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

But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh [and severely afflict him]; and he will curse You to Your face.”

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;

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

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

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

“For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;
Therefore my words have been incoherent,

“Indeed, you have now become like a dried-up stream,
You see a terror [believing me to be a victim of the wrath of God] and are afraid [to be compassionate].

“Now please look at me,
And see if I lie to your face [for you know that I would not].

“Why then do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my sin and guilt?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me [diligently], but I will not be.”

“Now my days are swifter than a runner;
They vanish, they see no good.

“Now ask the animals, and let them teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character];
And ask the birds of the air, and let them tell you;

“Please hear my argument
And listen to the pleadings of my lips.

“Behold now, I have prepared my case;
I know that I will be vindicated.

“For You write bitter things against me [in Your indictment]
And make me inherit and suffer for the iniquities of my youth.

“But now You number [each of] my steps;
You do not observe nor take note of my sin.

“But now God has exhausted me.
You [O Lord] have destroyed all my family and my household.

“Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven,
And my Advocate [who vouches and testifies for me] is on high.

“Oh, that the words I now speak were written!
Oh, that they were recorded in a scroll!

“That evil men are [now] reserved for the day of disaster and destruction,
They will be led away on the day of [God’s] wrath?

“Now yield and submit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace;
In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.

“But now those younger than I mock and laugh at me,
Whose fathers I refused to put with the sheepdogs of my flock.

“And now I have become [the subject of] their taunting;
Yes, I am a byword and a laughingstock to them.

“And now my soul is poured out within me;
The days of affliction have seized me.

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were years older than he.

“Now Job has not directed his words against me [therefore I have no reason to be offended],
Nor will I answer him with arguments like yours. [I speak for truth, not for revenge.]

“Answer me, if you can;
Set yourselves before me, take your stand.

“If you now have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.

“And now, because He has not [quickly] punished in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged transgression and arrogance well [and seems unaware of the wrong of which a person is guilty],

“God seals (brings to a standstill, stops) [by severe weather] the hand of every man,
That all men [whom He has made] may know His work [that is, His sovereign power and their subjection to it].

“Now people cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies [without being blinded],
When the wind has passed and cleared them.

“Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!

“Now gird up your loins (prepare yourself) like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me.

“Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty],
And array yourself with honor and majesty.

“Behold now, Behemoth, which I created as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.

“See now, his strength is in his loins
And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly.

“He looks on everything that is high [without terror];
He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]”

“[You said to me] ‘Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?’
Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

“I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear,
But now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him [and his prayer] so that I may not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.”