Now his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one in turn, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

Now the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord -- and Satan also arrived among them.

So the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil."

But extend your hand and strike everything he has, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!"

Now the day came when Job's sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you stirred me up to destroy him without reason."

But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!"

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.

Indeed, let that night be barren; let no shout of joy penetrate it!

For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace

with kings and counselors of the earth who built for themselves places now desolate,

I have no ease, I have no quietness; I cannot rest; turmoil has come upon me."

But now the same thing comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are terrified.

Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished? And where were upright people ever destroyed?

"Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear caught a whisper of it.

If God puts no trust in his servants and attributes folly to his angels,

"Call now! Is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

He will deliver you from six calamities; yes, in seven no evil will touch you.

And you will know that your home will be secure, and when you inspect your domains, you will not be missing anything.

You will also know that your children will be numerous, and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

For now you have become like these streams that are no help; you see a terror, and are afraid.

"Now then, be good enough to look at me; and I will not lie to your face!

Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is intact!

The eye of him who sees me now will see me no more; your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone.

He returns no more to his house, nor does his place of residence know him any more.

And why do you not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, and you will seek me diligently, but I will be gone."

if you become pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself for you, and will restore your righteous abode.

"For inquire now of the former generation, and pay attention to the findings of their ancestors;

Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish without water?

Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more."

"Truly, I know that this is so. But how can a human be just before God?

he who crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds for no reason.

I am blameless. I do not know myself. I despise my life.

I dread all my sufferings, for I know that you do not hold me blameless.

although you know that I am not guilty, and that there is no one who can deliver out of your hand?

"Your hands have shaped me and made me, but now you destroy me completely.

"But these things you have concealed in your heart; I know that this is with you:

You bring new witnesses against me, and increase your anger against me; relief troops come against me.

"Why then did you bring me out from the womb? I should have died and no eye would have seen me!

Will your idle talk reduce people to silence, and will no one rebuke you when you mock?

and reveal to you the secrets of wisdom -- for true wisdom has two sides -- so that you would know that God has forgiven some of your sins.

It is higher than the heavens -- what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol -- what can you know?

You will lie down with no one to make you afraid, and many will seek your favor.

I also have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?

"But now, ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you.

Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this,

If he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt; if he imprisons a person, there is no escape.

What you know, I know also; I am not inferior to you!

"Listen now to my argument, and be attentive to my lips' contentions.

Moreover, this will become my deliverance, for no godless person would come before him.

See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I am right.

Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean? No one!

"But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.

at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth shoots like a new plant.

so man lies down and does not rise; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor arise from their sleep.

"Surely now you count my steps; then you would not mark my sin.

If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it.

Does he argue with useless talk, with words that have no value in them?

What do you know that we don't know? What do you understand that we don't understand?

If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,

to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.

he lived in ruined towns and in houses where no one lives, where they are ready to crumble into heaps.

Surely now he has worn me out, you have devastated my entire household.

although there is no violence in my hands and my prayer is pure.

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.

For the years that lie ahead are few, and then I will go on the way of no return.

"But turn, all of you, and come now! I will not find a wise man among you.

His memory perishes from the earth, he has no name in the land.

He has neither children nor descendants among his people, no survivor in those places he once stayed.

know then that God has wronged me and encircled me with his net.

"If I cry out, 'Violence!' I receive no answer; I cry for help, but there is no justice.

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that as the last he will stand upon the earth.

Fear the sword yourselves, for wrath brings the punishment by the sword, so that you may know that there is judgment."

"Surely you know that it has been from old, ever since humankind was placed on the earth,

People who had seen him will not see him again, and the place where he was will recognize him no longer.

For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite; he does not let anything he desires escape.

Their houses are safe and without fear; and no rod of punishment from God is upon them.

So they say to God, 'Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways.

You may say, 'God stores up a man's punishment for his children!' Instead let him repay the man himself so that he may know it!

"Yes, I know what you are thinking, the schemes by which you would wrong me.

For you say, 'Where now is the nobleman's house, and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?'

No one denounces his conduct to his face; no one repays him for what he has done.

Is not your wickedness great and is there no end to your iniquity?

"For you took pledges from your brothers for no reason, and you stripped the clothing from the naked.

You gave the weary no water to drink and from the hungry you withheld food.

But you have said, 'What does God know? Does he judge through such deep darkness?

O that I knew where I might find him, that I could come to his place of residence!

I would know with what words he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me with great power? No, he would only pay attention to me.

In the north when he is at work, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I see no trace of him.

"Why are times not appointed by the Almighty? Why do those who know him not see his days?

They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering against the cold.

From the city the dying groan, and the wounded cry out for help, but God charges no one with wrongdoing.

There are those who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways and they do not stay on its paths.

And the eye of the adulterer watches for the twilight, thinking, 'No eye can see me,' and covers his face with a mask.

In the dark the robber breaks into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light.

"You say, 'He is foam on the face of the waters; their portion of the land is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard.

The womb forgets him, the worm feasts on him, no longer will he be remembered. Like a tree, wickedness will be broken down.

But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his life.

"How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the person who has no strength!