There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

and his substance is seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred pairs of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a service very abundant; and that man is greater than any of the sons of the east.

{Then when} the days of the feast had run their course, {Job would send}, and he would sanctify them. Thus he would arise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings [according to] the number of all of them, because Job thought, "Perhaps my children have sinned and {cursed} God in their heart." This is what Job used to do {all the time}.

And the day is, that sons of God come in to station themselves by Jehovah, and there doth come also the Adversary in their midst.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

And the Adversary answereth Jehovah and saith, 'For nought is Job fearing God?

Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

But send forth now thy band and tough upon all which is to him, if he will not bless thee upon thy face.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And the day is, that his sons and his daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Chaldeans made three heads, and rush on the camels, and take them, and the young men they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, and I am escaped -- only I alone -- to declare it to thee.'

While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Thy sons and thy daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born.

And the day is, that sons of God come in to station themselves by Jehovah, and there doth come also the Adversary in their midst to station himself by Jehovah.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

And the adversary will answer Jehovah and say, Skin for skin, and all which is to a man he will give for his soul.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

And he taketh to him a potsherd to scrape himself with it, and he is sitting in the midst of the ashes.

But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

And they sit with him on the earth seven days and seven nights, and there is none speaking unto him a word when they have seen that the pain hath been very great.

This is what Job said:

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud tabernacle upon it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.

As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto 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;

Let the stars of its twilight be dark, Let it wait for light, and there is none, And let it not look on the eyelids of the dawn.

Why was I not stillborn;
why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?

For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept -- then there is rest to me,

With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;

Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;

Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

There the passions of the evil are over, and those whose strength has come to an end have rest.

The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.

Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

For before my food, my sighing cometh, And poured out as waters are my roarings.

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

If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?

But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

"{Think} now, who has perished [who is] innocent? Or where [are] the upright destroyed?

Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

They perish by the breath of God; they are consumed by the storm that is his anger.

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

An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.

And unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.

It standeth, and I discern not its aspect, A similitude is over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice I hear:

'Is mortal man than God more righteous? Than his Maker is a man cleaner?

How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Call now; is there any that will answer thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

"It is not the earth that bringeth forth travail, neither cometh sorrow out of the ground;

Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause;

Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.

Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.

[He] is frustrating [the] devices of [the] crafty, and their hands do not achieve success.

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

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

When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

(For with sons of the field is thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)

And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.

Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.

Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy 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]!

For now, than the sands of the sea it is heavier, Therefore my words have been rash.

For arrows of the Mighty are with me, Whose poison is drinking up my spirit. Terrors of God array themselves for me!

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.

And yet it is my comfort, (And I exult in pain -- He doth not spare,) That I have not hidden The sayings of the Holy One.

What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:

What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of 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.]

So this is what you have now become to me.
When you see something dreadful, you are afraid.

Is it because I said, Give to me? And, By your power bribe for me?

How pleasing are upright words! but what force is there in your arguments?

Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?

Truly, you are such as would give up the child of a dead man to his creditors, and would make a profit out of your friend.

Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.

Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.

Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:

When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I rise?' But [the] night is long, and I have my fill of tossing until dawn.

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.

My days pass as swiftly as a hand-loom; they come to their conclusion without hope.