There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

12 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job’s Character and Greatness

There was a man in the land of Uz whose[a] name was Job. That[b] man was blameless and upright and God-fearing and turning away from evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Then[c] his livestock came to be seven thousand sheep and goats and three thousand camels and five hundred pairs[d] of oxen and five hundred female donkeys, and he had very many slaves, and that man was greater than all the people of the east. And his sons used to go and hold a feast at each other’s house[e] on his day, and they would send, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. Then when[f] the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send,[g] and he would sanctify them. Thus[h] he would arise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of all of them, because Job thought,[i] “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed[j] God in their heart.” This is what Job used to do all the time.[k]

And it happened one day[l] that[m] the sons of God[n] came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan[o] also came into their midst. So[p] Yahweh said to Satan,[q] “From where have you come?”

Then[r] Satan[s] answered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”

So[t] Yahweh said to Satan,[u] “Have you considered[v] my servant Job? Indeed,[w] there is no one like him on the earth—a blameless man and upright and God-fearing and turning away from evil.”

Then[x] Satan[y] answered Yahweh and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have you[z] not put a fence around him and his household and around all that belongs to him[aa] on every side?[ab] You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock[ac] has increased in the land. 11 But,[ad] on the other hand, stretch out[ae] your hand and touch all that belongs to him[af] and see whether[ag] he will curse[ah] you to your face.”

12 So[ai] Yahweh said to Satan,[aj] “Look, all that belongs to him[ak] is in your power.[al] Only do not stretch out your hand against[am] him.” So[an] Satan[ao] went out from Yahweh’s presence.[ap]

The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s Possessions

13 And then there was one day when[aq] his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their firstborn brother’s house. 14 And a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing, and the female donkeys were feeding beside them.[ar] 15 Then[as] the Sabeans attacked,[at] and they took them, and they slew the servants by the edge of the sword.[au] But[av] I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”

16 While this one was still speaking, another[aw] came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens, and it blazed up against the sheep and goats and against the servants, and it consumed them. But I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”

17 While this one was still speaking, another[ax] came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three divisions, and they made a raid on the camels, and they carried them away, and they struck your servants by the edge of the sword,[ay] but I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”

18 At the time[az] this one was speaking, another[ba] came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their firstborn brother’s house. 19 And behold,[bb] a great wind came from across the desert, and it struck the four corners of the house so that[bc] it fell upon the young people, and they died. But I escaped, even I alone, to tell you.”

20 Then[bd] Job arose and tore his outer garment[be] and shaved his head; then[bf] he fell upon the ground and he worshiped. 21 Then[bg] he said, “Naked I came out from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. Yahweh gives, and Yahweh takes. Let Yahweh’s name be blessed.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin and did not charge God with wrongdoing.[bh]

The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s Person

And then[bi] one day the sons of God[bj] came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan[bk] also came into their midst to present himself before Yahweh. So[bl] Yahweh asked[bm] Satan,[bn] “From where have you come?”

And Satan[bo] answered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”

So[bp] Yahweh asked[bq] Satan,[br] “Have you considered[bs] my servant Job? Indeed,[bt] there is no one like him on the earth—a blameless man and upright and God-fearing and turning away from evil. And still he persists in his blamelessness even though[bu] you incited me against him to destroy him for nothing.”

Then[bv] Satan[bw] answered him and said, “Skin for skin! All that that[bx] man has he will give for his life. But stretch out[by] your hand and touch his bones and his flesh, and see whether[bz] he will curse[ca] you to your face.”[cb]

So[cc] Yahweh said to Satan,[cd]All right,[ce] he is in your power.[cf] Only spare his life.”

Job’s Blameless Behavior

So[cg] Satan[ch] went out from Yahweh’s presence,[ci] and he inflicted Job with loathsome skin sores from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head. So[cj] he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and he sat in the midst of the ashes.

Then[ck] his wife said to him, “Are you still persisting in your blamelessness? Curse[cl] God and die.”

10 So[cm] he said to her, “You speak like one of the foolish women speaks. Indeed, should we receive the good from God, but[cn] not receive the evil?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

11 Thus[co] Job’s three friends heard of this calamity that had come upon him. So[cp] each set out from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite. And they met[cq] together to come to console him and to comfort him.

12 Thus[cr] they lifted up their eyes[cs] from afar, but[ct] they did not recognize him, so[cu] they raised their voice, and they wept, and each man tore his outer garment[cv] and threw dust on their heads toward the sky.[cw] 13 Then[cx] they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, but[cy] no one spoke[cz] a word to him because they saw that his[da] suffering was very great.

Footnotes

  1. Job 1:1 Hebrew “his”
  2. Job 1:1 Hebrew “And that”
  3. Job 1:3 Hebrew “And”
  4. Job 1:3 Hebrew “pair”
  5. Job 1:4 Literally “at the house of a man,” or “at the house of each”
  6. Job 1:5 Literally “And it would happen that,” or “And it would happen when”
  7. Job 1:5 Literally “and Job would send”
  8. Job 1:5 Hebrew “And”
  9. Job 1:5 Or “said”
  10. Job 1:5 Literally “blessed”— negative meaning by context
  11. Job 1:5 Or “always”; literally “all the days”
  12. Job 1:6 Literally “the day”
  13. Job 1:6 Literally “and”
  14. Job 1:6 Or “the heavenly beings,” or “the angels”
  15. Job 1:6 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  16. Job 1:7 Hebrew “And”
  17. Job 1:7 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  18. Job 1:7 Hebrew “And”
  19. Job 1:7 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  20. Job 1:8 Hebrew “And”
  21. Job 1:8 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  22. Job 1:8 Literally “set your heart”
  23. Job 1:8 Or “For,” or “Because”
  24. Job 1:9 Hebrew “And”
  25. Job 1:9 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  26. Job 1:10 Emphatic personal pronoun could be translated “you yourself”
  27. Job 1:10 Literally “all that is his”
  28. Job 1:10 Literally “from around”
  29. Job 1:10 Or “possessions”
  30. Job 1:11 Hebrew “And”
  31. Job 1:11 Or “please”
  32. Job 1:11 Literally “all that is his”
  33. Job 1:11 Literally “if not”
  34. Job 1:11 Literally “bless”— negative meaning by context
  35. Job 1:12 Hebrew “And”
  36. Job 1:12 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  37. Job 1:12 Literally “all that is his”
  38. Job 1:12 Literally “hand”
  39. Job 1:12 Literally “to,” or “unto”
  40. Job 1:12 Hebrew “And”
  41. Job 1:12 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  42. Job 1:12 Literally “faces of”
  43. Job 1:13 Hebrew “and”
  44. Job 1:14 Literally “on their hands”
  45. Job 1:15 Hebrew “And”
  46. Job 1:15 Literally “fell upon them
  47. Job 1:15 Literally “with the mouth of the sword”
  48. Job 1:15 Hebrew “And”
  49. Job 1:16 Literally “this”
  50. Job 1:17 Literally “this”
  51. Job 1:17 Literally “with the mouth of the sword”
  52. Job 1:18 Hebrew “Until”
  53. Job 1:18 Literally “this”
  54. Job 1:19 Or “Look”
  55. Job 1:19 Literally “and”
  56. Job 1:20 Hebrew “And”
  57. Job 1:20 Or “robe”
  58. Job 1:20 Hebrew “and”
  59. Job 1:21 Hebrew “And”
  60. Job 1:22 Literally “give unseemliness to God”
  61. Job 2:1 Literally “And it came to be,” or “and it happened”
  62. Job 2:1 Or “the heavenly beings,” or “the angels”
  63. Job 2:1 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  64. Job 2:2 Hebrew “And”
  65. Job 2:2 Literally “said to”
  66. Job 2:2 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  67. Job 2:2 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  68. Job 2:3 Hebrew “And”
  69. Job 2:3 Literally “said to”
  70. Job 2:3 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  71. Job 2:3 Literally “set your heart”
  72. Job 2:3 Or “For” or “Because”
  73. Job 2:3 Hebrew “and”
  74. Job 2:4 Hebrew “And”
  75. Job 2:4 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  76. Job 2:4 Literally “the”
  77. Job 2:5 Or “please”
  78. Job 2:5 Literally “if not”
  79. Job 2:5 Literally “bless”—negative meaning by context
  80. Job 2:5 Hebrew “your faces”
  81. Job 2:6 Literally “And it happened the/one day”
  82. Job 2:6 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  83. Job 2:6 Literally “Look”
  84. Job 2:6 Literally “hand”
  85. Job 2:7 Hebrew “And”
  86. Job 2:7 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  87. Job 2:7 Literally “the faces of Yahweh”
  88. Job 2:8 Hebrew “And”
  89. Job 2:9 Hebrew “And”
  90. Job 2:9 Literally “Bless”—negative meaning by context
  91. Job 2:10 Hebrew “And”
  92. Job 2:10 Or “and”
  93. Job 2:11 Hebrew “And”
  94. Job 2:11 Hebrew “And”
  95. Job 2:11 Or “they agreed”
  96. Job 2:12 Hebrew “And”
  97. Job 2:12 Or “they gazed”
  98. Job 2:12 Hebrew “and”
  99. Job 2:12 Hebrew “and”
  100. Job 2:12 Or “robe”
  101. Job 2:12 Or “in the air”; literally “to the heavens”
  102. Job 2:13 Hebrew “And”
  103. Job 2:13 Hebrew “and”
  104. Job 2:13 Or “there was no speaking”
  105. Job 2:13 Literally “the”