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].

The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on 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].”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand on the man himself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “The fire of God (lightning) has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

and suddenly, a great wind came from across the desert, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

He said,

“Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother’s womb,
And naked I will return there.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on 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.”

So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome boils and agonizingly painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

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.

When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow].

Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide trouble from my eyes.

“There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.

“The small and the great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

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

“Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.

“Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,

“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:

“His children are far from safety [and included in their father’s ruin],
They are oppressed and crushed in the [court of justice in the city’s] gate,
And there is no one to rescue them.

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

“But God saves [the innocent] from the sword of the mouth of the devious,
And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

“In famine He will redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.

“You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

“You will know also that your tent is secure and at peace,
And you will visit your dwelling and fear no loss [nor find anything amiss].

“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.

“Is it that I have no help within myself,
And that success and wisdom have been driven from me?

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not abandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.

“Did I ever say, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Pay a bribe for me from your wealth,’

Or, ‘Rescue me from the adversary’s hand,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

“Turn away [from your suspicion], let there be no injustice;
Turn away, my righteousness and vindication is still in it.

“Will You never turn Your gaze away from me [it plagues me],
Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

“If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],
Then his place will forget him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’

“Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And from out of the dust others will spring up and grow [to take his place].

Who commands the sun, and it does not shine;
Who seals up the stars [from view];

“Let Him take His rod away from me,
And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

‘If I sin, then You would take note and observe me,
And You would not acquit me of my guilt.

‘I should have been as though I had not existed;
[I should have been] carried from the womb to the grave.’

“Shall a multitude of words not be answered?
And should a talkative man [making such a long-winded defense] be acquitted?

If sin is in your hand, put it far away [from you],
And do not let wrongdoing dwell in your tents;

“He removes intelligence and understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth
And makes them wander and move blindly in a pathless waste.

“Only [O Lord,] do not do two things to me,
And then I will not hide myself from Your face:

Withdraw Your hand from me and remove this bodily suffering,
And let not the dread of You terrify me.

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

“As water evaporates from the sea,
And a river drains and dries up,

“You prevail forever against him and overpower him, and he passes on;
You change his appearance and send him away [from the presence of the living].

“He will not escape from darkness [fleeing disaster];
The flame [of God’s wrath] will wither his branch,
And by the blast of His mouth he will go away.

“If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my pain is not relieved;
And if I refrain [from speaking], what [pain or anguish] leaves me?

“You have taken a firm hold on me and have shriveled me up,
It has become a witness [against me];
And my leanness [and infirmity] rises up [as evidence] against me,
It testifies to my face [about my guilt].

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

“These [thoughts try to] make the night into the day;
‘The light is near,’ they say in the presence of darkness [but they pervert the truth].

“Memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name on the street.

“He is driven and propelled from light into darkness,
And chased from the inhabited world.

“He has stripped me of my honor
And removed the crown from my head.

“He has put my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

“Even after my [mortal] skin is destroyed [by death],
Yet from my [immortal] flesh I will see God,

“Do you not know this from the old days,
Since the time that man was placed on the earth,

“He may flee from the iron weapon,
But the bow of bronze will pierce him through.

“This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
And the heritage decreed and appointed to him by God.”

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

“But notice, the prosperity of the wicked is not in their hand (in their power);
The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.

“You have not given water to the weary to drink,
And you have withheld bread from the hungry.

“They said to God, ‘Depart from us!
What can the Almighty do for us or to us?’

“Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.

“Please receive the law and instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart and keep them.

“If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up [and restored];
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tents,

“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have kept the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

But I am not silenced by the darkness [of these woes that fell on me],
Nor by the thick darkness which covers my face.

“Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment?
Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

“Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves],
And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing].

“They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.

“Within the walls [of the wicked] the poor make [olive] oil;
They tread [the grapes in] the wine presses, but thirst.

“From the [populous and crowded] city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out for help;
Yet God [seemingly] does not pay attention to the wrong [done to them].

“To whom have you uttered [these] words?
And whose spirit [inspired what] came forth from you?

“Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) is naked before God,
And Abaddon (the place of destruction) has no covering [from His eyes].

“Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me];
Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.

“This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty:

“Iron is taken out of the earth,
And copper is smelted from the stone ore.

“He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live,
[In places] forgotten by the [human] foot;
They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

“From where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?

“It is hidden from the eyes of all the living
And concealed from the birds of the heavens.

“But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

The princes stopped talking
And put their hands on their mouths;

“They are driven from the community;
They shout after them as after a thief.

“They hate me, they stand aloof from me,
And do not refrain from spitting in my face.

“My skin falls from me in blackened flakes,
And my bones are burned with fever.

“For what is the portion I would have from God above,
And what heritage from the Almighty on high?

“If I have withheld from the poor what they desired,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],

(But from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father,
And from my mother’s womb I have been the widow’s guide),

Then let my shoulder fall away from its socket,
And my arm be broken off at the elbow.

“For tragedy from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].

“Oh, that I had one to listen to me!
Look, here is my signature (mark);
Let the Almighty answer me!
Let my adversary write out His indictment [and put His vague accusations in tangible form].

That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And keep him from pride;

He holds back his soul from the pit [of destruction],
And his life from passing over into Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

Then the angel is gracious to him, and says,
‘Spare him from going down to the pit [of destruction];
I have found a ransom [a consideration, or reason for redemption, an atonement]!’

‘God has redeemed my life from going to the pit [of destruction],
And my life shall see the light.’”

To bring his life back from the pit [of destruction],
That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

“Therefore hear me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God that He would do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.

“If God should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath,

Because they turned aside from following Him
And would not consider or show regard for any of His ways,