The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 Job answered God:
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Then Job answered Yahweh,
2 "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
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"I know that you can do all things, And that no purpose of yours can be restrained.
3 You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?' I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.
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You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I didn't know.
4 You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.'
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You said, 'Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'
5 I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand - from my own eyes and ears!
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I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees you.
6 I'm sorry - forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."
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Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."
7 After God had finished addressing Job, he turned to Eliphaz the Temanite and said, "I've had it with you and your two friends. I'm fed up! You haven't been honest either with me or about me - not the way my friend Job has.
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It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.
8 So here's what you must do. Take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my friend Job. Sacrifice a burnt offering on your own behalf. My friend Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer. He will ask me not to treat you as you deserve for talking nonsense about me, and for not being honest with me, as he has."
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Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has."
9 They did it. Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did what God commanded. And God accepted Job's prayer.
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So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did what Yahweh commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.
10 After Job had interceded for his friends, God restored his fortune - and then doubled it!
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Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11 All his brothers and sisters and friends came to his house and celebrated. They told him how sorry they were, and consoled him for all the trouble God had brought him. Each of them brought generous housewarming gifts.
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Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Everyone also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of gold.
12 God blessed Job's later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand donkeys.
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So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.
13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.
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He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14 He named the first daughter Dove, the second, Cinnamon, and the third, Darkeyes.
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He called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.
15 There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job's daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance.
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In all the land were no women found so beautiful as the daughters of Job. Their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
16 Job lived on another hundred and forty years, living to see his children and grandchildren - four generations of them!
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After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, to four generations.
17 Then he died - an old man, a full life.
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So Job died, being old and full of days.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.