There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”

So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

“Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.

“Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.

“The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.

“Why is light given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,

Who long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

“Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?

“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!

‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, yet without wisdom.’

“Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

“His sons are far from safety,
They are even oppressed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.

“His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the schemer is eager for their wealth.

For man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.

“But as for me, I would seek God,
And I would place my cause before God;

“He captures the wise by their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.

“By day they meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.

“Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

“You will know that your tent is secure,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.

“You will know also that your descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

“Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”

“Can something tasteless be eaten without salt,
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

“But it is still my consolation,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

“What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should endure?

“Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?

“Is it that my help is not within me,
And that deliverance is driven from me?

Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow melts.

“When they become waterless, they are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

“Desist now, let there be no injustice;
Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.

“Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern calamities?

“Is not man forced to labor on earth,
And are not his days like the days of a hired man?

“As a slave who pants for the shade,
And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,

“My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and runs.

“Remember that my life is but breath;
My eye will not again see good.

“When a cloud vanishes, it is gone,
So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

“What is man that You magnify him,
And that You are concerned about him,

“Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
O watcher of men?
Why have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?

“Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?

“For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are as a shadow.

“While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant.

Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a spider’s web.

“If he is removed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’

“Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.

“In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?

“Wise in heart and mighty in strength,
Who has defied Him without harm?

“It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how,
When He overturns them in His anger;

“If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?

“It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’

“The earth is given into the hand of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges.
If it is not He, then who is it?

“For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court together.

“There is no umpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.

‘Is it right for You indeed to oppress,
To reject the labor of Your hands,
And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?

‘Have You eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as a man sees?

‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,
Or Your years as man’s years,

‘According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.

‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
And would You turn me into dust again?

‘Yet these things You have concealed in Your heart;
I know that this is within You:

‘You renew Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
Hardship after hardship is with me.

‘I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’

The land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
Of deep shadow without order,
And which shines as the darkness.”

“For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’

“They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

“Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

“An idiot will become intelligent
When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;

“For you would forget your trouble,
As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

“Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.

“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And there will be no escape for them;
And their hope is to breathe their last.”

“But I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And who does not know such things as these?

“I am a joke to my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and blameless man is a joke.

“He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.

In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?

“Does not the ear test words,
As the palate tastes its food?

“Wisdom is with aged men,
With long life is understanding.

“Will you speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?

“Will it be well when He examines you?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

While I am decaying like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

“Man, who is born of woman,
Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

“For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not fail.

“But man dies and lies prostrate.
Man expires, and where is he?

“As water evaporates from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dried up,

“My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You wrap up my iniquity.

“Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
And fill himself with the east wind?

“Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.

“What is man, that he should be pure,
Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

How much less one who is detestable and corrupt,
Man, who drinks iniquity like water!

What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from their fathers,

“He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
And he is destined for the sword.

“He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.

“For the company of the godless is barren,
And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.

“Is there no limit to windy words?
Or what plagues you that you answer?

“If I speak, my pain is not lessened,
And if I hold back, what has left me?

“I was at ease, but He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.