And of cattle he had seven thousand sheep and goats, and three thousand camels, and a thousand oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great number of servants. And the man was greater than any of the sons of the east.

And at the end of their days of feasting, Job sent and made them clean, getting up early in the morning and offering burned offerings for them all. For, Job said, It may be that my sons have done wrong and said evil of God in their hearts. And Job did this whenever the feasts came round.

And the Lord said to the Satan, Where do you come from? And the Satan said in answer, From wandering this way and that on the earth, and walking about on it.

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

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

And the Lord said to the Satan, Where do you come from? And the Satan said in answer, From wandering this way and that on the earth, and walking about on it.

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.

That day--let it be dark; let not God take note of it from on high, and let not the light be shining on it;

That night--let the thick dark take it; let it not have joy among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.

As for that night, let it have no fruit; let no voice of joy be sounded in it;

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

Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?

To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;

What I have seen is that those by whom trouble has been ploughed, and evil planted, get the same for themselves.

How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect;

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

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.

You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.

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.

For then its weight would be more than the sand of the seas: because of this my words have been uncontrolled.

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!

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?

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.

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

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

What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him,

And that your hand is on him every morning, and that you are testing him every minute?

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?

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

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:

If I had sent for him to be present, and he had come, I would have no faith that he would give ear to my voice.

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.

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

I go in fear of all my pains; I am certain that I will not be free from sin in your eyes.

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

For he is not a man as I am, that I might give him an answer, that we might come together before a judge.

That you take note of my sin, searching after my wrongdoing,

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?

O keep in mind that you made me out of earth; and will you send me back again to dust?

That, if I did wrong, you would take note of it, and would not make me clear from sin:

That, if I was an evil-doer, the curse would come on me; and if I was upright, my head would not be lifted up, being full of shame and overcome with trouble.

And that if there was cause for pride, you would go after me like a lion; and again put out your wonders against me:

That you would send new witnesses against me, increasing your wrath against me, and letting loose new armies on me.

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,

They are higher than heaven; what is there for you to do? deeper than the underworld, and outside your knowledge;

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

And your life will be brighter than day; though it is dark, it will become like the morning.

It seems that I am to be as one who is a cause of laughing to his neighbour, one who makes his prayer to God and is answered! the upright man who has done no wrong is to be made sport of!

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

Will it be good for you to be searched out by him, or have you the thought that he may be guided into error like a man?

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

And that will be my salvation, for an evil-doer would not come before him,

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

Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?

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.

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

It is by your mouth, even yours, that you are judged to be in the wrong, and not by me; and your lips give witness against you.

With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father.

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

What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright?

He is wandering about in search of bread, saying, Where is it? and he is certain that the day of trouble is ready for him:

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

In his tent will be seen that which is not his, burning stone is dropped on his house.

Be certain that it is God who has done me wrong, and has taken me in his net.

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

But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust;

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.

That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute?

His children are hoping that the poor will be kind to them, and his hands give back his wealth.

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

What is the Ruler of all, that we may give him worship? and what profit is it to us to make prayer to him?

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!

Why then do you give me comfort with words in which there is no profit, when you see that there is nothing in your answers but deceit?

Is it of any interest to the Ruler of all that you are upright? or is it of use to him that your ways are without sin?

Is it because you give him honour that he is sending punishment on you and is judging you?

Your light is made dark so that you are unable to see, and you are covered by a mass of waters.

Thick clouds are covering him, so that he is unable to see; and he is walking on the arch of heaven.

If only I had knowledge of where he might be seen, so that I might come even to his seat!

He who is purposing death gets up before day, so that he may put to death the poor and those in need.

And if it is not so, now, who will make it clear that my words are false, and that what I say is of no value?

See, these are only the outskirts of his ways; and how small is that which comes to our ears about him! But the thunder of his acts of power is outside all knowledge.

Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness.

His house has no more strength than a spider's thread, or a watchman's tent.

The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way.

There is no need to say anything about coral or crystal; and the value of wisdom is greater than that of pearls.

For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me;

But now those who are younger than I make sport of me; those whose fathers I would not have put with the dogs of my flocks.

For I am certain that you will send me back to death, and to the meeting-place ordered for all living.

For that would be a crime; it would be an act for which punishment would be measured out by the judges:

If I saw one near to death for need of clothing, and that the poor had nothing covering him;

If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;

That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.

For fear of the great body of people, or for fear that families might make sport of me, so that I kept quiet, and did not go out of my door;

And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was angry, burning with wrath against Job, because he seemed to himself more right than God;