Job 1; Job 2; Job 3; Job 4; Job 5; Job 6; Job 7; Job 8; Job 9

1 There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.

2 He had seven sons and three daughters.

3 He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

4 Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them.

5 When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

6 One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.

7 “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

8 Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

9 Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God.

10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!

11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

12 “All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the LORD ’s presence.

13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house,

14 a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them,

15 when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

16 While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

17 While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: “Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

18 While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home.

19 Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the wilderness and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

20 Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship.

21 He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD !”

22 In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

1 One day the members of the heavenly court came again to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.

2 “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

3 Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”

4 Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life.

5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

6 “All right, do with him as you please,” the LORD said to Satan. “But spare his life.”

7 So Satan left the LORD ’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.

8 Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes.

9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

10 But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

11 When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

12 When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief.

13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

1 At last Job spoke, and he cursed the day of his birth.

2 He said:

3 “Let the day of my birth be erased, and the night I was conceived.

4 Let that day be turned to darkness. Let it be lost even to God on high, and let no light shine on it.

5 Let the darkness and utter gloom claim that day for its own. Let a black cloud overshadow it, and let the darkness terrify it.

6 Let that night be blotted off the calendar, never again to be counted among the days of the year, never again to appear among the months.

7 Let that night be childless. Let it have no joy.

8 Let those who are experts at cursing— whose cursing could rouse Leviathan — curse that day.

9 Let its morning stars remain dark. Let it hope for light, but in vain; may it never see the morning light.

10 Curse that day for failing to shut my mother’s womb, for letting me be born to see all this trouble.

11 “Why wasn’t I born dead? Why didn’t I die as I came from the womb?

12 Why was I laid on my mother’s lap? Why did she nurse me at her breasts?

13 Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace. I would be asleep and at rest.

14 I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers, whose great buildings now lie in ruins.

15 I would rest with princes, rich in gold, whose palaces were filled with silver.

16 Why wasn’t I buried like a stillborn child, like a baby who never lives to see the light?

17 For in death the wicked cause no trouble, and the weary are at rest.

18 Even captives are at ease in death, with no guards to curse them.

19 Rich and poor are both there, and the slave is free from his master.

20 “Oh, why give light to those in misery, and life to those who are bitter?

21 They long for death, and it won’t come. They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure.

22 They’re filled with joy when they finally die, and rejoice when they find the grave.

23 Why is life given to those with no future, those God has surrounded with difficulties?

24 I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water.

25 What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.

26 I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.”

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied to Job:

2 “Will you be patient and let me say a word? For who could keep from speaking out?

3 “In the past you have encouraged many people; you have strengthened those who were weak.

4 Your words have supported those who were falling; you encouraged those with shaky knees.

5 But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart. You are terrified when it touches you.

6 Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence? Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?

7 “Stop and think! Do the innocent die? When have the upright been destroyed?

8 My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same.

9 A breath from God destroys them. They vanish in a blast of his anger.

10 The lion roars and the wildcat snarls, but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.

11 The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

12 “This truth was given to me in secret, as though whispered in my ear.

13 It came to me in a disturbing vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep.

14 Fear gripped me, and my bones trembled.

15 A spirit swept past my face, and my hair stood on end.

16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape. There was a form before my eyes. In the silence I heard a voice say,

17 ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

18 “If God does not trust his own angels and has charged his messengers with foolishness,

19 how much less will he trust people made of clay! They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.

20 They are alive in the morning but dead by evening, gone forever without a trace.

21 Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses, and they die in ignorance.

1 “Cry for help, but will anyone answer you? Which of the angels will help you?

2 Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple.

3 I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster.

4 Their children are abandoned far from help; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.

5 The hungry devour their harvest, even when it is guarded by brambles. The thirsty pant after their wealth.

6 But evil does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth.

7 People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.

8 “If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him.

9 He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.

10 He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields.

11 He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer.

12 He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed.

13 He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted.

14 They find it is dark in the daytime, and they grope at noon as if it were night.

15 He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong, and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.

16 And so at last the poor have hope, and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.

17 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.

18 For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal.

19 From six disasters he will rescue you; even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.

20 He will save you from death in time of famine, from the power of the sword in time of war.

21 You will be safe from slander and have no fear when destruction comes.

22 You will laugh at destruction and famine; wild animals will not terrify you.

23 You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its wild animals will be at peace with you.

24 You will know that your home is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.

25 You will have many children; your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!

26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age, like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!

27 “We have studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”

1 Then Job spoke again:

2 “If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales,

3 they would outweigh all the sands of the sea. That is why I spoke impulsively.

4 For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows. Their poison infects my spirit. God’s terrors are lined up against me.

5 Don’t I have a right to complain? Don’t wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food?

6 Don’t people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?

7 My appetite disappears when I look at it; I gag at the thought of eating it!

8 “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire.

9 I wish he would crush me. I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.

10 At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain, I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

11 But I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for.

12 Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze?

13 No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success.

14 “One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.

15 My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook that overflows its banks in the spring

16 when it is swollen with ice and melting snow.

17 But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears. The brook vanishes in the heat.

18 The caravans turn aside to be refreshed, but there is nothing to drink, so they die.

19 The caravans from Tema search for this water; the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.

20 They count on it but are disappointed. When they arrive, their hopes are dashed.

21 You, too, have given no help. You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.

22 But why? Have I ever asked you for a gift? Have I begged for anything of yours for myself?

23 Have I asked you to rescue me from my enemies, or to save me from ruthless people?

24 Teach me, and I will keep quiet. Show me what I have done wrong.

25 Honest words can be painful, but what do your criticisms amount to?

26 Do you think your words are convincing when you disregard my cry of desperation?

27 You would even send an orphan into slavery or sell a friend.

28 Look at me! Would I lie to your face?

29 Stop assuming my guilt, for I have done no wrong.

30 Do you think I am lying? Don’t I know the difference between right and wrong?

1 “Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand,

2 like a worker who longs for the shade, like a servant waiting to be paid.

3 I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery.

4 Lying in bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss till dawn.

5 My body is covered with maggots and scabs. My skin breaks open, oozing with pus.

6 “My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. They end without hope.

7 O God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I will never again feel happiness.

8 You see me now, but not for long. You will look for me, but I will be gone.

9 Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes, those who die will not come back.

10 They are gone forever from their home— never to be seen again.

11 “I cannot keep from speaking. I must express my anguish. My bitter soul must complain.

12 Am I a sea monster or a dragon that you must place me under guard?

13 I think, ‘My bed will comfort me, and sleep will ease my misery,’

14 but then you shatter me with dreams and terrify me with visions.

15 I would rather be strangled— rather die than suffer like this.

16 I hate my life and don’t want to go on living. Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.

17 “What are people, that you should make so much of us, that you should think of us so often?

18 For you examine us every morning and test us every moment.

19 Why won’t you leave me alone, at least long enough for me to swallow!

20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of all humanity? Why make me your target? Am I a burden to you?

21 Why not just forgive my sin and take away my guilt? For soon I will lie down in the dust and die. When you look for me, I will be gone.”

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job:

2 “How long will you go on like this? You sound like a blustering wind.

3 Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right?

4 Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved.

5 But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty,

6 and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home.

7 And though you started with little, you will end with much.

8 “Just ask the previous generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors.

9 For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow.

10 But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you the wisdom of old.

11 “Can papyrus reeds grow tall without a marsh? Can marsh grass flourish without water?

12 While they are still flowering, not ready to be cut, they begin to wither more quickly than grass.

13 The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate.

14 Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.

15 They cling to their home for security, but it won’t last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure.

16 The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden.

17 Its roots grow down through a pile of stones; it takes hold on a bed of rocks.

18 But when it is uprooted, it’s as though it never existed!

19 That’s the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it.

20 “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.

21 He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the home of the wicked will be destroyed.”

1 Then Job spoke again:

2 “Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?

3 If someone wanted to take God to court, would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?

4 For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever challenged him successfully?

5 “Without warning, he moves the mountains, overturning them in his anger.

6 He shakes the earth from its place, and its foundations tremble.

7 If he commands it, the sun won’t rise and the stars won’t shine.

8 He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.

9 He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.

10 He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.

11 “Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him. When he moves by, I do not see him go.

12 If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him? Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’

13 And God does not restrain his anger. Even the monsters of the sea are crushed beneath his feet.

14 “So who am I, that I should try to answer God or even reason with him?

15 Even if I were right, I would have no defense. I could only plead for mercy.

16 And even if I summoned him and he responded, I’m not sure he would listen to me.

17 For he attacks me with a storm and repeatedly wounds me without cause.

18 He will not let me catch my breath, but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.

19 If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one. If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him to court?

20 Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty. Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked.

21 “I am innocent, but it makes no difference to me— I despise my life.

22 Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God. That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

23 When a plague sweeps through, he laughs at the death of the innocent.

24 The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked, and God blinds the eyes of the judges. If he’s not the one who does it, who is?

25 “My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.

26 It disappears like a swift papyrus boat, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

27 If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful,

28 I would still dread all the pain, for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.

29 Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying?

30 Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye,

31 you would plunge me into a muddy ditch, and my own filthy clothing would hate me.

32 “God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.

33 If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together.

34 The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.

35 Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.