His sons regularly went to one another's houses, and every one on his day gave a feast: and at these times they sent for their three sisters to take part in their feasts with them.

And the Lord said to the Satan, See, I give all he has into your hands, only do not put a finger on the man himself. And the Satan went out from before the Lord.

And this one was still talking when another came, and said, Your sons and your daughters were feasting together in their oldest brother's house,

With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised.

In all this Job did no sin, and did not say that God's acts were foolish.

And the Lord said to the Satan, See, he is in your hands, only do not take his life.

And his wife said to him, Are you still keeping your righteousness? Say a curse against God, and put an end to yourself.

And Job's three friends had word of all this evil which had come on him. And they came every one from his place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. So they came together to a meeting-place, in order that they might go and make clear to Job their grief for him, and give him comfort.

And lifting up their eyes when they were still far off, it did not seem that the man they saw was Job because of the change in him. And they gave way to bitter weeping, with signs of grief, and put dust on their heads.

And they took their seats on the earth by his side for seven days and seven nights: but no one said a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Let its morning stars be dark; let it be looking for light, but may it not have any; let it not see the eyes of the dawn.

Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled from my eyes.

Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?

Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying:

But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.

Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.

So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.

Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.

And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.

See, we have made search with care, and it is so; it has come to our ears; see that you take note of it for yourself.

If only he would be pleased to put an end to me; and would let loose his hand, so that I might be cut off!

So I would still have comfort, and I would have joy in the pains of death, for I have not been false to the words of the Holy One.

So have you now become to me; you see my sad condition and are in fear.

Did I say, Give me something? or, Make a payment for me out of your wealth?

Or, Get me out of the power of my hater? or, Give money so that I may be free from the power of the cruel ones?

Give me teaching and I will be quiet; and make me see my error.

Now then, let your eyes be turned to me, for truly I will not say what is false to your face.

So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me.

When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light.

My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.

O, keep in mind that my life is wind: my eye will never again see good.

The eye of him who sees me will see me no longer: your eyes will be looking for me, but I will be gone.

A cloud comes to an end and is gone; so he who goes down into the underworld comes not up again.

So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry.

Am I a sea, or a sea-beast, that you put a watch over me?

When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;

So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains.

How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space?

If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself?

How long will you say these things, and how long will the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?

Will they not give you teaching, and say words of wisdom to you?

So is the end of all who do not keep God in mind; and the hope of the evil-doer comes to nothing:

Whose support is cut off, and whose hope is no stronger than a spider's thread.

If he is taken away from his place, then it will say, I have not seen you.

Truly, I see that it is so: and how is it possible for a man to get his right before God?

Who is moving the earth out of its place, so that its pillars are shaking:

By whose hand the heavens were stretched out, and who is walking on the waves of the sea:

See, he goes past me and I see him not: he goes on before, but I have no knowledge of him.

If he puts out his hand to take, by whom may it be turned back? who may say to him, What are you doing?

God's wrath may not be turned back; the helpers of Rahab were bent down under him.

Though I was in the right, he would say that I was in the wrong; I have done no evil; but he says that I am a sinner.

It is all the same to me; so I say, He puts an end to the sinner and to him who has done no wrong together.

My days go quicker than a post-runner: they go in flight, they see no good.

If I say, I will put my grief out of mind, I will let my face be sad no longer and I will be bright;

Then you will have me pushed into the dust, so that I will seem disgusting to my very clothing.

Then I would say what is in my mind without fear of him; for there is no cause of fear in myself.

I will say to God, Do not put me down as a sinner; make clear to me what you have against me.

Have you eyes of flesh, or do you see as man sees?

Though you see that I am not an evil-doer; and there is no one who is able to take a man out of your hands?

Why then did you make me come out of my mother's body? It would have been better for me to have taken my last breath, and for no eye to have seen me,

And for me to have been as if I had not been; to have been taken from my mother's body straight to my last resting-place.

Are not the days of my life small in number? Let your eyes be turned away from me, so that I may have a little pleasure,

You may say, My way is clean, and I am free from sin in your eyes.

Are you able to take God's measure, to make discovery of the limits of the Ruler of all?

Longer in measure than the earth, and wider than the sea.

And so a hollow-minded man will get wisdom, when a young ass of the field gets teaching.

Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it.

Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this?

Will you say in God's name what is not right, and put false words into his mouth?

Will you have respect for God's person in this cause, and put yourselves forward as his supporters?

Will not his glory put you in fear, so that your hearts will be overcome before him?

Keep quiet, and let me say what is in my mind, whatever may come to me.

Give ear with care to my words, and keep what I say in your minds.

See now, I have put my cause in order, and I am certain that I will be seen to be right.

Is any one able to take up the argument against me? If so, I would keep quiet and give up my breath.

Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment.

So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.

The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

Truly, you make the fear of God without effect, so that the time of quiet worship before God is made less by your outcry.

So that you are turning your spirit against God, and letting such words go out of your mouth?

Take note and give ear to my words; and I will say what I have seen:

It would not be hard for me to say such things if your souls were in my soul's place; joining words together against you, and shaking my head at you:

If I say what is in my mind, my pain becomes no less: and if I keep quiet, how much of it goes from me?

So that he may give decision for a man in his cause with God, and between a son of man and his neighbour.

But come back, now, all of you, come; and I will not see a wise man among you.

They are changing night into day; they say, The light is near the dark.

If I say to the earth, You are my father; and to the worm, My mother and my sister;

Where then is my hope? and who will see my desire?

How long will it be before you have done talking? Get wisdom, and then we will say what is in our minds.

My way is walled up by him so that I may not go by: he has made my roads dark.

My breath is strange to my wife, and I am disgusting to the offspring of my mother's body.

And ... without my flesh I will see God;

Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.

If you say, How cruel we will be to him! because the root of sin is clearly in him:

Be in fear of the sword, for the sword is the punishment for such things, so that you may be certain that there is a judge.

Like the waste from his body he comes to an end for ever: those who have seen him say, Where is he?

The eye which saw him sees him no longer; and his place has no more knowledge of him.

Let him not see the rivers of oil, the streams of honey and milk.

Let me say what is in my mind, and after that, go on making sport of me.

You say, God keeps punishment stored up for his children. Let him send it on the man himself, so that he may have the punishment of it!