Job’s Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the ^(A)land of Uz whose name was ^(B)Job; and that man was ^(C)blameless, upright, ^(D)fearing God and ^(E)turning away from evil. ^2 (F)Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. ^3 (G)His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was ^(H)the greatest of all the ^[a]men of the east. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send word and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send word to them and consecrate them, getting up early in the morning and offering ^(I)burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “^(J)Perhaps my sons have sinned and ^(K)cursed God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.

^6 (L)Now there was a day when the ^[b](M)sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^[c]Satan also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “^(N)From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” ⁸ The Lord said to Satan, “Have you ^[d]considered ^(O)My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, ^(P)a blameless and upright man, ^[e]fearing God and turning away from evil.” ⁹ Then ^(Q)Satan answered the ^[f]Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ^10 (R)Have You not made a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? ^(S)You have blessed the work of his hands, and his ^(T)possessions have increased in the land. ^11 (U)But reach out with Your hand now and ^(V)touch all that he has; he will certainly curse You to Your face.” ¹² Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your ^[g]power; only do not reach out and put your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

¹³ Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the female donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and ^[h]the ^(W)Sabeans ^[i]attacked and took them. They also ^[j]killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and ^[k]I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another came and said, “^(X)The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The ^(Y)Chaldeans formed three units and made a raid on the camels and took them, and ^[l]killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job got up, ^(Z)tore his robe, and shaved his head; then he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ He said,

^22 (AC)Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he ^[m]blame God.

A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.

⁷ But when he saw many of the ^(A)Pharisees and ^(B)Sadducees coming for ^[a]baptism, he said to them, “You ^[b](C)offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from ^(D)the wrath to come? ^8 (E)Therefore produce fruit ^(F)consistent with repentance; ⁹ and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘^(G)We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ And the ^(H)axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, ^(I)every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “As for me, ^(J)I baptize you ^[c]with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; ^(K)He will baptize you ^[d]with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His ^(L)winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will ^(M)gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the ^(N)chaff with ^(O)unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

^13 (P)Then Jesus *arrived ^(Q)from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us ^(R)to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *allowed Him. ¹⁶ After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and ^[e](S)he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and ^[f]settling on Him, ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “^(T)This is ^[g]My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”