Whenever a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his children and purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought: Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts. This was Job’s regular practice.

May darkness and gloom reclaim it,
and a cloud settle over it.
May an eclipse of the sun terrify it.

fear and trembling came over me
and made all my bones shake.

Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass
or an ox low over its fodder?

Since your children sinned against Him,
He gave them over to their rebellion.

He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine;
his shoots spread out over his garden.

The earth is handed over to the wicked;
He blindfolds its judges.
If it isn’t He, then who is it?

You put my feet in the stocks
and stand watch over all my paths,
setting a limit for the soles of my feet.

My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag,
and You would cover over my iniquity.

He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions will not increase in the land.

God hands me over to unjust men;
He throws me into the hands of the wicked.

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin;
I have buried my strength in the dust.

Nothing he owned remains in his tent.
Burning sulfur is scattered over his home.

He pulls it out of his back,
the flashing tip out of his liver.
Terrors come over him.

Look at me and shudder;
put your hand over your mouth.

He is carried to the grave,
and someone keeps watch over his tomb.

He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it,
but His eyes watch over their ways.

He stretches the northern skies over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.

He obscures the view of His throne,
spreading His cloud over it.

Proud beasts have never walked on it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.

If only I could be as in months gone by,
in the days when God watched over me,

Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress,
or become excited when trouble came his way?

He puts my feet in the stocks;
He stands watch over all my paths.”

Who gave Him authority over the earth?
Who put Him in charge of the entire world?

God is not partial to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.

For His eyes watch over a man’s ways,
and He observes all his steps.

But when God is silent, who can declare Him guilty?
When He hides His face, who can see Him?
Yet He watches over both individuals and nations,

They swirl about,
turning round and round at His direction,
accomplishing everything He commands them
over the surface of the inhabited world.

I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?
I place my hand over my mouth.

He surveys everything that is haughty;
he is king over all the proud beasts.