Job 1–2

Job and His Family in Uz

1There was a man ^ain the land of Uz, whose name was ^bJob; and that man was ^cblameless and upright, and one who ^dfeared God and ¹shunned evil. ²And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ³Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the ²people of the East.

⁴And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and ³sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning ^eand offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and ^fcursed ⁴God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Satan Attacks Job’s Character

⁶Now ^gthere was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ⁵Satan also came among them. ⁷And the Lord said to ⁶Satan, “From where do you come?”

So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From ^hgoing to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

⁸Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you ⁷considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and ⁸shuns evil?”

⁹So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ⁱHave You not ⁹made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? ^jYou have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ^11kBut now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely ^lcurse ¹You to Your face!”

¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ²power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses His Property and Children

¹³Now there was a day ^mwhen his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; ¹⁴and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵when the ³Sabeans ⁴raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and ⁵consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸While he was still speaking, another also came and said, ⁿ“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹and suddenly a great wind came from ⁶across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²⁰Then Job arose, ^otore his robe, and shaved his head; and he ^pfell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said:

^q“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked shall I return there.

The Lord ^rgave, and the Lord has ^staken away;

^tBlessed be the name of the Lord.”

^22uIn all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Satan Attacks Job’s Health

2Again ^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. ²And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

^bSatan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

³Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ^ca blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he ^dholds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, ^eto ¹destroy him without cause.”

⁴So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. ^5fBut stretch out Your hand now, and touch his ^gbone and his flesh, and he will surely ²curse You to Your face!”

^6hAnd the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils ⁱfrom the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself ^jwhile he sat in the midst of the ashes.

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? ³Curse God and die!”

¹⁰But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. ^kShall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” ^lIn all this Job did not ^msin with his lips.

Job’s Three Friends

¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the ⁿTemanite, Bildad the ^oShuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come ^pand mourn with him, and to comfort him. ¹²And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and ^qsprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. ¹³So they sat down with him on the ground ^rseven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.