Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he will stand at the latter day upon the earth:

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.

And said, Naked came I from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

And to man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Although affliction cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

I Made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

And there came a messenger to Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

Though he shall slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain my own ways before him.

Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry to God, they wander for want of food.

By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshiped,

And the LORD said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil?

And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yes, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yes, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

Who doeth great things past finding out; yes, and wonders without number.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye seeth thee.

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God hath fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withheld from thee.

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

But now it hath come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thy hands.

Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

For vain man would be wise, though man is born like a wild ass's colt.

The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thy eyes are upon me, and I am not.

My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped with the skin of my teeth.

With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?

Let darkness and the shades of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)

The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful food.

Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.

How much more abominable and filthy is man, who drinketh iniquity like water?

Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.

If thou preparest thy heart, and stretchest out thy hands towards him;

And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, even, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveler.

There shall none of his food be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods.

If thou shalt return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

Will they not teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

Thou hast granted me life and favor, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.

Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say to him, What doest thou?

Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.

Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

I will show thee, hear me; and that which I have seen, I will declare;

Not for any injustice in my hands: also my prayer is pure.

Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Who doeth great things and unsearchable; wonderful things without number:

Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.

He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him.

And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; but save his life.

For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yes, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear:

He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

If iniquity is in thy hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

And if it is not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech of no worth?

He leadeth counselors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.

Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined to the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off;

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom:

To set on high those that are low: that those who mourn may be exalted to safety.

Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:

If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from my iniquity.

My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up my iniquity.

In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.

Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

And thy age shall be clearer than the noon-day: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.

But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the expiration of the breath.

They that come after him shall be astonished at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.

He revealeth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth to light the shades of death.

He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

To him that is afflicted pity should be shown from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

And surely the mountain falling cometh to naught, and the rock is removed out of its place.

Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thy indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.

So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yes, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.

Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yes, many shall make suit to thee.

Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness, and the shades of death;

Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;

He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.

And these things hast thou hid in thy heart: I know that this is with thee.

For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

Why then hast thou brought me forth from the womb? O that I had expired, and no eye had seen me!

They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

Can the rush grow without mire? can the flag grow without water?

If I justify myself, my own mouth will condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, that also will prove me perverse.

He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

If I had called, and he had answered me; yet I would not believe that he had hearkened to my voice.

Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with it; and he sat down among the ashes.

My desire is that Job may be tried to the end, because of his answers for wicked men.

How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not expire at the time of my birth?

Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Then should I yet have comfort; yes, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

Because it prevented not my birth, nor hid sorrow from my eyes.

If he shall destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

If I be wicked, woe to me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou my affliction;

A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

Why did the knees receive me? or why the breasts that I should be nursed?

Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they raised their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven.

For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face to God.

That they were graven with an iron pen in lead, in the rock for ever!

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

They meet with darkness in the day-time, and grope in the noon-day as in the night.

Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!

What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is my end, that I should prolong my life?

All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.

For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.

Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:

With kings and counselors of the earth, who built desolate places for themselves;

When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:

So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

How many are my iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.

Then Job answered and said,

So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.

My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they will be brought forth to the day of wrath.

With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.

No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

He increaseth nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth nations, and straiteneth them again.

Withdraw thy hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.

Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a mail child conceived.

Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul;

Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?

A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shades of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

Only do not two things to me: then will I not hide myself from thee.

Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall expire.

But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thy hands.

Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

I lothe it; I would not live always: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

What is man, that thou shouldst magnify him? and that thou shouldst set thy heart upon him?

Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.

For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

And Job answered and said,

It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?

But ye would say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

To whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thy iniquity deserveth.

I am as one mocked by his neighbor, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is derided.

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

Call now, if there is any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth-eaten.

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

Yet he shall be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.

When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.

Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.

And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

Should thy falsehoods make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?

Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?

I will say to God, Do not condemn me; show me why thou contendest with me.

I would declare to him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near to him.

I have sinned; what shall I do to thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

And Job spoke, and said,

The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:

Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thy eyes.

For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?

For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste its food?

I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly to all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

If my land crieth against me, or its furrows likewise complain;

How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

Why hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thy enemy?

Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle will be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.

Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?

If he shall cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?

Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?

The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

But Oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;

He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection of it upon the earth.

How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow my spittle?

Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

Till he shall fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yes, who knoweth not such things as these?

They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

Who long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

Who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to naught.

The measure of it is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

Is it good to thee that thou shouldst oppress, that thou shouldst despise the work of thy hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

In famine he will redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men.

Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thy hand.

I know it to be so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, as a shock of corn cometh in in its season.

Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?

For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison of which drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God set themselves in array against me.

Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,

That thou inquirest after my iniquity, and searchest after my sin?

The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

Thou shalt know also that thy seed will be great, and thy offspring as the grass of the earth.

Then Job answered and said,

But Job answered and said,

O remember that my life is wind: my eye will no more see good.

I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand in what I have erred.

Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

If thou wouldst seek to God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and in which the snow is hid:

Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and its pillars tremble.

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of its judges; if not, where, and who is he?

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

For now ye are nothing: ye see my casting down, and are afraid.

Doth God pervert judgment; or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.

Did I say, Bring to me? or Give a reward for me of your substance?

And that thou shouldst visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro to the dawning of the day.

Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

Who removeth the mountains, and they know not: who overturneth them in his anger.

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

In the time when they become warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as a hireling looketh for the reward of his work;

If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath cast them away for their transgression;

Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

My friends scorn me: but my eye poureth out tears to God.

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and become lothsome.

For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.

Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

For he addeth rebellion to his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.

This is one thing, therefore I said it, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a small sound of it.

Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established to thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

If the scourge shall slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.

Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

Yes, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.

They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?

They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.

Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?

Then Job answered the LORD, and said,

Thou shalt make thy prayer to him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident to you if I lie.

If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.

But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yes, return again, my righteousness is in it.

If I am wicked, why then do I labor in vain?

If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:

Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were ended, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth?

And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.

If a man dieth, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change shall come.

Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for by the sword.

Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

For the thing which I greatly feared hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.

They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender branch will not cease.

Then said his wife to him, Dost thou still retain thy integrity? curse God, and die.

And the LORD said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

Doth not their excellence which is in them depart? they die, even without wisdom.

Thy words have upheld him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

Then came there to him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house: and they condoled with him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an ear-ring of gold.

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is exaltation; and he shall save the humble person.

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown.

Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

It stood still, but I could not discern its form: an image was before my eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught?

Moreover, the LORD answered Job, and said,

Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that my adversary had written a book.

The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.

But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

But now they that are younger than I, have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him.

Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens shall be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Why do the wicked live, become old, and, are mighty in power?

If we essay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can refrain from speaking?

The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of a hireling?

For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: by this good shall come to thee.

Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

Then Job answered and said,

Neither is there any judge between us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

If I have beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

What is man, that he should be clean? and he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

If there is a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show to man his uprightness:

But Job answered and said,

All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

He will deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

Who hath first benefited me, that I should repay him? whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.

Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

For God speaketh once, yes twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?

But man dieth, and wasteth away: yes, man yieldeth his breath, and where is he?

Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.

Then Job answered and said,

Thy hands have made me and fashioned me in all my parts; yet thou dost destroy me.

Can a man be profitable to God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself?

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Upon what are the foundations of it fastened? or who laid its corner stone;

O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that thou wouldst keep me secret, until thy wrath is past, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember me!

When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

Therefore they say to God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

Who maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!

After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day.

So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

If he should set his heart upon man, if he should gather to himself his spirit and his breath;

He hath encompassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.

Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass?

Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that which I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

I would seek to God, and to God would I commit my cause:

Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,

If I wait, the grave is my house: I have made my bed in the darkness.

It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yes, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.

Lo, my eye hath seen all this, my ear hath heard and understood it.

When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

How much less man, that is a worm; and the son of man, who is a worm?

If I despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant, when they contended with me;

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the day-spring to know its place;

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.

It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the first-born of death shall devour his strength.

My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.

For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.

Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

Therefore take to you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!

He divideth the sea by his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

Gavest thou the goodly wings to the peacocks? or wings and feathers to the ostrich!

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; my enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

Some remove the landmarks: they violently take away flocks, and their feed.

But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;

Moreover, Job continued his parable, and said,

Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like his?

Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

The clods of the valley will be sweet to him, and every man will draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor of it.

Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompense.

Yes, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.

Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.

Furthermore Elihu answered and said,

Why, seeing times are not hid from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?

Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.

This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God.

Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in its season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with its sons?

They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

Though wickedness may be sweet in his mouth, though he may hide it under his tongue;

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place.

Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is its place,

Hearken to this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.

Is not God in the hight of heaven? and behold the hight of the stars, how high they are!

Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?

To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.

I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake my head at you.

Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?

If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

Drouth and heat consume the snow-waters: so doth the grave those who have sinned.

What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray to him?

Yes, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.

If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?

For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for naught, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

Fair weather cometh from the north: with God is terrible majesty.

For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth food.

Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not its ways, nor abide in its paths.

How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.

For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.

His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he will return to the days of his youth:

Is not thy wickedness great? and thy iniquities infinite?

He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.

How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?

Should a wise men utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is melted out of the stone.

For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles to man.

He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.

Are there not mockers with me? and doth not my eye continue in their provocation?

Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

Let him take away his rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

All my intimate friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?

I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.

With us are both the gray headed and very aged men, much older than thy father.

If I have eaten the fruits of it without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life:

Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.

Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior to you.

And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not show you my opinion.

Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes shall abhor me.

God thundereth marvelously with his voice; great things he doeth, which we cannot comprehend.

For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.

O that ye would altogether hold your peace and it would be your wisdom.

Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set its dominion on the earth?

He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and my hope hath he removed like a tree.

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty who hath afflicted my soul;

They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.

He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain:

He hath put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintance are verily estranged from me.

As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

Far be it from me that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove my integrity from me.

No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?