There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God [with reverence] and abstained from and turned away from evil [because he honored God].

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.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up 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.

Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them.

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

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”

And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Is it for nothing that Job is a god-fearing man?

Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

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 it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,

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 he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath 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 also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am 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:

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 am escaped alone to tell thee.

And said, Naked came I out of 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.

Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.

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

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God]. And still he maintains and holds tightly to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without cause.”

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!'

So Satan went out from {Yahweh's presence}, and he inflicted Job with loathsome skin sores from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head.

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

Then said his wife unto him, "Dost thou yet continue in thy perfectness? Curse God, and die."

But he said unto 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.

Thus Job's three friends heard of this calamity that had come upon him. So each set out from his [own] place: Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite. And they met together to come to console him and to comfort him.

And lifting up their eyes when they were still far off, it did not seem that the man they saw was Job because of the change in him. And they gave way to bitter weeping, with signs of grief, and put dust on their heads.

Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, yet no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

This is what Job said:

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

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

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

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

Lo! that night -- let it be gloomy, Let no singing come into it.

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

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

Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

Wherefore have knees been before me? And what are breasts, that I suck?

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

along with kings and counselors of the earth, who used to build for themselves what are now only ruins,

Or as a child dead at birth I might never have come into existence; like young children who have not seen the light.

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

There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

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

and search for it more than for treasure. Which also would be exceedingly glad, and rejoice if they found their grave.

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

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

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

“If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]?
But who can restrain himself from speaking?

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

"Your fear of God has been your confidence, hasn't it? The integrity of your life has been your hope, hasn't it?

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

They perish at a single blast from God
and come to an end by the breath of His nostrils.

Notwithstanding the roaring of the lion, and the noise of the howling lion, yet, the teeth of the fierce lions, are broken:

The strong lion dies if it catches no prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

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

Amid troubling thoughts from night visions, at [the] falling of deep sleep on men,

dread met me, and trembling, and it made many of my bones shake.

Then a breath of air passes by my face; it makes the hair of my flesh stand up.

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

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

Their wealth perishes with them, doesn't it? They die, and do so without having wisdom, don't they?"

Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you?
Which of the holy ones will you turn to?

His children are far from safety.
They are crushed at the city gate,
with no one to rescue them.

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

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

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

Yet I -- I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,

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

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.

They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night.

But he saveth from the sword, out of their mouth, and, out of the hand of the strong, the needy.

So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth.

He delivereth thee out of six troubles, so that in the seventh there can no harm touch thee.

In the midst of hunger he saveth thee from death: and when it is war, from the power of the sword.

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

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

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

And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.

Thou shalt come, yet robust, to the grave, as a stack of sheaves mounteth up in its season.

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

"If only my vexation could be well weighed, and my calamity could be lifted up together [with it] in [the] balances,

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

Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
My spirit drinks their poison;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

“Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass?
Or does the ox low over his fodder?

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

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

If only my request would be granted
and God would provide what I hope for:

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

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

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

Is it not that I have no help in me, And that wisdom is driven quite from me?

My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi,
as seasonal streams that overflow

which are growing dark because of ice upon them, it will pile up snow.

What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

The camel-trains go out of their way; they go up into the waste and come to destruction.

Behold the paths of Tema; the goings of Sheba, wait ye for them.

They are ashamed at their hope; they come thither, and are confounded.

So this is what you have now become to me.
When you see something dreadful, you are afraid.