Job’s Repentance and Restoration

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

“I know that You (A)can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
You asked, (B)‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
(C)Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, (D)‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

“I have (E)heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
Therefore I (F)abhor[a] myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.”

And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves (G)seven bulls and seven rams, (H)go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall (I)pray for you. For I will accept [b]him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had [c]accepted Job. 10 (J)And the Lord [d]restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job (K)twice as much as he had before. 11 Then (L)all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

12 Now the Lord blessed (M)the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had (N)fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 (O)He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first [e]Jemimah, the name of the second [f]Keziah, and the name of the third [g]Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

16 After this Job (P)lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and (Q)full of days.

Footnotes

  1. Job 42:6 despise
  2. Job 42:8 Lit. his face
  3. Job 42:9 Lit. lifted up the face of Job
  4. Job 42:10 Lit. turned the captivity of Job, what was captured from Job
  5. Job 42:14 Lit. Handsome as the Day
  6. Job 42:14 Cassia, a fragrance
  7. Job 42:14 Lit. The Horn of Color or The Colorful Ray

Job Responds to the Lord

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

“I know that you can do anything,
    and no one can stop you.
You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
    It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
    things far too wonderful for me.
You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
    I have some questions for you,
    and you must answer them.’
I had only heard about you before,
    but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
I take back everything I said,
    and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

Conclusion: The Lord Blesses Job

After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10 When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! 11 Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money[a] and a gold ring.

12 So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.

16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.

Footnotes

  1. 42:11 Hebrew a kesitah; the value or weight of the kesitah is no longer known.