There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

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.

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

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

And the men of Sheba came against them and took them away, putting the young men to the sword, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

When a great wind came rushing from the waste land against the four sides of the house, and it came down on the young men, and they are dead; and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

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

And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.

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 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.

Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.

and said, "Let the day perish, wherein I was born,

“Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).

Because it closed not the doors of the womb wherein I was, and so hid trouble from mine eyes.

“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?

Why was there a lap to hold me, and why were there breasts to nurse me?

Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light?

To a man whose way was hid, and God will hedge about him?

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

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

Thy words have upholden him that was stumbling, and thou hast braced up the bending knees:

Remember, I pray thee, who that was innocent has perished? and where were the upright cut off?

“Now a word was brought to me stealthily,
And my ear received a whisper of it.

And a breath was moving over my face; the hair of my flesh became stiff:

“It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:

“I have seen the foolish taking root [and outwardly prospering],
But I cursed his dwelling immediately [for his destruction was certain].

that his harvest was eaten up of the hungry; that the weaponed man had spoiled it, and that the thirsty had drunk up his riches.

He took the wise in their craftiness, and the counsel of the perverse was headlong.

In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.

For with the stones of the field they covenant, and the beast of the field was at peace with thee.

They were put to shame because of their hope; they came and their hope was gone.

So was I caused to possess to me months of vanity, and nights of toil were allotted to me.

If I lay down, and I said, When shall I arise, and the evening be measured? And I was filled with tossings even to the twilight

And my flesh was clothed with worms, and a clod of dust; my akin was contracted and melted away.

And why wilt thou not lift up my transgression and pass over mine iniquity? for now I shall lie down to the dust; and thou soughtest me and I was not

“Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will increase greatly.

It was moist before the sun, and its sprout will come forth upon his garden.

This was Job's response:

If a man was desiring to go to law with him, he would not be able to give him an answer to one out of a thousand questions.

Wise of heart and strong of power: who was hard before him and shall be requited?

Even if my cause was good, I would not be able to give an answer; I would make request for grace from him who was against me.

“If I called and He answered me,
I could not believe that He was listening 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.

The earth was given into the hand of the unjust one: he will cover the faces of her judges; if not now, who is it?

I was afraid of all my pains, I knew that thou wilt not acquit me.

“If I should wash myself with snow
And cleanse my hands with lye,

My soul was weary in my life; I shall leave upon me my complaint; I shall speak in the bitterness of my soul

Your hands made me, and I was formed by you, but then, changing your purpose, you gave me up to destruction.

Was I not drained out like milk, becoming hard like cheese?

By you I was clothed with skin and flesh, and joined together with bones and muscles.

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

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:

I shall be as I was not; I shall be brought from the womb to the grave.

And thou wilt say, My instruction is pure, and I was clean in thine eyes.

Why is your face veiled from me, as if I was numbered among your haters?

yet when the stock getteth the scent of water, it will bud, and bring forth bows, like as when it was first planted.

Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.

The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

Are the comforts of God not enough for you, and the gentle word which was said to you?

What wise men have [freely] told,
And have not hidden [anything passed on to them] from their fathers,

To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

He will not believe to turn back from darkness, and he was waited for by the sword.

He wandered about for bread, where he knew that the day of darkness was ready at his hand.

Because he stretched out his hand against God, and he was arrogant to Shaddai;

And he has made his resting-place in the towns which have been pulled down, in houses where no man had a right to be, whose fate was to become masses of broken walls.

Before his day it shall be completed, and his branch was not green.

Was there an end to words of wind? or what will provoke thee that thou wilt answer?

“I was at ease, but He shattered me,
And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces;
He has also set me up as His target.

Though no violence was in my hands, and, my prayer, was pure.

He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.

The light was darkened in his tent, and his lamp shall be extinguished for him.

For he was cast into a net by his feet, and he will go about upon latticework.

He is pulled out of his tent where he was safe, and he is taken away to the king of fears.

"Although I cried out "Violence!' I received no answer; I cried for help, but there was no justice.

They sojourning in my house and my maids, mill reckon me for a stranger: I was a foreigner in their eyes.

My spirit was loathsome to my wife, and I entreated to the sons of my belly.

Yea the children despised me, and when I was gone from them, they spake evil upon me.

For ye shall say, Why shall we pursue after him and the root of the word was found in me?

Knowest thou not this, that of old, since man was placed upon earth,

People who had seen him will not see him again, and the place where he was will recognize him no longer.

When wickedness was sweet in his mouth, he hid it under his tongue.

His bread in his bowels was turned, the gall of asps in his midst

“There is nothing left of what he devoured;
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.

Though he had plenteousness of everything, yet was he poor, and therefore he is but a wretch on every side.

A flood will wash away his house; dragging it away when God becomes angry.

Their seed was established before their face with them, and their offspring before their eyes.

Behold, their good not in the hand: the counsel of the unjust was far from me.

For you have taken your brother's goods when he was not in your debt, and have taken away the clothing of those who have need of it.

For it was the man with power who had the land, and the man with an honoured name who was living in it.

You sent widows away empty-handed,
and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.

Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;

But it was he who filled their houses with good things -- yet the counsel of the wicked was far from me.

And the Almighty was thy gold and silver of labors to thee.