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].

His sons used to go [in turn] and feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send word and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

When the days of their feasting were over, Job would send [for them] and consecrate them, rising early in the morning and offering 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.” Job did this at all [such] times.

Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them.

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].”

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.

Now there was a day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

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.”

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

Again there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them to present himself before 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 the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, only spare his life.”

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God’s will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?” In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips.

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].

So they sat down on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

“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).

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

“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),

“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?

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

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

“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter in soul,

Who rejoice exceedingly,
And rejoice when they find the grave?

“Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?

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

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

‘God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,
And He charges His angels with error.

‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.

“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.

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

So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
And He lifts to safety those who mourn.

“He catches the [so-called] wise in their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the devious is quickly thwarted.

“In the daytime they meet in darkness,
And at noon they grope as in the night.

“He will rescue you from six troubles;
Even in seven, evil will not touch you.

“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.

“For you will be in harmony with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

“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].

“You will come to your grave in old age,
Like the stacking of grain [on the threshing floor] in its season.

“Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed
And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!

Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
My spirit drinks their poison;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

“Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass?
Or does the ox low over his fodder?

“Can something that has no taste to it be eaten without salt?
Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg?

“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?

Which are dull and dirty because of ice,
And into which the snow melts and hides itself;

When it is warm, they are silent and cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

“The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
[Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]

“The caravans of Tema looked [for water],
The caravans of Sheba waited for them [in vain].

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

“Do you intend to reprove my words [with a convincing argument],
When the words of one in despair belong to the wind [and go ignored]?

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

“Is there injustice or malice on my tongue?
Can my palate not discern what is destructive?

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

“When I lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise [and the night be gone]?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until the dawning of day.

“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul [O Lord].

“When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,’

“Why then do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my sin and guilt?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me [diligently], but I will not be.”

“While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant [when without water].

“If one should want to contend or dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.

“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?

“It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know it,
When He overturns them in His anger;

“Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him;
He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him.

“Though I am innocent and in the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty;
Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.

“It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’

“When [His] scourge kills suddenly,
He mocks at the despair of the innocent.

“They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds,
Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

“I am accounted wicked and held guilty;
Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?

You would still plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].

“For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court and judgment together.

“Then I would speak [my defense] and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.

“I am disgusted with my life and loathe it!
I will give free expression to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

‘Yet these [present evils] You have hidden in Your heart [since my creation]:
I know that this was within You [in Your purpose and thought].

“Should your boasts and babble silence men?
And shall you scoff and no one put you to shame?

“For you have said, ‘My teaching (doctrine) [that God knowingly afflicts the righteous] is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’

And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.

“It is longer in measure [and scope] than the earth,
And broader than the sea.

“If God passes by or arrests,
Or calls an assembly [of judgment], who can restrain Him?
[If He is against a man, who can call Him to account for it?]

“For He recognizes and knows false and worthless men,
And He sees wickedness, will He not consider it?

“But a hollow (empty-headed) man will become intelligent and wise
[Only] when the colt of a wild donkey is born as a man.

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

“Then you would trust [with confidence], because there is hope;
You would look around you and rest securely.

“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they will not escape [the justice of God];
And their hope is to breathe their last [and die].”

“No doubt you are the [only wise] people [in the world],
And wisdom will die with 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].

“He who is at ease has contempt for misfortune,
But misfortune is ready [and anxiously waiting] for those whose feet slip.

“The tents of the destroyers prosper;
And those who provoke God are [apparently] secure,
Whom God brings into their power.

“Who among all these does not recognize [in all these things that good and evil are randomly scattered throughout nature and human life]
That the hand of the Lord has done this,

In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?

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

“With Him are might and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader are His [and in His power].

“He makes [great and scheming] counselors walk barefoot
And makes fools of judges.

“He loosens the bond of kings
And binds their loins with a loincloth.

“He pours contempt on princes and nobles
And loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them].

“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.