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

And his sons went and made a feast in the house of each one on his day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of the feasting were gone about, that Job sent and hallowed them; and he rose up early in the morning, and offered up burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them.

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

And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil?

Hast not thou made a 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 spread abroad in the land.

And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy hand; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.

And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn.

While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn;

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

In all this Job sinned not, nor ascribed anything unseemly to God.

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

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

And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil? and still he remaineth firm in his integrity, though thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause.

And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

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

But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. We have also received good from God, and should we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that was come upon him. And they came each one from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to condole 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 the heavens.

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 in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived.

Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,

Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? --

To the man whose way is hidden, and whom +God hath hedged in?

I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.

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

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

How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed as the moth!

Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer:

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

Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity.

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong:

They meet with darkness in a the daytime, and grope at midday as in the night.

He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

In famine he will redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

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 tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing.

Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season.

Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!

Doth the wild ass bray by the grass? loweth an ox over his fodder?

Shall that which is insipid be eaten without salt? Is there any taste in the white of an egg?

Then should I yet have comfort; and in the pain which spareth not I would rejoice that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

Is it not that there is no help in me, and soundness is driven away from me?

Which are turbid by reason of the ice, in which the snow hideth itself:

At the time they diminish, they are dried up; when heat affecteth them, they vanish from their place:

They wind about in the paths of their course, they go off into the waste and perish.

The caravans of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba counted on them:

Do ye imagine to reprove words? The speeches of one that is desperate are indeed for the wind.

Return, I pray you, let there be no wrong; yea, return again, my righteousness shall be in it.

Is there wrong in my tongue? cannot my taste discern mischievous things?

If I lie down, I say, When shall I rise up, and the darkness be gone? and I am full of tossings until the dawn.

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.

When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;

Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?

And why dost not thou forgive my transgression and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I lie down in the dust, and thou shalt seek me early, and I shall not be.

Whilst it is yet in its greenness and not cut down, it withereth before any other grass.

He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand; he shall lay hold on it, but it shall not endure.

If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.

He is wise in heart and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and had peace?

Who removeth mountains, and they know it not, when he overturneth them in his anger;

If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse.

It is all one; therefore I said, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

They pass by like skiffs of reed; as an eagle that swoops upon the prey.

Be it that I am wicked, why then do I labour in vain?

If I washed myself with snow-water, and cleansed my hands in purity,

Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes would abhor me.

For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him; that we should come together in judgment.

There is not an umpire between us, who should lay his hand upon us both.

My soul is weary of my life: I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

Thy hands have bound me together and made me as one, round about; yet dost thou swallow me up!

And these things didst thou hide in thy heart; I know that this was with thee.

Should thy fictions make men hold their peace? and shouldest thou mock, and no one make thee ashamed?

For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.

For he knoweth vain men, and seeth wickedness when man doth not consider it;

If thou put far away the iniquity which is in thy hand, and let not wrong dwell in thy tents;

And life shall arise brighter than noonday; though thou be enshrouded in darkness, thou shalt be as the morning,

And thou shalt have confidence, because there shall be hope; and having searched about thee, thou shalt take rest in safety.

I am to be one that is a derision to his friend, I who call upon +God, and whom he will answer: a derision is the just upright man.

He that is ready to stumble with the foot is a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

The tents of desolators are in peace, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand +God bringeth.

Who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this?

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man.

With the aged is wisdom, and in length of days understanding.

He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them; he spreadeth out the nations, and bringeth them in;

He taketh away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a pathless waste.

They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunkard.

But I will speak to the Almighty, and will find pleasure in reasoning with God;

Will it be well if he should search you out? or as one mocketh at a man, will ye mock at him?

Hold your peace from me, and I will speak, and let come on me what will!

Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?

Behold, if he slay me, yet would I trust in him; but I will defend mine own ways before him.

And thou puttest my feet in the stocks, and markest all my paths; thou settest a bound about the soles of my feet; --

One who, as a rotten thing consumeth, as a garment that the moth eateth.

Yet dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

Who can bring a clean man out of the unclean? Not one!

Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stock die in the ground,

Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, that thou wouldest keep me secret until thine anger be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me, --