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Job 1-4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job 1-4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Job and His Family
1 There was a man in the country of Uz(A) named Job.(B) He was a man of perfect integrity,(C) who feared God and turned away from evil.(D) 2 He had seven sons and three daughters. 3 His estate included 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east.
4 His sons used to take turns having banquets at their homes. They would send an invitation to their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 Whenever a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his children and purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for[a] all of them. For Job thought: Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts. This was Job’s regular practice.
Satan’s First Test of Job
6 One day the sons of God(E) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[b] also came with them. 7 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
“From roaming through the earth,”(F) Satan answered Him, “and walking around on it.”
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”
9 Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Haven’t You placed a hedge around(G) him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out Your hand and strike(H) everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
12 “Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and reported: “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby, 15 the Sabeans(I) swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
16 He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: “A lightning storm[c] struck from heaven.(J) It burned up the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
17 That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
18 He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. 19 Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
20 Then Job stood up, tore(K) his robe, and shaved(L) his head.[d] He fell to the ground and worshiped, 21 saying:
Naked I came from my mother’s womb,(M)
and naked I will leave this life.[e](N)
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of Yahweh.(O)
22 Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.[f](P)
Satan’s Second Test of Job
2 One day the sons of God(Q) came again to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
“From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered Him, “and walking around on it.”
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity,(R) who fears God and turns away from evil.(S) He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him, to destroy him without just cause.”
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan answered the Lord. “A man will give up everything he owns in exchange for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand and strike(T) his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
6 “Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “he is in your power; only spare his life.” 7 So Satan left the Lord’s presence and infected Job with terrible boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.(U) 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself while he sat among the ashes.[g](V)
9 His wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?” Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said.[h]
Job’s Three Friends
11 Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite,(W) Bildad the Shuhite,(X) and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort(Y) him. 12 When they looked from a distance, they could barely recognize him. They wept aloud,(Z) and each man tore his robe and threw dust into the air and on his head.(AA) 13 Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights,(AB) but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering(AC) was very intense.
Job’s Opening Speech
3 After this, Job began to speak and cursed the day he was born. 2 He said:
3 May the day I was born perish,
and the night when they said,
“A boy is conceived.”(AD)
4 If only that day had turned to darkness!
May God above not care about it,
or light shine on it.
5 May darkness and gloom(AE) reclaim it,
and a cloud settle over it.
May an eclipse of the sun[i] terrify it.
6 If only darkness had taken that night away!
May it not appear[j] among the days of the year
or be listed in the calendar.[k]
7 Yes, may that night be barren;
may no joyful shout(AF) be heard in it.
8 Let those who curse certain days
cast a spell(AG) on it,
those who are skilled in rousing Leviathan.(AH)
9 May its morning stars grow dark.
May it wait for daylight but have none;
may it not see the breaking[l] of dawn.
10 For that night did not shut
the doors of my mother’s womb,
and hide sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why was I not stillborn;
why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?(AI)
12 Why did the knees receive me,
and why were there breasts for me to nurse?(AJ)
13 Now I would certainly be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep.(AK)
Then I would be at rest(AL)
14 with the kings and counselors(AM) of the earth,
who rebuilt ruined cities for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold,
who filled their houses(AN) with silver.
16 Or why was I not hidden like a miscarried child,(AO)
like infants who never see daylight?
17 There the wicked(AP) cease to make trouble,
and there the weary find rest.
18 The captives are completely at ease;(AQ)
they do not hear the voice of their oppressor.(AR)
19 Both small and great are there,
and the slave is set free from his master.(AS)
20 Why is light given to one burdened with grief,
and life to those whose existence is bitter,(AT)
21 who wait for death,(AU) but it does not come,
and search for it more than for hidden treasure,
22 who are filled with much joy
and are glad when they reach the grave?(AV)
23 Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden,(AW)
whom God has hedged in?
24 I sigh when food(AX) is put before me,[m]
and my groans pour out like water.(AY)
25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me,
and what I dreaded has happened to me.(AZ)
26 I cannot relax or be still;
I have no rest,(BA) for trouble comes.
First Series of Speeches
Eliphaz Speaks
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Should anyone try to speak with you
when you are exhausted?
Yet who can keep from speaking?
3 Indeed, you have instructed many
and have strengthened(BB) weak hands.
4 Your words have steadied the one who was stumbling
and braced the knees that were buckling.(BC)
5 But now that this has happened to you,
you have become exhausted.
It strikes(BD) you, and you are dismayed.
6 Isn’t your piety your confidence,
and the integrity of your life[n] your hope?(BE)
7 Consider: who has perished when he was innocent?
Where have the honest been destroyed?(BF)
8 In my experience, those who plow injustice
and those who sow trouble(BG) reap the same.(BH)
9 They perish at a single blast(BI) from God
and come to an end by the breath of His nostrils.(BJ)
10 The lion may roar and the fierce lion(BK) growl,
but the fangs of young lions are broken.(BL)
11 The strong lion dies if it catches no prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.(BM)
12 A word was brought to me in secret;
my ears caught a whisper of it.(BN)
13 Among unsettling thoughts from visions in the night,(BO)
when deep sleep(BP) descends on men,
14 fear and trembling came over me(BQ)
and made all my bones shake.
15 A wind[o] passed by me,
and I shuddered with fear.[p]
16 A figure stood there,
but I could not recognize its appearance;
a form loomed before my eyes.
I heard a quiet voice:
17 “Can a person be more righteous than God,
or a man more pure than his Maker?”(BR)
18 If God puts no trust in His servants
and He charges His angels with foolishness,[q](BS)
19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,(BT)
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like a moth!
20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;
they perish forever while no one notices.(BU)
21 Are their tent cords not pulled up?
They die without wisdom.(BV)
Footnotes
- Job 1:5 Lit for the number of
- Job 1:6 Or the adversary
- Job 1:16 Lit The fire of God
- Job 1:20 This custom demonstrated mourning.
- Job 1:21 Lit will return there; Ps 139:13,15
- Job 1:22 Lit or ascribe blame to God
- Job 2:8 This custom demonstrated mourning.
- Job 2:10 Lit sin with his lips
- Job 3:5 Lit May a darkening of daylight
- Job 3:6 LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads rejoice
- Job 3:6 Lit or enter the number of months
- Job 3:9 Lit the eyelids
- Job 3:24 Or My sighing serves as my food
- Job 4:6 Lit ways
- Job 4:15 Or A spirit
- Job 4:15 Or and the hair on my body stood up
- Job 4:18 Or error; Hb obscure
Job 1-4
New International Version
Job 1-4
New International Version
Prologue
1 In the land of Uz(A) there lived a man whose name was Job.(B) This man was blameless(C) and upright;(D) he feared God(E) and shunned evil.(F) 2 He had seven sons(G) and three daughters,(H) 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys,(I) and had a large number of servants.(J) He was the greatest man(K) among all the people of the East.(L)
4 His sons used to hold feasts(M) in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified.(N) Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering(O) for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned(P) and cursed God(Q) in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.
6 One day the angels[a](R) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[b](S) also came with them.(T) 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”(U)
8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?(V) There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God(W) and shuns evil.”(X)
9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?”(Y) Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge(Z) around him and his household and everything he has?(AA) You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.(AB) 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has,(AC) and he will surely curse you to your face.”(AD)
12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has(AE) is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”(AF)
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters(AG) were feasting(AH) and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing(AI) nearby, 15 and the Sabeans(AJ) attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens(AK) and burned up the sheep and the servants,(AL) and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans(AM) formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters(AN) were feasting(AO) and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind(AP) swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead,(AQ) and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!(AR)”
20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe(AS) and shaved his head.(AT) Then he fell to the ground in worship(AU) 21 and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.[c](AV)
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;(AW)
may the name of the Lord be praised.”(AX)
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.(AY)
2 On another day the angels[d](AZ) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them(BA) to present himself before him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”(BB)
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.(BC) And he still maintains his integrity,(BD) though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”(BE)
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has(BF) for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones,(BG) and he will surely curse you to your face.”(BH)
6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands;(BI) but you must spare his life.”(BJ)
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.(BK) 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.(BL)
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?(BM) Curse God and die!”(BN)
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish[e] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”(BO)
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.(BP)
11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite,(BQ) Bildad the Shuhite(BR) and Zophar the Naamathite,(BS) heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.(BT) 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him;(BU) they began to weep aloud,(BV) and they tore their robes(BW) and sprinkled dust on their heads.(BX) 13 Then they sat on the ground(BY) with him for seven days and seven nights.(BZ) No one said a word to him,(CA) because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job Speaks
3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.(CB) 2 He said:
3 “May the day of my birth perish,
and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’(CC)
4 That day—may it turn to darkness;
may God above not care about it;
may no light shine on it.
5 May gloom and utter darkness(CD) claim it once more;
may a cloud settle over it;
may blackness overwhelm it.
6 That night—may thick darkness(CE) seize it;
may it not be included among the days of the year
nor be entered in any of the months.
7 May that night be barren;
may no shout of joy(CF) be heard in it.
8 May those who curse days[f] curse that day,(CG)
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.(CH)
9 May its morning stars become dark;
may it wait for daylight in vain
and not see the first rays of dawn,(CI)
10 for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
to hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?(CJ)
12 Why were there knees to receive me(CK)
and breasts that I might be nursed?
13 For now I would be lying down(CL) in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest(CM)
14 with kings and rulers of the earth,(CN)
who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,(CO)
15 with princes(CP) who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.(CQ)
16 Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child,(CR)
like an infant who never saw the light of day?(CS)
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil,(CT)
and there the weary are at rest.(CU)
18 Captives(CV) also enjoy their ease;
they no longer hear the slave driver’s(CW) shout.(CX)
19 The small and the great are there,(CY)
and the slaves are freed from their owners.
20 “Why is light given to those in misery,
and life to the bitter of soul,(CZ)
21 to those who long for death that does not come,(DA)
who search for it more than for hidden treasure,(DB)
22 who are filled with gladness
and rejoice when they reach the grave?(DC)
23 Why is life given to a man
whose way is hidden,(DD)
whom God has hedged in?(DE)
24 For sighing(DF) has become my daily food;(DG)
my groans(DH) pour out like water.(DI)
25 What I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded(DJ) has happened to me.(DK)
26 I have no peace,(DL) no quietness;
I have no rest,(DM) but only turmoil.”(DN)
Eliphaz
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(DO) replied:
2 “If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient?
But who can keep from speaking?(DP)
3 Think how you have instructed many,(DQ)
how you have strengthened feeble hands.(DR)
4 Your words have supported those who stumbled;(DS)
you have strengthened faltering knees.(DT)
5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged;(DU)
it strikes(DV) you, and you are dismayed.(DW)
6 Should not your piety be your confidence(DX)
and your blameless(DY) ways your hope?
7 “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished?(DZ)
Where were the upright ever destroyed?(EA)
8 As I have observed,(EB) those who plow evil(EC)
and those who sow trouble reap it.(ED)
9 At the breath of God(EE) they perish;
at the blast of his anger they are no more.(EF)
10 The lions may roar(EG) and growl,
yet the teeth of the great lions(EH) are broken.(EI)
11 The lion perishes for lack of prey,(EJ)
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.(EK)
12 “A word(EL) was secretly brought to me,
my ears caught a whisper(EM) of it.(EN)
13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people,(EO)
14 fear and trembling(EP) seized me
and made all my bones shake.(EQ)
15 A spirit glided past my face,
and the hair on my body stood on end.(ER)
16 It stopped,
but I could not tell what it was.
A form stood before my eyes,
and I heard a hushed voice:(ES)
17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?(ET)
Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?(EU)
18 If God places no trust in his servants,(EV)
if he charges his angels with error,(EW)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,(EX)
whose foundations(EY) are in the dust,(EZ)
who are crushed(FA) more readily than a moth!(FB)
20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
unnoticed, they perish forever.(FC)
21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,(FD)
so that they die(FE) without wisdom?’(FF)
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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