Job 1-2

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) ²He had seven sons^(G) and three daughters,^(H) ³and 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)

⁴His 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. ⁵When 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.

⁶One day the angels^[a]^(R) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[b]^(S) also came with them.^(T) ⁷The 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)

⁸Then 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) ¹¹But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has,^(AC) and he will surely curse you to your face.”^(AD)

¹²The 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.

¹³One day when Job’s sons and daughters^(AG) were feasting^(AH) and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing^(AI) nearby, ¹⁵and 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!”

¹⁶While 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!”

¹⁷While 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!”

¹⁸While 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, ¹⁹when 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)”

²⁰At this, Job got up and tore his robe^(AS) and shaved his head.^(AT) Then he fell to the ground in worship^(AU) ²¹and 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)

²²In 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. ²And 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)

³Then 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. ⁵But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones,^(BG) and he will surely curse you to your face.”^(BH)

⁶The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands;^(BI) but you must spare his life.”^(BJ)

⁷So 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) ⁸Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.^(BL)

⁹His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?^(BM) Curse God and die!”^(BN)

¹⁰He 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)

¹¹When 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) ¹²When 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) ¹³Then 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.

Footnotes

Job 1:6 Hebrew the sons of God
Job 1:6 Hebrew satan means adversary.
Job 1:21 Or will return there
Job 2:1 Hebrew the sons of God
Job 2:10 The Hebrew word rendered foolish denotes moral deficiency.

Job 40-42

New International Version

40 The Lord said to Job:^(A)

²“Will the one who contends with the Almighty^(B) correct him?^(C)
Let him who accuses God answer him!”^(D)

³Then Job answered the Lord:

⁴“I am unworthy^(E)—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.^(F)
⁵I spoke once, but I have no answer^(G)—
twice, but I will say no more.”^(H)

⁶Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:^(I)

⁷“Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.^(J)

⁸“Would you discredit my justice?^(K)
    Would you condemn me to justify yourself?^(L)
⁹Do you have an arm like God’s,^(M)
    and can your voice^(N) thunder like his?^(O)
¹⁰Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
    and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.^(P)
¹¹Unleash the fury of your wrath,^(Q)
    look at all who are proud and bring them low,^(R)
¹²look at all who are proud^(S) and humble them,^(T)
    crush^(U) the wicked where they stand.
¹³Bury them all in the dust together;^(V)
    shroud their faces in the grave.^(W)
¹⁴Then I myself will admit to you
    that your own right hand can save you.^(X)

¹⁵“Look at Behemoth,
    which I made^(Y) along with you
    and which feeds on grass like an ox.^(Z)
¹⁶What strength^(AA) it has in its loins,
    what power in the muscles of its belly!^(AB)
¹⁷Its tail sways like a cedar;
    the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.^(AC)
¹⁸Its bones are tubes of bronze,
    its limbs^(AD) like rods of iron.^(AE)
¹⁹It ranks first among the works of God,^(AF)
    yet its Maker^(AG) can approach it with his sword.^(AH)
²⁰The hills bring it their produce,^(AI)
    and all the wild animals play^(AJ) nearby.^(AK)
²¹Under the lotus plants it lies,
    hidden among the reeds^(AL) in the marsh.^(AM)
²²The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
    the poplars by the stream^(AN) surround it.
²³A raging river^(AO) does not alarm it;
    it is secure, though the Jordan^(AP) should surge against its mouth.
²⁴Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
    or trap it and pierce its nose?^(AQ)

41 ^[a]“Can you pull in Leviathan^(AR) with a fishhook^(AS)
    or tie down its tongue with a rope?
²Can you put a cord through its nose^(AT)
    or pierce its jaw with a hook?^(AU)
³Will it keep begging you for mercy?^(AV)
    Will it speak to you with gentle words?
⁴Will it make an agreement with you
    for you to take it as your slave for life?^(AW)
⁵Can you make a pet of it like a bird
    or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
⁶Will traders barter for it?
    Will they divide it up among the merchants?
⁷Can you fill its hide with harpoons
    or its head with fishing spears?^(AX)
⁸If you lay a hand on it,
    you will remember the struggle and never do it again!^(AY)
⁹Any hope of subduing it is false;
    the mere sight of it is overpowering.^(AZ)
¹⁰No one is fierce enough to rouse it.^(BA)
    Who then is able to stand against me?^(BB)
¹¹Who has a claim against me that I must pay?^(BC)
    Everything under heaven belongs to me.^(BD)

¹²“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,^(BE)
    its strength^(BF) and its graceful form.
¹³Who can strip off its outer coat?
    Who can penetrate its double coat of armor^[b]?^(BG)
¹⁴Who dares open the doors of its mouth,^(BH)
    ringed about with fearsome teeth?
¹⁵Its back has^[c] rows of shields
    tightly sealed together;^(BI)
¹⁶each is so close to the next
    that no air can pass between.
¹⁷They are joined fast to one another;
    they cling together and cannot be parted.
¹⁸Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
    its eyes are like the rays of dawn.^(BJ)
¹⁹Flames^(BK) stream from its mouth;
    sparks of fire shoot out.
²⁰Smoke pours from its nostrils^(BL)
    as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
²¹Its breath^(BM) sets coals ablaze,
    and flames dart from its mouth.^(BN)
²²Strength^(BO) resides in its neck;
    dismay goes before it.
²³The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
    they are firm and immovable.
²⁴Its chest is hard as rock,
    hard as a lower millstone.^(BP)
²⁵When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;^(BQ)
    they retreat before its thrashing.^(BR)
²⁶The sword that reaches it has no effect,
    nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.^(BS)
²⁷Iron it treats like straw^(BT)
    and bronze like rotten wood.
²⁸Arrows do not make it flee;^(BU)
    slingstones are like chaff to it.
²⁹A club seems to it but a piece of straw;^(BV)
    it laughs^(BW) at the rattling of the lance.
³⁰Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
    leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.^(BX)
³¹It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron^(BY)
    and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.^(BZ)
³²It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
    one would think the deep had white hair.
³³Nothing on earth is its equal^(CA)—
    a creature without fear.
³⁴It looks down on all that are haughty;^(CB)
    it is king over all that are proud.^(CC)”

Job

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

²“I know that you can do all things;^(CD)
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.^(CE)
³You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’^(CF)
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.^(CG)

⁴“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’^(CH)
⁵My ears had heard of you^(CI)
    but now my eyes have seen you.^(CJ)
⁶Therefore I despise myself^(CK)
    and repent^(CL) in dust and ashes.”^(CM)

Epilogue

⁷After the Lord had said these things to Job^(CN), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,^(CO) because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.^(CP) ⁸So now take seven bulls and seven rams^(CQ) and go to my servant Job^(CR) and sacrifice a burnt offering^(CS) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer^(CT) and not deal with you according to your folly.^(CU) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”^(CV) ⁹So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite^(CW) did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.^(CX)

¹⁰After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes^(CY) and gave him twice as much as he had before.^(CZ) ¹¹All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before^(DA) came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him,^(DB) and each one gave him a piece of silver^[d] and a gold ring.

¹²The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. ¹³And he also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

¹⁶After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. ¹⁷And so Job died, an old man and full of years.^(DC)

Footnotes

Job 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-8 is numbered 40:25-32, and 41:9-34 is numbered 41:1-26.
Job 41:13 Septuagint; Hebrew double bridle
Job 41:15 Or Its pride is its
Job 42:11 Hebrew him a kesitah; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.