Job 1:13–3:26
The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s Possessions
13 And then there was one day whenq his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their firstborn brother’s house. 14 And a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the female donkeys were feeding ⌊beside them⌋.r 15 Thens the Sabeans ⌊attacked⌋,t and they took them, and they slew the servants ⌊by the edge of the sword⌋.u Butv I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”
16 While this one was still speaking, ⌊another⌋w came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens, and it blazed up against the sheep and goats and against the servants, and it consumed them. But I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”
17 While this one was still speaking, ⌊another⌋x came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three divisions, and they made a raid on the camels, and they carried them away, and they struck your servants ⌊by the edge of the sword⌋,y but I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”
18 At the timez this one was speaking, ⌊another⌋a came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their firstborn brother’s house. 19 And behold,b a great wind came from across the desert, and it struck the four corners of the house ⌊so that⌋c it fell upon the young people, and they died. But I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”
20 Thend Job arose and tore his outer garmente and shaved his head; ⌊then⌋f he fell upon the ground and he worshiped. 21 Theng he said, “Naked I came out from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. Yahweh gives, and Yahweh takes. Let Yahweh’s name be blessed.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin and did not ⌊charge God with wrongdoing⌋.h
The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s Person
2 ⌊And then⌋a one day the sons of Godb came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satanc also came into their midst to present himself before Yahweh. 2 Sod Yahweh ⌊asked⌋e Satan,f “From where have you come?”
And Satang answered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”
3 Soh Yahweh ⌊asked⌋i Satan,j “Have you ⌊considered⌋k my servant Job? Indeed,l there is no one like him on the earth—a blameless man and upright and God-fearing and turning away from evil. And still he persists in his blamelessness ⌊even though⌋m you incited me against him to destroy him for nothing.”
4 Thenn Satano answered him and said, “Skin for skin! All that ⌊that⌋p man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch outq your hand and touch his bones and his flesh, and see ⌊whether⌋r he will ⌊curse⌋s you to your face.”t
6 Sou Yahweh said to Satan,v “⌊All right⌋,w he is in your ⌊power⌋.x Only spare his life.”
7 Soy Satanz went out from ⌊Yahweh’s presence⌋,a and he inflicted Job with loathsome skin sores from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head. 8 ⌊So⌋b he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Thenc his wife said to him, “Are you still persisting in your blamelessness? ⌊Curse⌋d God and die.”
10 Soe he said to her, “You speak like one of the foolish women speaks. Indeed, should we receive the good from God, butf not receive the evil?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
11 Thusg Job’s three friends heard of this calamity that had come upon him. Soh each set out from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite. And they meti together to come to console him and to comfort him.
12 Thusj they lifted up their eyesk from afar, butl they did not recognize him, som they raised their voice, and they wept, and each man tore his outer garmentn and threw dust on their heads ⌊toward the sky⌋.o 13 Thenp they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, butq no one spoker a word to him because they saw that ⌊his⌋s suffering was very great.
3 ⌊Afterward⌋a Job opened his mouth and cursedb his day. 2 Thusc Job ⌊spoke up⌋d and said,
3 “Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said, ‘A man-child is conceived.’
4 Let that day becomee darkness;
may God not seek it from above,
nor may daylight shine on it.
5 Let darkness and deep shadow claim it;
let cloudsf settle on it;
let themg terrify it with the blacknessh of day.
6 Let darkness seize that night;i
let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
let it not enter among the number of the months.
7 Look, let that night becomej barren;
let a joyful song not enter it.
8 Let those who curse the day curse it,
those who are skilled at rousing Leviathan.
9 Let the stars of its dawn be dark;
let it hope for light butk there be none,
and let it not see the eyelids of dawn
10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
norl did it hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not die atm birth?
Why did I not come forth from the womb and expire?
12 Why did the knees receive me
and the breasts, that I could suck?
13 For now I would lie down, and I would be at peace;
I would be asleep; then ⌊I would be at rest⌋n
14 with kings and counselors of the earth,
who ⌊rebuild⌋ o ruins for themselves,
15 or with high officials ⌊who have gold⌋,p
who fill up their houses with silver.
16 Or why was I not hidden like a miscarriage,
like infants who did not see the light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling,
and there the ⌊weary⌋q are at rest;
18 the prisoners are at ease together;
they do not hear the oppressor’s voice.
19 The small and the great are there,
and the slave is free from his masters.r
20 “Why does hes give light to one in misery
and life to those bitter of soul,
21 who wait for death, butt ⌊it does not come⌋,u
and searchv for it more than for treasures,
22 who rejoice ⌊exceedingly⌋,w
and they are glad when they find the grave?
23 Why does hex give light to a man whose way is hidden,
and God has fenced him in all around?
24 Fory my sighing comes ⌊before⌋z my bread,a
and my groanings gush forth like water
25 because the dread that I ⌊feel⌋b has come upon me,
and what I feared befalls me.
26 I am not at ease, and I am not at peace,
and I do not have rest, thusc turmoil has come.”