^1:16While this one was still speaking,⁶⁸ another messenger arrived⁶⁹ and said, “The fire of God⁷⁰ has fallen from heaven⁷¹ and has burned up the sheep and the servants—it has consumed them! And I—only I alone—escaped to tell you!”

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Footnotes

68 The particle עוֹד (’od, “still”) is used with the participle to express the past circumstances when something else happened ( §37.6d).
69 The Hebrew expression is literally “yet/this/speaking/and this/ arrived.” The sentence uses the two demonstratives as a contrasting pair. It means “this one was still speaking when that one arrived” ( §17.3c). The word “messenger” has been supplied in the translation in vv. 16, 17, and 18 for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
70 The “fire of God” would refer to lightning (1 Kgs 18:38; 2 Kgs 1:12; cf. , , ). The simply has “fire.” The first blow came from enemies; the second from heaven, which might have confused Job more as to the cause of his troubles. The use of the divine epithet could also be an indication of the superlative degree; see D. W. Thomas, “A Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” 3 (1953): 209–24.
71 Or “from the sky.” The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven[s]” or “sky” depending on the context.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported, “God’s fire fell from heaven. It burned the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

NLTNew Living Translation

While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

While this one was still speaking, another 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.”

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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