Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land.

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.

and the Sabeans attacked and swooped down on them and took away the animals. They also killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and have taken them away and have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, 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.”

Then Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head [in mourning for the children], and he fell to the ground and worshiped [God].

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.

“May that day be darkness;
Let God above not care about it,
Nor light shine on it.

“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).

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

“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”

“But now adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;
It touches you, and you are horrified.

Dread and trembling came upon me,
Which made all my bones shake.

“He gives rain upon the earth
And sends waters upon the fields,

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

“Is not man forced to labor on earth?
And are not his days like the days of a hired man?

“The eye of him who sees me [now] will see me no more;
Your eyes will be upon me, but I will not be.

“What is man that You [should] magnify him [and think him important]?
And that You are concerned about him?

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

“He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;
He holds tightly to it, but it does not endure.

Who alone stretches out the heavens
And tramples down the waves of the sea;

“There is no arbitrator between us,
Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

‘Should I lift my head up, You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your marvelous power against me.

“But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips [to speak] against you,

“I am a joke to my friends;
I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him—
A just and blameless man is a joke [and laughed to scorn].

“Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;
He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

“You also open Your eyes upon him
And bring him into judgment with Yourself.

“A [dreadful] sound of terrors is in his ears;
While at peace and in a time of prosperity the destroyer comes upon him [the tent of the robber is not at peace].

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

“His wrath has torn me and hunted me down,
He has gnashed at me with his teeth;
My adversary sharpens His gaze and glares [with piercing eyes] at me.

“They have gaped at me with their mouths,
With contempt they have struck me on the cheek;
They massed themselves together [and conspired] against me.

“His arrows surround me.
He pierces my kidneys (vital organs) without mercy;
He pours out my gall on the ground.

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

“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has set darkness upon my paths.

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

“He does not look at the rivers,
The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].

“In the fullness of his excess (great abundance) he will be in trouble;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him [he is miserable on every side].

“When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it upon him while he is eating.

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

“The arrow is drawn forth and it comes out of his back [after passing through his body];
Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall.
Terrors march in upon him;

“Look at me and be astonished and appalled;
And put your hand over your mouth.

“Their houses are safe from fear;
And the rod of God is not on them.

“How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,
And that their disaster falls on them?
Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

“The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me,’
And he covers his face.

“He preys on the barren (childless) woman
And does no good for the widow.

“God gives them security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.

“Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies?
And upon whom does His light not rise?

“It is He who spreads out the north over emptiness
And hangs the earth on nothing.

“He has inscribed a circular limit (the horizon) on the face of the waters
At the boundary between light and darkness.

“Will God hear his cry
When trouble and distress come upon him?

“Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?

“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.

“Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock;
He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].

When His lamp shone upon my head
And by His light I walked through darkness;

“The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

‘My root is spread out and open to the waters,
And the dew lies all night upon my branch.

“After I spoke, they did not speak again,
And my speech dropped upon them [like a refreshing shower].

“As through a wide breach they come,
Amid the crash [of falling walls] they roll on [over me].

“Terrors are turned upon me;
They chase away my honor and reputation like the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

“You lift me up on the wind and cause me to ride [upon it];
And You toss me about in the tempest and dissolve me in the storm.

“I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes;
How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?

Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man],
And let others kneel down over her.

“I must speak so that I may get relief;
I will open my lips and answer.

“Behold, I have opened my mouth [to begin my speech];
My tongue in my mouth is going to speak.

“Behold, I will not make you afraid or terrified of me [for I am only mortal and not God],
Nor should any pressure from me weigh heavily upon you.

“In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God’s voice],
When deep sleep falls on men
While slumbering upon the bed,

“Man is also disciplined with pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones,

“He sings out to other men,
‘I have sinned and perverted that which was right,
And it was not proper for me!

“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,

“For God’s eyes are on the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.

“He strikes them like the wicked
In a public place,

‘For he adds rebellion [in his unsubmissive, defiant attitude toward God] to his [unacknowledged] sin;
He claps his hands among us [in open mockery and contempt of God],
And he multiplies his words [of accusation] against God.’”

“He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous [those in right standing with Him];
But with kings upon the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.

“All men have seen God’s work;
Man looks at it from a distance.

Which the clouds pour down,
They drop abundantly upon mankind.”

“For by these [mighty acts] He judges the peoples;
He gives food in abundance.

“Its direction is turned around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.

“Do you know how God establishes and commands them,
And makes the lightning of His [storm] cloud shine?

“Now people cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies [without being blinded],
When the wind has passed and cleared them.

“Out of the north comes golden splendor [and people can hardly look on it];
Around God is awesome splendor and majesty [far too glorious for man’s eyes].

“Who determined the measurements [of the earth], if you know?
Or who stretched the [measuring] line on it?

“On what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,

“Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or [can you] establish their rule over the earth?

“Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.

“Will you have faith and depend on him to return your grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?

“The quiver rattles against him,
[As do] the flashing spear and the lance [of his rider].

“On the cliff he dwells and remains [securely],
Upon the point of the rock and the inaccessible stronghold.

“Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.

“Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle [with him]; you will not do such [an ill-advised thing] again!

“Who can open the doors (jaws) of his face?
Around his [open jaws and] teeth there is terror.

“The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immobile [when he moves].

“His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery;
He moves across and spreads out [grooves] like a threshing sledge on the mire (muddy river banks).

“Upon earth there is nothing like him—no equal exists,
A creature made without fear.

Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him over all the [distressing] adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.