And Job answered, and said,

² Now also my word is in bitterness, and the hand of my wound is aggrieved on my wailing. (Now my word is bitter, and the hand causing my pain is heavy upon me in my wailing.)

³ Who giveth to me, that I know, and find him, and come unto his throne? (Who giveth to me, that I might know where to find him, and come unto his throne?)

⁴ I shall set doom before him (I shall state my case before him), and I shall fill my mouth with arguments;

⁵ that I know the words, which he shall answer to me, and that I understand, what he shall speak to me. (then I shall know the words, which he shall answer to me, and I shall understand, what he shall say to me.)

⁶ I will not, that he strive with me by great strength, neither that he oppress me with the heaviness of his greatness. (I do not desire, that he fight me with his great strength, nor oppress me with his great might, or his great power.)

⁷ Set he forth equity against me, and my doom come perfectly to victory. (Yea, I shall be righteous before him, and my judge shall find me altogether innocent.)

⁸ If I go to the east, God appeareth not there; if I go to the west, I shall not understand him;

⁹ if I go to the left side, what shall I do? I shall not take (hold of) him (I shall not catch him); if I turn me to the right side, I shall not see him.

¹⁰ But he knoweth my way, and he shall prove me as gold (and he shall assay me like gold), that passeth through the fire.

¹¹ My foot followed his steps; I kept (to) his way, and I bowed not away from it.

¹² I went not away from the commandments of his lips; and I hid in my bosom the words of his mouth.

¹³ For he is alone, and no man may turn away his thoughts; and whatever thing he would, his will did this thing. (For he alone decideth, and no one can turn away his thoughts; and whatever he desired to do, his did it.)

¹⁴ When he hath [ful]filled his will in me, also many other like things be ready to him. (For he hath fulfilled his will for me, and many other plans like these be ready with him.)

¹⁵ And therefore I am troubled of his face, and I beholding him am anguished for dread. (And so I am troubled before him, and I beholding him am anguished with fear.)

¹⁶ God hath made nesh mine heart (God hath made my heart weak, or faint), and Almighty God hath troubled me.

¹⁷ Certainly I perished not for darknesses nighing to me; neither mist covered my face. (For I did not perish because the darkness nighed to me, nor because the mist covered my face.)

24 Times be not hid from Almighty God; soothly they that know him, know not his days (but even they who know him, do not know when the day of reckoning is).

² Other men have turned over the terms, (or the boundary stones,) of (their) neighbours, they have taken away their flocks, and fed themselves.

³ They have driven away the ass of fatherless children, and they took away the cow of a widow for a wed. (They have driven away the donkey of some fatherless children, and they took away the cow of a widow for a pledge.)

⁴ They destroyed the way of poor men, and they oppressed together the mild men of [the] earth. (They pushed the poor out of their way, and they oppressed the needy of the earth, who huddle together.)

⁵ Other men as wild asses in desert go out to their work; and they wake to (take) prey, and before make ready bread to their children. (Other men, like wild donkeys, go out to the wilderness; and they seek prey, to find food for their children.)

⁶ They cut down a field not theirs, and they gather [the] grapes of his vinery, whom they have oppressed by violence. (They cut down a field not their own, and they gather grapes from the vineyard of the wicked.)

⁷ They leave men naked, and take away their clothes, to the which men there is no covering in cold; (They leave people naked, having taken away their clothes, for whom then there is no more cover from the cold;)

⁸ which men the rains of mountains wet, and they have no covering, and they embrace stones. (they be drenched by rains from the mountains, and have nothing to cover themselves with, and so all they can do is hold onto stones.)

⁹ They did violence, and robbed fatherless and motherless children; and they spoiled, either robbed, the community of poor men (and they stole from, or plundered, the poor).

¹⁰ They took away ears of corn from naked men, and (those) going without cloak, and from hungry men. (They took away clothes from those who now must go naked, and ears of corn from the hungry.)

¹¹ They were hid in midday among the heaps of those men, that thirst, when the presses of grapes be trodden. (They make oil in shady places, and tread the winepresses, but they themselves suffer thirst.)

¹² They made men of (the) cities to wail, and the souls of wounded men shall cry; and God suffereth it not to go away unpunished. (In the cities men wail, and the souls of the wounded cry out; but God alloweth them not to go away unpunished.)

¹³ They were rebel to (the) light; they knew not the ways thereof, neither they turned again by the paths thereof. (They rebelled against the light; they knew not its ways, nor they walked by its paths.)

¹⁴ A manslayer riseth full early, and slayeth a needy man, and a poor man; and by night he shall be as a night thief. (The murderer riseth very early, and killeth the needy and the poor; and in the night he shall be a thief.)

¹⁵ The eye of [the] adulterer keepeth darkness, and saith, An eye shall not see me; and he shall cover his face. (The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the darkness, and saith, No eye shall see me; but he shall still cover his face.)

¹⁶ They (under)mine houses in darknesses, as they said together to themselves in the day; and they knew not light. (They break into houses in the night, like they said that they would during the day; and they know not, or avoid, the light.)

¹⁷ If the morrowtide appeareth suddenly, they deem it the shadow of death; and so they go in (the) darknesses, as in (the) light.

¹⁸ He is unstabler than the face of the water; his part in [the] earth be cursed, and go he not by the way of vineries. (He is more unstable than the face, or the surface, of the water; let his portion be cursed in the land, and go he not by the way of the vineyards.)

¹⁹ Pass he to a full great heat from the waters of snows, and the sin of him till to hells. (Like a great heat taketh away the waters of the snow, so let Sheol, or the grave, take him away.)

²⁰ Mercy forget him; his sweetness be (for) a worm; be he not in mind, but be he all-broken as an unfruitful tree. (The womb shall forget him; let his sweetness be for a worm; let him be forgotten, and all-broken, like an unfruitful tree.)

²¹ For he fed (not) the barren, and her that childeth not, and he did not well to the widow.

²² He drew down strong men in his strength; and when he standeth in great state/in prosperity, he shall not believe to his life. (He drew down the strong with his strength; and yet, though he standeth in great state/in prosperity, he shall not have any hope for his life.)

²³ God gave to him a place of penance, and he misuseth that into pride; soothly the eyes of God be beholding in the ways of that man (truly God’s eyes behold the ways of such people).

²⁴ They be raised up at a little while, and they shall not stand; and they shall be made low as all vile things, and they shall be taken away; and as the highnesses of ears of corn they shall be all-broken. (They shall be raised up for a little while, but they shall not stand; then they shall be made low like all vile things, and they shall be taken away; and they shall be all-broken like the tops of the ears of corn.)

²⁵ That if it is not so, who may reprove me, that I lied, and have put forth follily my words before God? (And if this is not so, then who shall rebuke me, and say that I have lied, and have foolishly put forth my words before God?)

25 Then Bildad (the) Shuhite answered, and said,

² Power and dread is with him, that is, God, which maketh according in his high things. (Power and reverence is with God/Power and fear is with God, who maketh peace in all his high places.)

³ Whether there is (a) number of his knights? (Can his host be counted?) and upon whom shineth not his light?

⁴ Whether a man comparisoned to God may be justified, either a man born of a woman may appear clean? (Can a man be justified when compared to God, or can a man born of a woman ever be pure, or innocent?)

⁵ Lo! also the moon shineth not, and [the] stars be not clean in his sight; (Lo! to his eyes, the moon shineth not, and the stars be not pure;)

⁶ how much more man, that is rot, and the son of a man, that is a worm, is unclean, (and vile,) in comparison to God. (and so how much more a man, who is but rot, and the son of a man, who is but a worm, be unclean, and vile, when compared to God.)

26 Forsooth Job answered, and said,

² Whose helper art thou? whether of the feeble, and sustainest the arm of him, which is not strong? (Whose helper art thou? of the feeble? and sustainest thou the arm of him, who is not strong?)

³ To whom hast thou given counsel? In hap to him that hath not wisdom (Perhaps to someone who hath not wisdom); and thou hast showed full much prudence.

⁴ Either whom wouldest thou teach? whether not him, that made breathing? (Or whom wouldest thou teach? surely not he, who gave you breathe!)

⁵ Lo! giants wail under waters, and they that dwell with them. (Lo! the spirits of the dead wail under the waters, and they that dwell with them.)

⁶ Hell is naked before him, and no covering is to perdition. (Sheol is naked before him, and perdition hath no covering.)

⁷ The which God stretcheth forth the north upon (a) void thing, and he hangeth the earth upon nought.

⁸ And he bindeth waters in their clouds, that those break not out (al)together downward. (And he bindeth up the waters in the clouds, so that they do not burst open.)

⁹ He holdeth the cheer of his seat, and spreadeth abroad thereon his cloud. (He spreadeth his cloud upon the surface of his throne.)

¹⁰ He hath (en)compassed a term, or an end, to (the) waters, till that light and darkness be ended. (He hath surrounded the waters with a border, where light and darkness meet.)

¹¹ The pillars of heaven tremble, and dread at his will. (The pillars of heaven tremble, and fear his will.)

¹² In the strength of him the seas were gathered together suddenly (By his strength he divided the seas), and his prudence smote the proud.

¹³ His spirit hath adorned (the) heavens (By his breathe he hath cleared the skies), and the crooked serpent was led out by his hand, leading him out as a midwife leadeth out a child.

¹⁴ Lo! these things be said in part of his ways; and when we have heard scarcely a little drop of his word, who may see the thunder of his greatness? (Lo! these things that be said be but a part of his ways; and as we have scarcely heard but a little drop of his word, who can understand the thunder of his greatness?)

27 Also Job added, taking his parable, and said, (And Job added to his parable, and said,)

² God liveth, that hath taken away my doom, and Almighty God, that hath brought my soul to bitterness. (The Lord God liveth, who hath taken away my justice, and Almighty God, who hath brought my soul to bitterness.)

³ For as long as breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

⁴ my lips shall not speak wickedness, neither my tongue shall think a leasing (nor shall my tongue tell a lie).

⁵ Far be it from me, that I deem you just (that I judge you right, or correct); till I fail (life), that is, (for) as long as I live, I shall not go away from mine innocence.

⁶ I shall not forsake my justifying, which I began to hold (fast to); for mine heart reproveth me not in all my life (for my heart shall not rebuke me in all my life).

⁷ As my wicked enemy doeth; (and) mine adversary is as (the) wicked.

⁸ For what is the hope of an hypocrite, if he ravisheth greedily, and God delivereth not his soul? (For what is the hope of a hypocrite, even though he may greedily robbeth, when God taketh away his life?)

⁹ Whether God shall hear the cry of him, when anguish shall come upon him?

¹⁰ either whether he may delight in Almighty God, and inwardly call God in all time? (shall he delight himself in Almighty God, and call on God at all times?)

¹¹ I shall teach you by the hand of God, what things Almighty God hath; and I shall not hide them.

¹² Lo! all ye know (them), and what then speak ye vain things without cause? (Lo! ye all know them, so why then do ye speak vain, or empty, things without any reason?)

¹³ This is the part of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of violent men, or raveners, which they shall take of Almighty God. (This is the portion from God for the wicked, and the inheritance for the violent, or the raveners, which they shall receive from Almighty God.)

¹⁴ If his children be multiplied, they shall be killed with (the) sword; and his sons shall not be [ful]filled with bread.

¹⁵ They, that be residue of him, shall be buried in perishing; and the widows of him shall not weep. (They, who be left of him, shall die from disease; and their widows shall not weep for them.)

¹⁶ If he gathereth together silver as earth, and maketh ready clothes as (the) clay; (Yea, though he gathereth together silver like dust, and getteth himself heaps of clothes;)

¹⁷ soothly he made these things ready, but a just man shall be clothed in those things, and an innocent man shall part the silver. (truly he got these things, but the righteous shall be clothed in them, and the innocent shall divide, or shall share, the silver.)

¹⁸ As a moth he hath builded his house, and as a keeper he made a shadowing place. (Like a moth, he hath built his house, and he hath made his place of shade like a watchman.)

¹⁹ A rich man, when he shall die, shall bear nothing with him; he shall open his eyes, and he shall find nothing.

²⁰ Poverty as water shall take him (Poverty shall overtake him like a flood); and (a) tempest shall oppress him in the night.

²¹ Burning wind shall take him (up), and it shall do him away; and as a whirlwind it shall ravish him from his place (and like a whirlwind it shall snatch him away from his place).

²² The Lord shall send out (these) torments upon him, and shall not spare; (and) he fleeing shall flee from his hand.

²³ He shall constrain his hands on him, and he shall hiss on him, and shall behold his place. (The wind shall clap its hands at him, and shall hiss at him, wherever he may go.)

¹² For our glory is this, the witnessing of our conscience, that in simpleness and cleanness of God, and not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God, we lived in this world, but more plenteously to you.

¹³ And we write not other things to you, than those that ye have read and know, and I hope that into the end ye shall know,

¹⁴ as also ye have known us a part [as and ye have known us of part]; for we be your glory, as also ye be ours in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ And in this trusting I would first come to you, that ye should have the second grace,

¹⁶ and pass by you into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia come to you, and of you be led into Judaea.

¹⁷ But when I would this thing, whether I used unsteadfastness, either those things that I think, I think after the flesh, that at me be, it is and it is not?^[a]

¹⁸ But God is true, for our word that was at you, is and is not, is not therein, but is is in it.^[b]

¹⁹ For why Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which is preached among you by us, by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy, there was not in him, is and is not, but is was in him^[c].

²⁰ For why how many ever be promises of God, in that is, be fulfilled [Forsooth how many ever be promises of God, in him is, that is, in him they be fulfilled]. And therefore by him we say Amen to God, to our glory.

²¹ Soothly it is God that confirmeth us with you in Christ, and which anointed us, [The which soothly confirmeth us with you in Christ, and the which God anointed us,]

²² and which marked us [and that marked us], and gave earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

²³ For I call God to witness against my soul [Forsooth I in-call God witness into my soul], that I sparing you came not over to Corinth;

²⁴ not that we be lords of your faith [not for we be lords of your faith], but we be helpers of your joy; for through belief ye stand.

2 And I ordained this [same] thing at me, that I should not come again in heaviness to you [in sorrow to you].

² For if I make you sorry, who is he that gladdeth me, but he that is sorrowful of me?

³ And this same thing I wrote to you, that when I come, I have not sorrow on sorrow, of the which it behooved me to have joy. And I trust in you all, that my joy is of all you^[d].

⁴ For of much tribulation and anguish of heart I wrote to you by many tears, not that ye be sorry, but that ye know what charity I have more plenteously in you.

⁵ For if any man hath made me sorrowful, he hath not made me sorrowful but a part [he hath not made me sorrowful but in part], that I charge not you all.

⁶ This blaming that is made of many, sufficeth to him, that is such one [that is such a manner man];

⁷ so that on the contrary ye rather forgive and comfort, lest peradventure he that is such a manner man, be swallowed up [be sopped up, or despair,] by more great heaviness.

⁸ For which thing I beseech you, that ye confirm charity into him.

⁹ For why therefore [and] I wrote this, that I know your proof, whether in all things ye be obedient.

¹⁰ For to whom ye have forgiven any thing, also I have forgiven. For I, that that I forgave, if I forgave any thing, have forgiven for you in the person of Christ,

¹¹ that we be not deceived of Satan; for we know his thoughts. [that we be not deceived of Satan; soothly we unknow not his thoughts.]

41 For victory, the song of David. Blessed is he that understandeth of the needy man and poor; the Lord shall deliver him in the evil day. (To victory, the psalm of David. Happy is he who hath concern for the poor and the needy; the Lord shall save him on the evil day/the Lord shall rescue him in his time of trouble.)

² The Lord keep him, and quicken him, and make him blessful in the land; and betake not him into the will of his enemies. (The Lord shall keep him safe, and alive, and make him happy in the land; and he shall not deliver him unto the power, or the will, of his enemies.)

³ The Lord (shall) bear help to him on the bed of his sorrow; thou hast oft turned all his bedstraw in his sickness.

⁴ I said, Lord, have thou mercy on me; heal thou my soul, for I have sinned against thee.

⁵ Mine enemies said evils to me; When shall he die, and his name shall perish?

⁶ And if he entered for to see (me), he spake vain things (to me); his heart gathered wickedness to himself. He went withoutforth; and spake to the same thing/and spake to the same end. (And when he entered to see me, he spoke to me of empty, or useless, things; and his heart gathered wickedness unto itself. And then he went withoutforth; and spoke the same thing everywhere he went.)

⁷ All mine enemies backbited privily against me; against me they thought evils to me. (All my enemies secretly backbite me; they think up evil things to do to me.)

⁸ They ordained an evil word against me; Whether he that sleepeth, shall not lie to, that he rise again? (They ordained an evil word against me; and they said, He who sleepeth, now that he lieth down, shall not rise up again.)

⁹ For why the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, he that ate my loaves; made great deceit on me. (For my friend, in whom I trusted, he who ate my bread; brought forth great deceptions, or lies, against me.)

¹⁰ But thou, Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me (up) again; and I shall yield to them (and I shall repay them).

¹¹ In this thing I knew, that thou wouldest me; for mine enemy shall not have joy on me. (And by this I shall know that thou delightest in me; and that my enemy shall not have any joy over me.)

¹² Forsooth thou hast taken me up for (mine) innocence; and hast confirmed me in thy sight [into] without end. (For thou hast upheld me because of my innocence; and will keep me before thee forever.)

¹³ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from the world, and into the world (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, forever and ever); be it done, be it done.

⁵ Armours and swords be in the way of a wayward man; but the keeper of his soul goeth away far from those. (Arms, or weapons, and swords be on the way of the wayward; but he who keepeth his life safe goeth far away from them.)

⁶ It is a proverb, A young waxing man after his way, and when he hath waxed eld, he shall not go away from it. (Here is a proverb: If a young person is brought up in the right way, when he hath grown older, he shall not go away from it.)