When the days of their feasting were over, Job would send [for them] and consecrate them, rising early in the morning and offering 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.” Job did this at all [such] times.

Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Yes, a man will give all he has for his life.

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

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

“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).

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

“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),

“For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],

With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;

Who wait for death, but it does not come,
And dig (search) for death more [diligently] than for hidden treasures,

“For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.

“For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,
And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.

“The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

“The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:

“For anger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple (naive).

“I have seen the foolish taking root [and outwardly prospering],
But I cursed his dwelling immediately [for his destruction was certain].

“The hungry devour his harvest
And take it even [when it grows] among the thorns;
The trap opens for [his] wealth.

“For affliction does not come forth from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring forth from the ground.

“As for me, I would seek God and inquire of Him,
And I would commit my cause to God;

“For He inflicts pain, but He binds up and gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.

“He will rescue you from six troubles;
Even in seven, evil will not touch you.

“For you will be in harmony with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

“Behold this; we have investigated it, and it is true.
Hear and heed it, and know for yourself [for your own good].”

“For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
Therefore my words have been incoherent,

“Oh that my request would come to pass,
And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

“Then I would still have consolation,
And I would jump for joy amid unsparing pain,
That I have not denied or hidden the words of the Holy One.

“The caravans of Tema looked [for water],
The caravans of Sheba waited for them [in vain].

“Now please look at me,
And see if I lie to your face [for you know that I would not].

“As a slave earnestly longs for the shade,
And as a hired man eagerly awaits his wages,

“I waste away and loathe my life; I will not live forever.
Let me alone, for my days are but a breath [futile and without substance].

“If I have sinned, what [harm] have I done to You,
O Watcher of mankind?
Why have You set me as a target for You,
So that I am a burden to myself?

“Why then do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my sin and guilt?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me [diligently], but I will not be.”

Then, if you are pure and upright,
Surely now He will awaken for you
And restore your righteous place.

“Inquire, please, of past generations,
And consider and apply yourself to the things searched out by their fathers.

“For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].

For his confidence is fragile and breaks,
And his trust is [like] a spider’s web.

For though I were righteous, I could not answer.
I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge.

“For He bruises me with a tempest
And multiplies my wounds without cause.

“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].
If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

I am afraid of all my pains and worries [yet to come];
I know that You will not acquit me and leave me unpunished.

“For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court and judgment together.

That You seek my guilt
And search for my sin?

‘Yet these [present evils] You have hidden in Your heart [since my creation]:
I know that this was within You [in Your purpose and thought].

‘If I am wicked, woe to me [for judgment comes]!
And if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
For I am sated and filled with disgrace and the sight of my misery.

“For you have said, ‘My teaching (doctrine) [that God knowingly afflicts the righteous] is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’

And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.

“If God passes by or arrests,
Or calls an assembly [of judgment], who can restrain Him?
[If He is against a man, who can call Him to account for it?]

“For He recognizes and knows false and worthless men,
And He sees wickedness, will He not consider it?

“For you would forget your trouble;
You would remember it as waters that have passed by.

“You would lie down with no one to frighten you,
And many would entreat and seek your favor.

“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they will not escape [the justice of God];
And their hope is to breathe their last [and die].”

“He who is at ease has contempt for misfortune,
But misfortune is ready [and anxiously waiting] for those whose feet slip.

“Now ask the animals, and let them teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character];
And ask the birds of the air, and let them tell you;

“Oh, that you would be completely silent,
And that silence would be your wisdom!

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

“Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]?
Will you contend and plead for God?

“Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

“Will not His majesty terrify you,
And will not the dread of Him fall upon you?

“Even though He kills me;
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless, I will argue my ways to His face.

“Who will argue and contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

“For You write bitter things against me [in Your indictment]
And make me inherit and suffer for the iniquities of my youth.

“[O God] turn your gaze from him so that he may rest,
Until he fulfills his day [on earth] like a hired man.

“For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that the shoots of it will not cease nor fail, [but there is no such hope for man].

“[Then] You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for [me] the work of Your hands.

“My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You cover my wickedness [from Your view].

“For your guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose [to speak] the language of the crafty and cunning.

“Are the consolations of God [as we have interpreted them to you] too trivial for you,
[Or] were we too gentle toward you [in our first speech] to be effective?

“The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
And numbered are the years stored up for him, the ruthless one.

“He does not believe that he will return out of the darkness [for fear of being murdered],
And he is destined for the sword [of God’s vengeance].

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

“Distress and anxiety terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for battle.

“Let him not trust in vanity (emptiness, futility) and be led astray;
For emptiness will be his reward [for such living].

“For the company of the godless is barren,
And fire consumes the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice).

“I was [living] at ease, but He crushed me and broke me apart,
And He has seized me by the neck and has shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.

“Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven,
And my Advocate [who vouches and testifies for me] is on high.

“Oh, that a man would mediate and plead with God [for me]
Just as a man [mediates and pleads] with his neighbor and friend.

“For when a few years are past,
I shall go the way of no return.

“My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished,
The grave is ready for me.

“Give me a pledge (guarantee, promise) with Yourself [acknowledge my innocence before my death];
Who is there that will be my guarantor and give security for me?

“But as for all of you, come back again,
Even though I do not find a wise man among you.

“How long will you hunt for words and continue these speeches?
Do some clear thinking and show understanding and then we can talk.

“You who tear yourself apart in anger,
Is the earth to be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock to be moved out of its place?

“For the wicked is thrown into a net by his own feet (wickedness),
And he steps on the webbing [of the lattice-covered pit].

“A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.

“Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not heard;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.

“Have pity on me! Have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has touched me.

“For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives,
And at the last He will take His stand upon the earth.

Whom I, even I, will see for myself,
And my eyes will see Him and not another!
My heart faints within me.

“Then beware and be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance] for yourselves,
For wrathful are the punishments of that sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”

“Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me answer,
Because of the uneasiness that is within me.

That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless is only for a moment?

“He gives back what he has labored for and attained
And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it];
As to the riches of his labor,
He cannot even enjoy them.

“For he has oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has violently taken away houses which he did not build.

Complete darkness (misfortune) is held in reserve for his treasures.
An unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.

“As for me, is my complaint to man or about him?
And why should I not be impatient and my spirit troubled?

“Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

“You say, ‘God stores away [the punishment of] man’s wickedness for his children.’
Let God repay him so that he may know and experience it.

“For what pleasure does he have in his house and family after he is dead,
When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?

“For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?
And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’