There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

His livestock included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and many servants. Indeed, the man's stature greatly exceeded that of many people who lived in the East.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered 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. Thus did Job continually.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

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 the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Is it for nothing that Job is a god-fearing man?

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.

The work of his hands Thou hast blessed, and his substance hath spread in the land, and yet, put forth, I pray Thee, Thy hand, and strike against anything that he hath -- if not: to Thy face he doth bless Thee!'

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 there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

And a messenger hath come in unto Job and saith, 'The oxen have been plowing, and the she-asses feeding by their sides,

And the men of Sheba came against them and took them away, putting the young men to the sword, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Fire of God hath fallen from the heavens, and burneth among the flock, and among the young men, and consumeth them, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Chaldeans made three heads, and rush on the camels, and take them, and the young men they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to 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:

And lo, a great wind hath come from over the wilderness, and striketh against the four corners of the house, and it falleth on the young men, and they are dead, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

And Job rose up, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped;

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.”

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

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.

“Skin for skin!” Satan answered the Lord. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life.

But now, if you only put your hand on his bone and his flesh, he will certainly be cursing you to your face.

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

And the Satan went out from before the Lord, and sent on Job an evil disease covering his skin from his feet to the top of his head.

And he taketh to him a potsherd to scrape himself with it, and he is sitting in the midst of the ashes.

And his wife said to him, Dost thou still remain firm in thine integrity? curse God and die.

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.

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

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights; and none spoke a word to him; for they saw that his anguish was very great.

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

Let that day become darkness; may God not seek it from above, nor may daylight shine on it.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.

If only darkness had taken that night away!
May it not appear among the days of the year
or be listed in the calendar.

Yes, may that night be barren;
may no joyful shout be heard in it.

“Let those curse it who curse the day,
Who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.

Let the stars of its twilight be dark, Let it wait for light, and there is none, And let it not look on the eyelids of the dawn.

because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb on me, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes!

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

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

Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.

Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?

Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

I sigh when food is put before me,
and my groans pour out like water.

For the thing which I fear comes on me, That which I am afraid of comes to me.

I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

In reply, Eliphaz from Teman answered:

If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?

The stumbling one do thy words raise up, And bowing knees thou dost strengthen.

But now, it cometh in unto thee, And thou art weary; It striketh unto thee, and thou art troubled.

[Is] not your fear [in God] your confidence? [Is not] your hope even the integrity of your ways?

“Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished?
Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?

In my experience, those who plow injustice
and those who sow trouble reap the same.

By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they come to an end.

[The] roar of [the] lion and [the] voice of a lion in its prime, and [the] teeth of [the] young lions are broken.

An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.

A word was brought to me in secret;
my ears caught a whisper of it.

In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

Fear came on me, and trembling, and made all my bones to shake;

A spirit glided past me and made the hair on my skin to bristle.

It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

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?

They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;
they perish forever while no one notices.

Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer?

For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

I have seen a fool taking root,
but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

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

Though, man, to trouble, were born, as, sparks, on high, do soar,

Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields;

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

Which destroyeth the devices of the subtle, so that they are not able to perform the things that they take in hand;

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

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

And he saved the needy from the sword, from their mouth and from the band of the strong one.

And hope will be to the poor one, and iniquity contracted her mouth.

For, he, woundeth that he may bind up, He smiteth through, that, his own hands, may heal.

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.

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

In destruction and dearth thou shalt be merry, and shalt not be afraid for the beasts of the earth:

For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.

"Look! We have thought all this through, and what we've said is true; So please listen and learn for your own good!"

In rebuttal, Job replied:

Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

For, now, beyond the sand of the seas, would it be heavy, On this account, my words, have wandered.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

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

Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?