A man there hath been in the land of Uz -- Job his name -- and that man hath been perfect and upright -- both fearing God, and turning aside from evil.

and his substance is seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred pairs of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a service very abundant; and that man is greater than any of the sons of the east.

And his sons have gone and made a banquet -- the house of each in his day -- and have sent and called to their three sisters to eat and to drink with them;

and it cometh to pass, when they have gone round the days of the banquet, that Job doth send and sanctify them, and hath risen early in the morning, and caused to ascend burnt-offerings -- the number of them all -- for Job said, 'Perhaps my sons have sinned, yet blessed God in their heart.' Thus doth Job all the days.

And the day is, that sons of God come in to station themselves by Jehovah, and there doth come also the Adversary in their midst.

The work of his hands Thou hast blessed, and his substance hath spread in the land, and yet, put forth, I pray Thee, Thy hand, and strike against anything that he hath -- if not: to Thy face he doth bless Thee!'

And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, 'Lo, all that he hath is in thy hand, only unto him put not forth thy hand.' And the Adversary goeth out from the presence of Jehovah.

And the day is, that his sons and his daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born.

and Sheba doth fall, and take them, and the young men they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Fire of God hath fallen from the heavens, and burneth among the flock, and among the young men, and consumeth them, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Chaldeans made three heads, and rush on the camels, and take them, and the young men they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Thy sons and thy daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born.

And lo, a great wind hath come from over the wilderness, and striketh against the four corners of the house, and it falleth on the young men, and they are dead, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

and he saith, 'Naked came I forth from the womb of my mother, and naked I turn back thither: Jehovah hath given and Jehovah hath taken: let the name of Jehovah be blessed.'

And the day is, that sons of God come in to station themselves by Jehovah, and there doth come also the Adversary in their midst to station himself by Jehovah.

Yet, put forth, I pray Thee, Thy hand, and strike unto his bone and unto his flesh -- if not: unto Thy face he doth bless Thee!'

And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, 'Lo, he is in thy hand; only his life take care of.'

And the Adversary goeth forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smiteth Job with a sore ulcer from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And he taketh to him a potsherd to scrape himself with it, and he is sitting in the midst of the ashes.

And his wife saith to him, 'Still thou art keeping hold on thine integrity: bless God and die.'

And he saith unto her, 'As one of the foolish women speaketh, thou speakest; yea, the good we receive from God, and the evil we do not receive.' In all this Job hath not sinned with his lips.

And three of the friends of Job hear of all this evil that hath come upon him, and they come in each from his place -- Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite -- and they are met together to come in to bemoan him, and to comfort him;

Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud tabernacle upon it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.

That night -- let thick darkness take it, Let it not be united to days of the year, Into the number of months let it not come.

Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.

Let the stars of its twilight be dark, Let it wait for light, and there is none, And let it not look on the eyelids of the dawn.

Because it hath not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from mine eyes.

With kings and counsellors of earth, These building wastes for themselves.

Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,

For a fear I feared and it meeteth me, And what I was afraid of doth come to me.

Is not thy reverence thy confidence? Thy hope -- the perfection of thy ways?

Remember, I pray thee, Who, being innocent, hath perished? And where have the upright been cut off?

As I have seen -- ploughers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it!

From the breath of God they perish, And from the spirit of His anger consumed.

The roaring of a lion, And the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken.

An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.

And unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.

In thoughts from visions of the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men,

Fear hath met me, and trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear.

And a spirit before my face doth pass, Stand up doth the hair of my flesh;

Also -- the inhabitants of houses of clay, (Whose foundation is in the dust, They bruise them before a moth.)

Pray, call, is there any to answer thee? And unto which of the holy ones dost thou turn?

Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.

Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.

Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,

Lo, the happiness of mortal man, God doth reprove him: And the chastisement of the Mighty despise not,

In famine He hath redeemed thee from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.

When the tongue scourgeth thou art hid, And thou art not afraid of destruction, When it cometh.

At destruction and at hunger thou mockest, And of the beast of the earth, Thou art not afraid.

(For with sons of the field is thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)

And hast known that numerous is Thy seed, And thine offspring as the herb of the earth;

Thou comest in full age unto the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.

For now, than the sands of the sea it is heavier, Therefore my words have been rash.

For arrows of the Mighty are with me, Whose poison is drinking up my spirit. Terrors of God array themselves for me!

Eaten is an insipid thing without salt? Is there sense in the drivel of dreams?

That God would please -- and bruise me, Loose His hand and cut me off!

And yet it is my comfort, (And I exult in pain -- He doth not spare,) That I have not hidden The sayings of the Holy One.

Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brazen?

To a despiser of his friends is shame, And the fear of the Mighty he forsaketh.

My brethren have deceived as a brook, As a stream of brooks they pass away.

That are black because of ice, By them doth snow hide itself.

By the time they are warm they have been cut off, By its being hot they have been Extinguished from their place.

Turn aside do the paths of their way, They ascend into emptiness, and are lost.

Passengers of Tema looked expectingly, Travellers of Sheba hoped for them.

And, Deliver me from the hand of an adversary? And, From the hand of terrible ones ransom me?

For reproof -- do you reckon words? And for wind -- sayings of the desperate.

Is there not a warfare to man on earth? And as the days of an hireling his days?

So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.

If I lay down then I said, 'When do I rise!' And evening hath been measured, And I have been full of tossings till dawn.

Clothed hath been my flesh with worms, And a clod of dust, My skin hath been shrivelled and is loathsome,

The eye of my beholder beholdeth me not. Thine eyes are upon me -- and I am not.

Also I -- I withhold not my mouth -- I speak in the distress of my spirit, I talk in the bitterness of my soul.

I have sinned, what do I to Thee, O watcher of man? Why hast Thou set me for a mark to Thee, And I am for a burden to myself -- and what?

Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind -- sayings of thy mouth?

If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,

If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,

If pure and upright thou art, Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.

For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers,

(For of yesterday we are, and we know not, For a shadow are our days on earth.)

So are the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,

Whose confidence is loathsome, And the house of a spider his trust.

By a heap his roots are wrapped, A house of stones he looketh for.

If one doth destroy him from his place, Then it hath feigned concerning him, I have not seen thee!

Lo, this is the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'

Lo, God doth not reject the perfect, Nor taketh hold on the hand of evil doers.

Those hating thee do put on shame, And the tent of the wicked is not!

If he delight to strive with Him -- He doth not answer him one of a thousand.

Stretching out the heavens by Himself, And treading on the heights of the sea,

Making Osh, Kesil, and Kimah, And the inner chambers of the south.

If of power, lo, the Strong One; And if of judgment -- who doth convene me?

If I be righteous, Mine mouth doth declare me wicked, Perfect I am! -- it declareth me perverse.

If a scourge doth put to death suddenly, At the trial of the innocent He laugheth.

Earth hath been given Into the hand of the wicked one. The face of its judges he covereth, If not -- where, who is he?

They have passed on with ships of reed, As an eagle darteth on food.

I have been afraid of all my griefs, I have known that Thou dost not acquit me.

If I have washed myself with snow-water, And purified with soap my hands,

But if a man like myself -- I answer him, We come together into judgment.

If there were between us an umpire, He doth place his hand on us both.

He doth turn aside from off me his rod, And His terror doth not make me afraid,

My soul hath been weary of my life, I leave off my talking to myself, I speak in the bitterness of my soul.