and said - Naked came I forth from the womb of my mother, and naked must I return thither, Yahweh, gave, and, Yahweh, hath taken away, - The name of Yahweh be blessed!

Now when the three friends of Job heard of all this misfortune which had befallen him, - they came, every man from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, - for they had by appointment met together to come to shew sympathy with him, and to comfort him.

That day, be it darkness, - Let not God enquire after it from above, May there shine upon it no clear beam:

Let darkness and death-shade buy it back, May there settle down upon it a cloud, Let a day's dark eclipse cause it terror:

Lo! that night, be it barren, Let no joyous shouting enter therein:

Darkened be the stars of its twilight, - Let it wait for light, and there be none, neither let it see the eyelashes of the dawn:

If one attempt a word unto thee, wilt thou be impatient? But, to restrain speech, who, can endure?

By the blast of GOD, they perish, And, by the breath of his nostrils, are they consumed:

But, unto me, something was brought by stealth, - and mine ear caught a whispering of the same:

Shall, mortal man, be more just than GOD? Or a man be more pure than, his Maker?

For, to the foolish man, death is caused by vexation, and, the simple one, is slain by jealousy.

Who doeth great things, beyond all search, - Wondrous things, till they cannot be recounted;

By day, they encounter darkness, and, as though it were night, they grope at high noon.

During the scourge of the tongue, shalt thou be hid, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh;

At destruction and at hunger, shalt thou laugh, and, of the wild beast of the earth, be not thou afraid;

For, with the stones of the field, shall be thy covenant, and, the wild beast of the field, hath been made thy friend;

For, now, beyond the sand of the seas, would it be heavy, On this account, my words, have wandered.

Can that which hath no savour be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

So might it still be my comfort, And I might exult in the anguish he would not spare, - That I had not concealed the sayings of the Holy One.

Which darken by reason of the cold, over them, is a covering made by the snow:

By the time they begin to thaw, they are dried up, as soon as it is warm, they have vanished out of their place.

Caravans turn aside by their course, they go up into a waste, and are lost:

But, now, be pleased to turn to me, that it may be, to your faces, if I speak falsehood,

Reply, I pray you, let there be no perversity, Yea reply even yet, my vindication is in it!

He shall not return again to his house, and his own place shall be acquainted with him no more.

Then thou scarest me with dreams, and, by visions, dost thou terrify me:

That thou shouldst inspect him morning by morning, moment by moment, shouldst test him?

And why wilt thou not remove my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For, now, in the dust, should I lie down, and thou shouldst seek me diligently, and I should not be.

How long wilt thou speak these things? Or, as a mighty wind, shall be the sayings of thy mouth?

Though while still, in its freshness, it be not plucked off, yet, before any kind of grass, it doth wither:

So, shall be the latter end of all who forget GOD, and, the hope of the impious, shall perish:

Whose trust shall be contemptible, - and, a spider's web, his confidence:

They who hate thee, shall be clothed with shame, but, the tent of the lawless, shall not be!

Of a truth, I know that so it is, But how can a mortal be just with GOD?

Who spreadeth out fire heavens, by himself alone! and marcheth along, on the heights of the sea;

Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, to be absolved, I would make supplication.

I, shall be held guilty, - Wherefore then, in vain, should I toil?

I could speak, and not be afraid of him, although, not so, am, I, in myself!

Though it is, within thine own knowledge, that I would not be lawless, and, none, out of thy hand, can deliver?

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

Shall, thy pratings, cause men to hold their peace? When thou hast mocked, shall there be none to put thee to shame?

If, iniquity, be in thy hand, Put it far away, and let there not dwell in thy tents perversity,

Surely, then, shalt thou lift up thy face free from blemish, and shalt be established, and not fear.

But, the eyes of the lawless, shall fail, - and, place of refuge, shall have vanished from them, and, their hope, be a breathing out of life.

Lo! He pulleth down, and it cannot be built, He closeth up over a man, and it cannot be opened:

But indeed, I, unto the Almighty, would speak, and, to direct my argument unto GOD, would I be well pleased.

Even, for him, would ye be partial? Or, for GOD, would ye so plead?

Would it be well, when he searched you out? Or, as one might jest with a mortal, would ye jest, with him?

Lo! he may slay me, yet , for him, will I wait, - Nevertheless, my ways - unto his face, will I show to be right:

Even he, will be on my side - unto salvation, For, not before his face, shall any impious person come.

Hear ye patiently my speech, and be my declaration in your ears.

Lo! I pray you, I have set forth in order a plea, I know that, I, shall be found right.

Look sway from him, that he may rest, Till he shall pay off, as a hireling, his day.

Though there is - for a tree - hope, - if it should be cut down, that, again, it will grow, and, the tender branch thereof, will not cease;

So, a man, hath lain down, and shall not arise, until there are no heavens, they shall not awake, nor be roused up out of their sleep.

Stones, have been hollowed out by waters, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth, and, the hope of mortal man, thou hast destroyed:

What is a mortal, that he should be pure? or that righteous should be one born of a woman?

A wanderer, he, for bread, saying Where is it ? He knoweth that, prepared by his own hand, is the day of darkness;

He shall not be rich, nor shall his substance continue, neither shall their shadow stretch along on the earth;

He shall not depart out of darkness, his young branch, shall the flame dry up, and he shall depart, by the breath of his own mouth!

Let no one trust in him that - by vanity - is deceived, for, vanity, shall be his recompense;

Before his day, shall it be accomplished, with, his palm-top, not covered with leaves;

Is there to be an end to windy words? Or what so strongly exciteth thee, that thou must respond?

I could make you determined, by my mouth, and then my lip-solace should restrain you.

At ease, was I when he shattered me, Yea he seized me by my neck, and dashed me in pieces, then set me up for himself as a mark:

O earth! do not cover my blood, and let there be no place for mine outcry.

When, a few years, come, then, by a path by which I shall not return, shall I depart.

Appoint it, I pray thee - be thou surety for me with thyself, Who is there that, on my side, can pledge himself?

He that, for a share, denounceth friends, even, the eyes of his children, shall be dim.

But he hath set me, as the byword of peoples, And, one to be spit on in the face, do I become.

Upright men shall be astounded over this, and, the innocent, against the impious, shall rouse themselves.

Night for day, they appoint, Light, is near, by reason of darkness!

Where then would be my hope? And, as for my blessedness, who should see it!

One tearing in pieces his own soul in his anger, - For thy sake, shall the earth be forsaken? or the rock be moved out of its place?

For he is thrust into a net by his own feet, and, upon a trap, he marcheth;

There catcheth him - by the heel - a gin, there holdeth him fast - a noose:

Let his strength be famished, and, calamity, be ready at his side;

Uprooted, out of his tent, be his confidence, and let it drive him down to the king of terrors;

There shall dwell in his tent, what is naught-of-his, Let brimstone be strewed over his dwelling;

Beneath, let his roots be dried up, and, above, be cut off his branch;

Oh, then, that my words, could be written, Oh that, in a record, they could be inscribed:

That, with a stylus of iron and with lead, for all time - in the rock, they could be graven!

Be ye afraid - on your part - of the face of the sword, because, wrath, bringeth the punishments of the sword, to the end ye may know the Almighty.

Like a dream, shall he fly away, and they shall not find him, yea he shall be chased away, as a vision of the night.

Though, a sweet taste in his mouth, be given by vice, though he hide it under his tongue;

In vain, he toiled, he shall not swallow, like wealth to be restored, in which he cannot exult!

When his abundance is gone, he shall be in straits, All the power of distress, shall come upon him.

It shall be that, to fill his belly, he will thrust at him the glow of his anger, and rain it upon him for his punishment.

He shall flee from the armour of iron, - There shall pierce him, a bow of bronze!

The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and, the earth, be rising up against him:

Hear ye patiently my words, and let this be your consolation:

Did, I, unto man, make my complaint? Wherefore, then, should my spirit not be impatient?

Turn round to me, and be astonished, and lay hand on mouth!

For what shall be his pleasure in his house after him, when, the number of his months, is cut in twain?

Have ye not asked the passers-by in the way? And, their signs, can ye not recognise?

Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou shouldst be righteous? or any profit, that thou shouldst be blameless in thy ways?

Shew thyself to be one with him - I pray thee - and prosper, thereby, shall there come on thee blessing.

Thou shalt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and, thy vows, shalt thou pay;

And thou shalt decree a purpose, and it shall be fulfilled unto thee, and, upon thy ways, shall have shone a light;

He shall deliver the innocent, and thou shalt escape by the pureness of thy hands.