There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God [with reverence] and abstained from and turned away from evil [because he honored God].

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand on the man himself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God]. And still he maintains and holds tightly to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without cause.”

So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, only spare his life.”

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God’s will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversity and disaster?” In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips.

“Let the day on which I was born perish,
And the night which announced: ‘There is a man-child conceived.’

“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not be counted in the number of the months.

“Or like a miscarriage which is hidden and put away, I would not exist,
Like infants who never saw light.

“The small and the great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.

“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter in soul,

“Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?

“But now adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;
It touches you, and you are horrified.

“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?

“As I have seen, those who plow wickedness
And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.

‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?

‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.

‘Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]?
Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?’

“Call now —is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones (angels) will you turn?

“His children are far from safety [and included in their father’s ruin],
They are oppressed and crushed in the [court of justice in the city’s] gate,
And there is no one to rescue them.

“For man is born for trouble,
[As naturally] as sparks fly upward.

“As for me, I would seek God and inquire of Him,
And I would commit my cause to God;

“He catches the [so-called] wise in their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the devious is quickly thwarted.

“In the daytime they meet in darkness,
And at noon they grope as in the night.

“Behold, how happy and fortunate is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise or reject the discipline of the Almighty [subjecting you to trial and suffering].

“He will rescue you from six troubles;
Even in seven, evil will not touch you.

“You will know also that your descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

“You will come to your grave in old age,
Like the stacking of grain [on the threshing floor] in its season.

“Behold this; we have investigated it, and it is true.
Hear and heed it, and know for yourself [for your own good].”

“Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed
And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!

Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
My spirit drinks their poison;
The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

“Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass?
Or does the ox low over his fodder?

“Can something that has no taste to it be eaten without salt?
Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg?

“What strength do I have left, that I should wait [and hope]?
And what is ahead of me, that I should be patient and endure?

“Is my strength and endurance that of stones,
Or is my flesh made of bronze?

“Is it that I have no help within myself,
And that success and wisdom have been driven from me?

“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not abandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.

“My brothers have acted deceitfully like a brook,
Like the torrents of brooks that vanish,

Which are dull and dirty because of ice,
And into which the snow melts and hides itself;

When it is warm, they are silent and cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

“The paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
[Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]

“Do you intend to reprove my words [with a convincing argument],
When the words of one in despair belong to the wind [and go ignored]?

“Turn away [from your suspicion], let there be no injustice;
Turn away, my righteousness and vindication is still in it.

“Is there injustice or malice on my tongue?
Can my palate not discern what is destructive?

“Is not man forced to labor on earth?
And are not his days like the days of a hired man?

“As a slave earnestly longs for the shade,
And as a hired man eagerly awaits his wages,

“My body is clothed with worms and a crust of dust;
My skin is hardened [and broken and loathsome], and [breaks out and] runs.

“Remember that my life is but breath [a puff of wind, a sigh];
My eye will not see good again.

“As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
So he who goes down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) does not come up.

“What is man that You [should] magnify him [and think him important]?
And that You are concerned about him?

“If I have sinned, what [harm] have I done to You,
O Watcher of mankind?
Why have You set me as a target for You,
So that I am a burden to myself?

“How long will you say these things?
And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

“While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant [when without water].

For his confidence is fragile and breaks,
And his trust is [like] a spider’s web.

“He thrives and prospers [like a green plant] before the sun,
And his branches spread out over his garden.

“If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],
Then his place will forget him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’

“Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And from out of the dust others will spring up and grow [to take his place].

“Behold, God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor will He strengthen or support evildoers.

“Yes, I know it is true.
But how can a mortal man be right before God?

“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?

“If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty!
And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

“It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’

“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;
He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].
If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

“For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court and judgment together.

“There is no arbitrator between us,
Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

‘Do You have eyes of flesh?
Do You see as a man sees?

‘Are Your days as the days of a mortal,
Are Your years as man’s years,

‘Although You know that I am not guilty or wicked,
Yet there is no one who can rescue me from Your hand.

‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
So will You turn me into dust again?

‘You renew Your witnesses against me
And increase Your indignation and anger toward me;
Hardship after hardship is with me [attacking me time after time].

‘I should have been as though I had not existed;
[I should have been] carried from the womb to the grave.’

The [sunless] land of utter gloom as darkness itself,
[The land] of the shadow of death, without order,
And [where] it shines as [thick] darkness.”

“For you have said, ‘My teaching (doctrine) [that God knowingly afflicts the righteous] is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’

And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.

“His wisdom is as high as the heights of heaven. What can you do?
It is deeper than Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead). What can you know?

“It is longer in measure [and scope] than the earth,
And broader than the sea.

“If God passes by or arrests,
Or calls an assembly [of judgment], who can restrain Him?
[If He is against a man, who can call Him to account for it?]

“But a hollow (empty-headed) man will become intelligent and wise
[Only] when the colt of a wild donkey is born as a man.

“For you would forget your trouble;
You would remember it as waters that have passed by.

“And your life would be brighter than the noonday;
Darkness [then] would be like the morning.

“Then you would trust [with confidence], because there is hope;
You would look around you and rest securely.

“No doubt you are the [only wise] people [in the world],
And wisdom will die with you!

“But I have intelligence and understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these [of God’s wisdom and might]?

“I am a joke to my friends;
I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him—
A just and blameless man is a joke [and laughed to scorn].

“He who is at ease has contempt for misfortune,
But misfortune is ready [and anxiously waiting] for those whose feet slip.

“Who among all these does not recognize [in all these things that good and evil are randomly scattered throughout nature and human life]
That the hand of the Lord has done this,

In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?

“Does the ear not put words to the test,
Just as the palate tastes its food [distinguishing between the desirable and the undesirable]?

“With the aged [you say] is wisdom,
And with long life is understanding.

“He makes priests walk barefoot,
And He overturns men firmly seated and secure.

“He removes intelligence and understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth
And makes them wander and move blindly in a pathless waste.

“Oh, that you would be completely silent,
And that silence would be your wisdom!

“Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]?
Will you contend and plead for God?

“Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]?
Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man?

“Who will argue and contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

“Why do You hide Your face [as if offended]
And consider me Your enemy?

While I waste away like a rotten thing,
Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

“Man, who is born of a woman,
Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You [in Your control],
And You have made his limits so he cannot pass [his allotted time].

“[O God] turn your gaze from him so that he may rest,
Until he fulfills his day [on earth] like a hired man.