There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And that man was pure and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

So the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil."

He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be blessed!"

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you stirred me up to destroy him without reason."

Why did the knees welcome me, and why were there two breasts that I might nurse at them?

There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest.

There the prisoners relax together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

Small and great are there, and the slave is free from his master.

There is the roaring of the lion and the growling of the young lion, but the teeth of the young lions are broken.

"Call now! Is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed at the place where judgment is rendered, nor is there anyone to deliver them.

Can food that is tasteless be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

They were distressed, because each one had been so confident; they arrived there, but were disappointed.

Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is intact!

Is there any falsehood on my lips? Can my mouth not discern evil things?

Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish without water?

Nor is there an arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both,

although you know that I am not guilty, and that there is no one who can deliver out of your hand?

And life will be brighter than the noonday; though there be darkness, it will be like the morning.

And you will be secure, because there is hope; you will be protected and will take your rest in safety.

For calamity, there is derision (according to the ideas of the fortunate) -- a fate for those whose feet slip!

If he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt; if he imprisons a person, there is no escape.

"But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.

Will there be an end to your windy words? Or what provokes you that you answer?

my face is reddened because of weeping, and on my eyelids there is a deep darkness,

although there is no violence in my hands and my prayer is pure.

"O earth, do not cover my blood, nor let there be a secret place for my cry.

"If I cry out, 'Violence!' I receive no answer; I cry for help, but there is no justice.

Fear the sword yourselves, for wrath brings the punishment by the sword, so that you may know that there is judgment."

Is not your wickedness great and is there no end to your iniquity?

There an upright person could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge.

"If I go to the east, he is not there, and to the west, yet I do not perceive him.

There are those who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways and they do not stay on its paths.

"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined.

if the members of my household have never said, 'If only there were someone who has not been satisfied from Job's meat!' --

Now I was paying you close attention, yet there was no one proving Job wrong, not one of you was answering his statements!

And I have waited. But because they do not speak, because they stand there and answer no more,

If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness;

There is no darkness, and no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide themselves.

to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land, a desert where there are no human beings,

It lives on a rock and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and a fortress.

From there it spots its prey, its eyes gaze intently from a distance.

And its young ones devour the blood, and where the dead carcasses are, there it is."