There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil.

He had seven sons and three daughters.

He also possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (pairs) of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great number of servants, so that this man was the greatest [and wealthiest and most respected] of all the men of the east (northern Arabia).

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.

Then the LORD asked Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on earth. The man is blameless as well as upright. He fears God and keeps away from evil."

Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

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

And a messenger came to Job; and he will say, The oxen were ploughing, and the he asses were feeding upon their hands.

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:

Then Job arose and tore his outer garment and shaved his head; {then} he fell upon the ground and he worshiped.

and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.

In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with moral impropriety.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah; and he smote Job with a grievous botch from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

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.

After this, Job began to speak and cursed the day he was born.

He said:

That day--let it be dark; let not God take note of it from on high, and let not the light be shining on it;

The stars of its twilight shall he dark; it shall wait for light, and none; and it shall not look upon the eyelashes of the dawn.,

or with high officials {who have gold}, who fill up their houses [with] silver.

There, are small and great; the bondman, and he that is free from his master.

Why giveth He to the miserable light, and life to the bitter soul?

[Why does he give light] to a man whose way is hidden, and God has fenced him in [all] around?

He who was near to falling has been lifted up by your words, and you have given strength to bent knees.

Consider: who has perished when he was innocent?
Where have the honest been destroyed?

He stood there, and I knew not his face. An image there was, before mine eyes, and in the stillness heard I a voice.

‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?

Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion.

"I myself saw a fool becoming established, but I suddenly cursed where he lived.

whose harvest [the] hungry eats, and he takes it {from behind} [the] thorns; and [the] thirsty pants after their wealth.

For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.

[He] is doing great and {unsearchable} things, marvelous things {without number}--

He gives rain to the earth
and sends water to the fields.

To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

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

But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

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

See how happy the man is God corrects;
so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.

For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

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

And yet it is my comfort, (And I exult in pain -- He doth not spare,) That I have not hidden The sayings of the Holy One.

To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

Teach me, and I myself will be silent; and make me understand how I have gone astray.

How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?

Like a slave he longs for [the] shadow, and like a laborer he waits for his wages.

As soon as I lie down, I say, When shall I arise? yet he lengtheneth out the evening, and I am wearied with tossings until the breeze of twilight.

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

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

When I said, 'My bed doth comfort me,' He taketh away in my talking my couch.

How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;

If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

So shall thy beginning appear small, - when, thy latter end, he shall greatly increase!

His source of confidence is fragile;
what he trusts in is a spider’s web.

He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

His roots are wrapped about the'stone -heap, He beholdeth the place of stones.

If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

Him that removeth the mountains, and they know it not, When he overturneth them in his anger;

[He is the one] who shakes [the] earth from its place, and its pillars tremble.

Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and he sealeth up the stars;

Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea;

[He is the one] who made [the] Bear [and] Orion, [the] Pleiades and [the] constellations of [the] south.

[He is the one] who does great things {beyond understanding} and marvelous things {beyond number}.

Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

As for GOD, if he withdraw not his anger, under him, will have submitted themselves - the proud helpers.

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

If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse.

This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.

If there were between us an umpire, He doth place his hand on us both.

He doth turn aside from off me his rod, And His terror doth not make me afraid,