Job and His Family

1 Many years ago, a man named Job lived in the land of Uz.^[a] He was a truly good person, who respected God and refused to do evil.

² Job had 7 sons and 3 daughters. ³ He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 pair of oxen, 500 donkeys, and a large number of servants. He was the richest person in the East.

⁴ Job's sons took turns having feasts in their homes, and they always invited their three sisters to join in the eating and drinking. ⁵ After each feast, Job would send for his children and perform a ceremony, as a way of asking God to forgive them of any wrongs they may have done. He would get up early the next morning and offer a sacrifice for each of them, just in case they had sinned or silently cursed God.

Angels, the Lord, and Satan

^6 (A) One day, when the angels^[b] had gathered around the Lord, and Satan^[c] was there with them, ⁷ the Lord asked, “Satan, where have you been?”

Satan replied, “I have been going all over the earth.”

⁸ Then the Lord asked, “What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him—he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil.”

^9 (B) “Why shouldn't he respect you?” Satan remarked. ¹⁰ “You are like a wall protecting not only him, but his entire family and all his property. You make him successful in whatever he does, and his flocks and herds are everywhere. ¹¹ Try taking away everything he owns, and he will curse you to your face.”

¹² The Lord replied, “All right, Satan, do what you want with anything that belongs to him, but don't harm Job.”

Then Satan left.

Job Loses Everything

¹³ Job's sons and daughters were having a feast in the home of his oldest son, ¹⁴ when someone rushed up to Job and said, “While your servants were plowing with your oxen, and your donkeys were nearby eating grass, ¹⁵ a gang of Sabeans^[d] attacked and stole the oxen and donkeys! Your other servants were killed, and I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁶ That servant was still speaking, when a second one came running and said, “God sent down a fire that killed your sheep and your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁷ Before that servant finished speaking, a third one raced up and said, “Three gangs of Chaldeans^[e] attacked and stole your camels! All of your other servants were killed, and I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

¹⁸ That servant was still speaking, when a fourth one dashed up and said, “Your children were having a feast and drinking wine at the home of your oldest son, ¹⁹ when suddenly a windstorm from the desert blew the house down, crushing all of your children. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ When Job heard this, he tore his clothes and shaved his head because of his great sorrow. He knelt on the ground, then worshiped God ^21 (C) and said:

²² In spite of everything, Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong.

Job Loses His Health

2 When the angels^[f] gathered around the Lord again, Satan^[g] was there with them, ² and the Lord asked, “Satan, where have you been?”

Satan replied, “I have been going all over the earth.”

³ Then the Lord asked, “What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him—he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil. And he hasn't changed, even though you persuaded me to destroy him for no reason.”

⁴ Satan answered, “There's no pain like your own.^[h] People will do anything to stay alive. ⁵ Try striking Job's own body with pain, and he will curse you to your face.”

⁶ “All right!” the Lord replied. “Make Job suffer as much as you want, but just don't kill him.” ⁷ Satan left and caused painful sores to break out all over Job's body—from head to toe.

⁸ Then Job sat on the ash-heap to show his sorrow. And while he was scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery, ⁹ his wife asked, “Why do you still trust God? Why don't you curse him and die?”

¹⁰ Job replied, “Don't talk like a fool! If we accept blessings from God, we must accept trouble as well.” In all that happened, Job never once said anything against God.

Job's Three Friends

¹¹ Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah^[i] were three of Job's friends, and they heard about his troubles. So they agreed to visit Job and comfort him. ¹² When they came near enough to see Job, they could hardly recognize him. And in their great sorrow, they tore their clothes, then sprinkled dust on their heads and cried bitterly. ¹³ For seven days and nights, they sat silently on the ground beside him, because they realized what terrible pain he was in.

²² Moses was given the best education in Egypt. He was a strong man and a powerful speaker.

^23 (A) When Moses was 40 years old, he wanted to help the Israelites because they were his own people. ²⁴ One day he saw an Egyptian mistreating one of them. So he rescued the man and killed the Egyptian. ²⁵ Moses thought the rest of his people would realize God was going to use him to set them free. But they didn't understand.

²⁶ The next day Moses saw two of his own people fighting, and he tried to make them stop. He said, “Men, you are both Israelites. Why are you so cruel to each other?”

²⁷ But the man who had started the fight pushed Moses aside and asked, “Who made you our ruler and judge? ²⁸ Are you going to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” ^29 (B) When Moses heard this, he ran away to live in the country of Midian. His two sons were born there.

^30 (C) Forty years later, an angel appeared to Moses from a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. ³¹ Moses was surprised by what he saw. He went closer to get a better look, and the Lord said, ³² “I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses started shaking all over and didn't dare to look at the bush.

³³ The Lord said to him, “Take off your sandals, because the place where you are standing is holy. ³⁴ With my own eyes I have seen the suffering of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now I am sending you back to Egypt.”

^35 (D) This was the same Moses that the people rejected by saying, “Who made you our leader and judge?” God's angel had spoken to Moses from the bush. And God had even sent the angel to help Moses rescue the people and be their leader.

^36 (E) In Egypt and at the Red Sea^[a] and in the desert, Moses rescued the people by working miracles and wonders for 40 years. ^37 (F) Moses is the one who told the people of Israel, “God will choose one of your people to be a prophet, just as he chose me.” ^38 (G) Moses brought our people together in the desert, and the angel spoke to him on Mount Sinai. There he was given these life-giving words to pass on to us. ³⁹ But our ancestors refused to obey Moses. They rejected him and wanted to go back to Egypt.

^40 (H) The people said to Aaron, “Make some gods to lead us! Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don't know what's happened to him now.” ^41 (I) Then they made an idol in the shape of a calf. They offered sacrifices to the idol and were pleased with what they had done.

^42 (J) God turned his back on his people and left them. Then they worshiped the stars in the sky, just as it says in the Book of the Prophets, “People of Israel, you didn't offer sacrifices and offerings to me during those 40 years in the desert. ⁴³ Instead, you carried the tent where the god Molech is worshiped, and you took along the star of your god Rephan. You made those idols and worshiped them. So now I will have you carried off beyond Babylonia.”