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

And his sons went and made a feast in the house of each one on his day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

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

And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them.

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

And Jehovah 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 abstaineth from evil?

But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath, and see if he will not curse thee to thy face!

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

And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn.

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

and they of Sheba fell upon them and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee.

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

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

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

In all this Job sinned not, nor ascribed anything unseemly to God.

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

And Jehovah said to Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And Jehovah 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 abstaineth from evil? and still he remaineth firm in his integrity, though thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause.

but put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and see if he will not curse thee to thy face!

And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

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

And his wife said to him, Dost thou still remain firm in thine integrity? curse God and die.

But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. We have also received good from God, and should we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that was come upon him. And they came each one from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him.

And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights; and none spoke a word to him; for they saw that his anguish was very great.

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

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

That day let it be darkness, let not +God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it.

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;

Wherefore did I not die from the womb, come forth from the belly and expire?

Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,

To the man whose way is hidden, and whom +God hath hedged in?

For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.

If a word were essayed to thee, wouldest thou be grieved? But who can refrain from speaking?

Now to me a word was secretly brought, and mine ear received a whisper thereof.

Fear came on me, and trembling, and made all my bones to shake;

From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever.

Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom.

Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards.

Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity.

Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season.

What my soul refuseth to touch, that is as my loathsome food.

And that it would please +God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!

Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

Do ye imagine to reprove words? The speeches of one that is desperate are indeed for the wind.

Now therefore if ye will, look upon me; and it shall be to your face if I lie.

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

The cloud consumeth and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to Sheol shall not come up.

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

Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?

If thou seek earnestly unto God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty,

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former generation, and attend to the researches of their fathers;

If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.

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

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

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

He suffereth me not to take my breath, for he filleth me with bitternesses.

Be it that I am wicked, why then do I labour in vain?

My soul is weary of my life: I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

I will say unto +God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou strivest with me.

Doth it please thee to oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

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

Before I go, and never to return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

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

It is as the heights of heaven; what wilt thou do? deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?

If he pass by, and shut up, and call to judgment, who can hinder him?

Truly ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you!

I also have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you; and who knoweth not such things as these?

I am to be one that is a derision to his friend, I who call upon +God, and whom he will answer: a derision is the just upright man.

He that is ready to stumble with the foot is a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

He taketh away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a pathless waste.

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

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

But I will speak to the Almighty, and will find pleasure in reasoning with God;

Hear now my defence, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.

He will certainly reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.

Only do not two things unto me; then will I not hide myself from thee.

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

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

Look away from him; and let him rest, till he accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stock die in the ground,

So man lieth down, and riseth not again; till the heavens be no more, they do not awake, nor are raised out of their sleep.

(If a man die, shall he live again?) all the days of my time of toil would I wait, till my change should come:

And indeed a mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of its place;

His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, and he perceiveth it not.

Reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches which do no good?

Are the consolations of God too small for thee? and the word gently spoken to thee?

Why doth thy heart carry thee away? and why do thine eyes wink?

I will shew thee, listen to me; and what I have seen I will declare;

All his days the wicked man is tormented, and numbered years are allotted to the violent.

He wandereth abroad for bread, where may it be? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

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

It shall be complete before his day, and his branch shall not be green.

Thou hast shrivelled me up! it is become a witness; and my leanness riseth up against me, it beareth witness to my face.

God hath delivered me over to the iniquitous man, and hurled me into the hands of the wicked.

I was at rest, but he hath shattered me; he hath taken me by the neck and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

And he hath made me a proverb of the peoples; and I am become one to be spit on in the face.