Job 1–10
1 There was a man in the land of aUz, whose name was bJob; and that man was cperfect and upright, and one that dfeared God, and eeschewed evil. 2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His ||substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great ||household; so that this man was the greatest of all the †men of the east. 4 And his sons went and ffeasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and gcalled for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and hoffered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and icursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job †continually.
6 Now jthere was a day when kthe sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and †Satan came also †among them. 7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, lFrom going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, †Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, ma perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou nmade an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? othou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his ||substance pis increased in the land. 11 qBut put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, †and he will curse thee rto thy face. 12 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.
13 And jthere was a day swhen his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15 And tthe Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 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. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, uThe Chaldeans made out vthree wbands, and †fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, xThy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind †from ythe wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20 Then Job zarose, and arent his ||mantle, and bshaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said,
cNaked came I out of my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return thither:
The dLord egave, and the Lord hath taken away;
fBlessed be the name of the Lord.
22 gIn all this Job sinned not, nor ||charged God foolishly.
2 Again athere was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 bAnd the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 3 cAnd 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 dholdeth fast his eintegrity, although thou movedst me against him, †to destroy him fwithout cause. 4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 5 gBut put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will hcurse thee to thy face. 6 iAnd the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; ||but save his life. 7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore jboils kfrom the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; land he sat down among the ashes. 9 Then said his wife unto him, mDost thou still nretain thine integrity? hcurse God, and die. 10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as oone of the foolish women speaketh. What? pshall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? qIn all this did not Job rsin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the sTemanite, and Bildad the tShuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had umade an appointment together to come vto mourn with him and to comfort him. 12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they wrent every one his mantle, and sprinkled xdust upon their heads toward heaven. 13 So they sat down with him upon the ground yseven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
3 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. 2 And Job †spake, and said,
3 aLet the day perish wherein I was born,
And the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
Let not God regard it from above,
Neither let the light shine upon it.
5 Let darkness and bthe shadow of death c||stain it;
Let a cloud dwell upon it;
||Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 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.
7 Lo, let that night be dsolitary,
Let no ejoyful voice come therein.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day,
Who are ready to raise up ||their mourning.
9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark;
Let it look for light, but have none;
Neither let it see †the dawning of the day:
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
11 fWhy died I not from the womb?
Why did I gnot give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12 Why did hthe knees prevent me?
Or why the breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet,
I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 With kings and counsellers of the earth,
Which built desolate places for themselves;
15 Or with princes that had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver:
16 Or as an hidden iuntimely birth I had not been;
As infants which never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling;
And there the †weary be at rest.
18 There the prisoners jrest together;
kThey hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there;
And the servant is free from his master.
20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
And life unto the lbitter in soul;
21 Which †mlong for death, but it cometh not;
And dig for it more than for nhid treasures;
22 Which rejoice oexceedingly,
And are glad, when they can find the grave?
23 pWhy is light given to a man qwhose way is hid,
And rwhom God hath hedged in?
24 For my sighing cometh †before I eat,
And my roarings are poured out like the waters.
25 For †the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,
And that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet;
Yet trouble came.
4 Then aEliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 If we assay †to commune with thee, wilt thou bbe grieved?
But †who can withhold himself from speaking?
3 Behold, thou hast instructed many,
And thou chast strengthened the weak hands.
4 Thy words have upholden chim that was falling,
And thou dhast strengthened †the feeble knees.
5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou bfaintest;
It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6 Is not this ethy fear, thy fconfidence,
Thy hope, and ethe uprightness of thy ways?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?
Or where were the righteous cut off?
8 Even as I have seen, gthey that plow iniquity,
And sow hwickedness, reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish,
And ||by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the hhfierce lion,
And the teeth of the iyoung lions, are broken.
11 The old lion jperisheth for lack of prey,
And the stout lion’s whelps kare scattered abroad.
12 Now a thing was †secretly brought to me,
And mine ear received la little thereof.
13 In mthoughts from the visions of the night,
When ndeep sleep falleth on men,
14 Fear †came upon me, and otrembling,
Which made †all my bones to shake.
15 Then pa spirit passed before my face;
The hair of my flesh qstood up:
16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof:
rAn image was before mine eyes,
||There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
17 sShall mortal man be more just than God?
Shall a man be more pure than his maker?
18 Behold, he tput no trust in his servants;
||And his angels uhe charged with folly:
19 xHow much less in them that dwell in yhouses of clay,
Whose foundation is in zthe dust,
Which are crushed before athe moth?
20 bThey are †destroyed from morning to evening:
They perish for ever without any cregarding it.
21 dDoth not their excellency which is in them go away?
eThey die, even without wisdom.
5 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee;
And to which of the asaints wilt thou ||turn?
2 For bwrath killeth the foolish man,
And ||envy slayeth the silly one.
3 cI have seen the foolish taking root:
But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 dHis children are far from safety,
And they are crushed ein the gate, fneither is there any to deliver them.