Job 42
English Standard Version
Job's Confession and Repentance
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2 “I know that you can (A)do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 (B)‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things (C)too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
(D)I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in[a] (E)dust and ashes.”
The Lord Rebukes Job's Friends
7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz (F)the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take (G)seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and (H)offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall (I)pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9 (J)So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer.
The Lord Restores Job's Fortunes
10 And the Lord (K)restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job (L)twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his (M)brothers and sisters and all who had (N)known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they (O)showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil[b] that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him (P)a piece of money[c] and (Q)a ring of gold.
12 And the Lord blessed (R)the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had (S)14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also (T)seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance (U)among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and (V)saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and (W)full of days.
Job 42
Good News Translation
42 Then Job answered the Lord.
Job
2 I know, Lord, that you are all-powerful;
that you can do everything you want.
3 (A)You ask how I dare question your wisdom
when I am so very ignorant.
I talked about things I did not understand,
about marvels too great for me to know.
4 (B)You told me to listen while you spoke
and to try to answer your questions.
5 In the past I knew only what others had told me,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 So I am ashamed of all I have said
and repent in dust and ashes.
Conclusion
7 After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you did not speak the truth about me, the way my servant Job did. 8 Now take seven bulls and seven rams to Job and offer them as a sacrifice for yourselves. Job will pray for you, and I will answer his prayer and not disgrace you the way you deserve. You did not speak the truth about me as he did.”
9 Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did what the Lord had told them to do, and the Lord answered Job's prayer.
10 (C)Then, after Job had prayed for his three friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had had before. 11 All Job's brothers and sisters and former friends came to visit him and feasted with him in his house. They expressed their sympathy and comforted him for all the troubles the Lord had brought on him. Each of them gave him some money and a gold ring.
12 The Lord blessed the last part of Job's life even more than he had blessed the first. Job owned fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, two thousand head of cattle, and one thousand donkeys. 13 He was the father of seven sons and three daughters. 14 He called the oldest daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the youngest Keren Happuch.[a] 15 There were no other women in the whole world as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father gave them a share of the inheritance along with their brothers.
16 Job lived a hundred and forty years after this, long enough to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 17 And then he died at a very great age.
Footnotes
- Job 42:14 In Hebrew the names of Job's daughters suggest beauty both by their sound and by their meaning. Jemimah means “dove”; Keziah means “cassia,” a variety of cinnamon used as a perfume; and Keren Happuch means a small box used for eye make-up.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
