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].

Seven sons and three daughters were born to him.

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.

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].”

Now there was a day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them,

While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “The fire of God (lightning) has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

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

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

and suddenly, a great wind came from across the desert, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

Again 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 to present himself before 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.”

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

“There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.

“There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the taskmaster’s voice.

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

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

“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.

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

“They were put to shame and disappointed because they had trusted [that they would find water];
They came there and were ashamed.

“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?

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

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

“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.

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

“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.

“For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that the shoots of it will not cease nor fail, [but there is no such hope for man].

“Are the consolations of God [as we have interpreted them to you] too trivial for you,
[Or] were we too gentle toward you [in our first speech] to be effective?

Although there is no violence or wrongdoing in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

“Oh, that a man would mediate and plead with God [for me]
Just as a man [mediates and pleads] with his neighbor and friend.

“Surely there are mockers and mockery with me,
And my eye gazes on their obstinacy and provocation.

“Give me a pledge (guarantee, promise) with Yourself [acknowledge my innocence before my death];
Who is there that will be my guarantor and give security for me?

“Will my hope go down with me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)?
Shall we go down together in the dust?”

“Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
Brimstone (burning sulfur) is scattered over his dwelling [to purify it].

“Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not heard;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.

“Then beware and be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance] for yourselves,
For wrathful are the punishments of that sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”

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

Complete darkness (misfortune) is held in reserve for his treasures.
An unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.

“How then can you vainly comfort me with empty words,
Since your answers remain untrue?”

“Is not your wickedness great,
And your sins without end?

“When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will lift up and save.

“There the righteous and upright could reason with Him;
So I would be acquitted forever by my Judge.

“Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there;
I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him;

“Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies?
And upon whom does His light not rise?

“Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where they refine gold.

“[As for] the earth, out of it comes food,
But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

“When I expected good, then came evil [to me];
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes [and could not be persuaded otherwise by them].

And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, he burned with anger.

“But there is [a vital force and] a spirit [of intelligence] in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.

“If there is an angel as a mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To explain to a man what is right for him [that is, how to be in right standing with God],

“There is no darkness nor deep shadow
Where the evildoers may hide themselves.

So that godless men would not rule
Nor be snares for the people.

“Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement,
Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food).

“From there he spies out the prey;
His eyes see it from far away.

“His young ones suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there is he.”

“Upon earth there is nothing like him—no equal exists,
A creature made without fear.

Then all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him over all the [distressing] adversities that the Lord had brought on him. And each one gave him a piece of money, and each a ring of gold.

In all the land there were found no women so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.