Job 1–3

Job and His Family

¹There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.^{* 2}There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.^{* 3}He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.^{* 4}His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another’s houses in turn, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all, for Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This is what Job always did.^*

Attack on Job’s Character

⁶One day the heavenly beings^a came to present themselves before the Lord, and the accuser^b also came among them.^{* 7}The Lord said to the accuser,^c “Where have you come from?” The accuser^d answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.”^{* 8}The Lord said to the accuser,^e “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.”^{* 9}Then the accuser^f answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?^{* 10}Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.^{* 11}But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”^{* 12}The Lord said to the accuser,^g “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” So the accuser^h went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses Property and Children

¹³One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, ¹⁵and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.”^{* 16}While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.”^{* 17}While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.”^{* 18}While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house,^{* 19}and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”^*

²⁰Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped.^{* 21}He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”^*

²²In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.^*

Attack on Job’s Health

²One day the heavenly beingsⁱ came to present themselves before the Lord, and the accuser^j also came among them to present himself before the Lord.^{* 2}The Lord said to the accuser,^k “Where have you come from?” The accuser^l answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.”^{* 3}The Lord said to the accuser,^m “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.”^{* 4}Then the accuserⁿ answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! All that the man has he will give for his life. ⁵But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”^{* 6}The Lord said to the accuser,^o “Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.”^*

⁷So the accuser^p went out from the presence of the Lord and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.^{* 8}Job^q took a potsherd with which to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.^*

⁹Then his wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse^r God and die.” ¹⁰But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive good from God and not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.^*

Job’s Three Friends

¹¹Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him.^{* 12}When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads.^{* 13}They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.^*

Job Curses the Day He Was Born

³After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ²Job said:

³“Let the day perish in which I was born,

and the night that said,

‘A male is conceived.’^*

⁴Let that day be darkness!

May God above not seek it

or light shine on it.

⁵Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.

Let clouds settle upon it;

let the blackness of the day terrify it.^*

⁶That night—let thick darkness seize it!

let it not rejoice among the days of the year;

let it not come into the number of the months.^*

⁷Yes, let that night be barren;

let no joyful cry be heard^s in it.

⁸Let those curse it who curse the Sea,^t

those who are skilled to rouse up Leviathan.^*

⁹Let the stars of its dawn be dark;

let it hope for light but have none;

may it not see the eyelids of the morning—^*

¹⁰because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb

and hide trouble from my eyes.

¹¹“Why did I not die at birth,

come forth from the womb and expire?^*

¹²Why were there knees to receive me

or breasts for me to suck?^*

¹³Now I would be lying down and quiet;

I would be asleep; then I would be at rest

¹⁴with kings and counselors of the earth

who rebuild ruins for themselves,^*

¹⁵or with princes who have gold,

who fill their houses with silver.

¹⁶Or why was I not buried like a stillborn child,

like an infant that never sees the light?^*

¹⁷There the wicked cease from troubling,

and there the weary are at rest.^*

¹⁸There the prisoners are at ease together;

they do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.

¹⁹The small and the great are there,

and the slaves are free from their masters.

²⁰“Why is light given to one in misery

and life to the bitter in soul,^*

²¹who long for death, but it does not come,

and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;^*

²²who rejoice exceedingly

and are glad when they find the grave?

²³Why is light given to one who cannot see the way,

whom God has fenced in?^*

²⁴For my sighing comes like^u my bread,

and my groanings are poured out like water.^*

²⁵Truly the thing that I fear comes upon me,

and what I dread befalls me.

²⁶I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;

I have no rest, but trouble comes.”