Job 1–3

Satan Tests Job

1There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz,^a who worshipped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil. ²He had seven sons and three daughters, ³and owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 head of cattle, and 500 donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East.

⁴Job’s sons used to take it in turns to give a feast, to which all the others would come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them. ⁵The morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally.

^6*When the day came for the heavenly beings^b to appear before the Lord, Satan^c was there among them. ⁷The Lord asked him, “What have you been doing?”

Satan answered, “I have been walking here and there, roaming round the earth.”

⁸“Did you notice my servant Job?” the Lord asked. “There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil.”

^9*Satan replied, “Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? ^10*You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country. ^11*But now suppose you take away everything he has—he will curse you to your face!”

¹²“All right,” the Lord said to Satan, “everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself.” So Satan left.

Job’s Children and Wealth Are Destroyed

¹³One day when Job’s children were having a feast at the home of their eldest brother, ¹⁴a messenger came running to Job. “We were ploughing the fields with the oxen,” he said, “and the donkeys were in a nearby pasture. ¹⁵Suddenly the Sabeans^d attacked and stole them all. They killed every one of your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁶Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁷Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Three bands of Chaldean^e raiders attacked us, took away the camels, and killed all your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁸Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Your children were having a feast at the home of your eldest son, ¹⁹when a storm swept in from the desert. It blew the house down and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

²⁰Then Job stood up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downwards on the ground. ²¹He said, “I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!”

²²In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Satan Tests Job Again

2When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them. ²The Lord asked him, “Where have you been?” Satan answered, “I have been walking here and there, roaming round the earth.”

³“Did you notice my servant Job?” the Lord asked. “There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever.”

⁴Satan replied, “A person will give up everything in order to stay alive.

⁵But now suppose you hurt his body—he will curse you to your face!”

⁶So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him.” ⁷Then Satan left the Lord’s presence and made sores break out all over Job’s body. ⁸Job went and sat by the rubbish heap and took a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores. ⁹His wife said to him, “You are still as faithful as ever, aren’t you? Why don’t you curse God and die?”

¹⁰Job answered, “You are talking nonsense! When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends us trouble?” In spite of everything he suffered, Job said nothing against God.

Job’s Friends Come

¹¹Three of Job’s friends were Eliphaz, from the city of Teman, Bildad, from the land of Shuah, and Zophar, from the land of Naamah. When they heard how much Job had been suffering, they decided to go and comfort him. ¹²While they were still a long way off they saw Job, but did not recognize him. When they did, they began to weep and wail, tearing their clothes in grief and throwing dust into the air and on their heads. ¹³Then they sat there on the ground with him for seven days and nights without saying a word, because they saw how much he was suffering.

Job’s Complaint to God

3^*Finally Job broke the silence and cursed the day on which he had been born.

^2–3*O God, put a curse on the day I was born;

put a curse on the night when I was conceived!

^4*Turn that day into darkness, God.

Never again remember that day;

never again let light shine on it.

^5*Make it a day of gloom and thick darkness;

cover it with clouds, and blot out the sun.

^6*Blot that night out of the year,

and never let it be counted again;

^7*make it a barren, joyless night.

^8*Tell the sorcerers to curse that day,

those who know how to control Leviathan.^f

^9*Keep the morning star from shining;

give that night no hope of dawn.

¹⁰Curse that night for letting me be born,

for exposing me to trouble and grief.

¹¹I wish I had died in my mother’s womb

or died the moment I was born.

¹²Why did my mother hold me on her knees?

Why did she feed me at her breast?

¹³If I had died then, I would be at rest now,

¹⁴sleeping like the kings and rulers

who rebuilt ancient palaces.

¹⁵Then I would be sleeping like princes

who filled their houses with gold and silver,

¹⁶or sleeping like a stillborn child.

¹⁷In the grave wicked people stop their evil,

and tired workers find rest at last.

¹⁸Even prisoners enjoy peace,

free from shouts and harsh commands.

¹⁹Everyone is there, the famous and the unknown,

and slaves at last are free.

²⁰Why let people go on living in misery?

Why give light to those in grief?

^21*They wait for death, but it never comes;

they prefer a grave to any treasure.

²²They are not happy till they are dead and buried;

²³God keeps their future hidden

and hems them in on every side.

²⁴Instead of eating, I mourn,

and I can never stop groaning.

²⁵Everything I fear and dread comes true.

²⁶I have no peace, no rest,

and my troubles never end.