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.

Read in Logos

Job 1:21: And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Footnotes

bheavenly beings: Supernatural beings who serve God in heaven.
csatan: A supernatural being whose name indicates he was regarded as the opponent of humanity.
dsabeans: A tribe of wandering raiders from the south.
echaldeans: A tribe of wandering raiders from the north.

Cross references

*1.6: Gn 6:2
*1.9–11: Rev 12:10
*1.9–11: Rev 12:10
*1.9–11: Rev 12:10