Job 1; Job 2; Job 3; Job 4

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Job 1

1 There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshiped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil.
2 He had seven sons and three daughters,
3 and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East.
4 Job's sons used to take turns giving a feast, to which all the others would come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them.
5 The morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally.
6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them.
7 The Lord asked him, "What have you been doing?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth."
8 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil."
9 Satan replied, "Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it?
10 You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country.
11 But now suppose you take away everything he has - he will curse you to your face!"
12 "All right," the Lord said to Satan, "everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself." So Satan left.
13 One day when Job's children were having a feast at the home of their oldest brother,
14 a messenger came running to Job. "We were plowing the fields with the oxen," he said, "and the donkeys were in a nearby pasture.
15 Suddenly the Sabeans attacked and stole them all. They killed every one of your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
16 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
17 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Three bands of Chaldean raiders attacked us, took away the camels, and killed all your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
18 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, "Your children were having a feast at the home of your oldest son,
19 when a storm swept in from the desert. It blew the house down and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
20 Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downward on the ground.
21 He said, "I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!"
22 In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Job 2

1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord again, Satan was there among them.
2 The Lord asked him, "Where have you been?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth."
3 "Did you notice my servant Job?" the Lord asked. "There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil. You persuaded me to let you attack him for no reason at all, but Job is still as faithful as ever."
4 Satan replied, "A person will give up everything in order to stay alive.
5 But now suppose you hurt his body - he will curse you to your face!"
6 So the Lord said to Satan, "All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him."
7 Then Satan left the Lord's presence and made sores break out all over Job's body.
8 Job went and sat by the garbage dump and took a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores.
9 His wife said to him, "You are still as faithful as ever, aren't you? Why don't you curse God and die?"
10 Job answered, "You are talking nonsense! When God sends us something good, we welcome it. How can we complain when he sends us trouble?" Even in all this suffering Job said nothing against God.
11 Three of Job's friends were Eliphaz, from the city of Teman, Bildad, from the land of Shuah, and Zophar, from the land of Naamah. When they heard how much Job had been suffering, they decided to go and comfort him.
12 While they were still a long way off they saw Job, but did not recognize him. When they did, they began to weep and wail, tearing their clothes in grief and throwing dust into the air and on their heads.
13 Then they sat there on the ground with him for seven days and nights without saying a word, because they saw how much he was suffering.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Job 3

1 Finally Job broke the silence and cursed the day on which he had been born.
2 O God, put a curse on the day I was born; put a curse on the night when I was conceived!
4 Turn that day into darkness, God. Never again remember that day; never again let light shine on it.
5 Make it a day of gloom and thick darkness; cover it with clouds, and blot out the sun.
6 Blot that night out of the year, and never let it be counted again;
7 make it a barren, joyless night.
8 Tell the sorcerers to curse that day, those who know how to control Leviathan.
9 Keep the morning star from shining; give that night no hope of dawn.
10 Curse that night for letting me be born, for exposing me to trouble and grief.
11 I wish I had died in my mother's womb or died the moment I was born.
12 Why did my mother hold me on her knees? Why did she feed me at her breast?
13 If I had died then, I would be at rest now,
14 sleeping like the kings and rulers who rebuilt ancient palaces.
15 Then I would be sleeping like princes who filled their houses with gold and silver,
16 or sleeping like a stillborn child.
17 In the grave wicked people stop their evil, and tired workers find rest at last.
18 Even prisoners enjoy peace, free from shouts and harsh commands.
19 Everyone is there, the famous and the unknown, and slaves at last are free.
20 Why let people go on living in misery? Why give light to those in grief?
21 They wait for death, but it never comes; they prefer a grave to any treasure.
22 They are not happy till they are dead and buried;
23 God keeps their future hidden and hems them in on every side.
24 Instead of eating, I mourn, and I can never stop groaning.
25 Everything I fear and dread comes true.
26 I have no peace, no rest, and my troubles never end.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Job 4

1 Job, will you be annoyed if I speak?
2 I can't keep quiet any longer.
3 You have taught many people and given strength to feeble hands.
4 When someone stumbled, weak and tired, your words encouraged him to stand.
5 Now it's your turn to be in trouble, and you are too stunned to face it.
6 You worshiped God, and your life was blameless; and so you should have confidence and hope.
7 Think back now. Name a single case where someone righteous met with disaster.
8 I have seen people plow fields of evil and plant wickedness like seed; now they harvest wickedness and evil.
9 Like a storm, God destroys them in his anger.
10 The wicked roar and growl like lions, but God silences them and breaks their teeth.
11 Like lions with nothing to kill and eat, they die, and all their children are scattered.
12 Once a message came quietly, so quietly I could hardly hear it.
13 Like a nightmare it disturbed my sleep.
14 I trembled and shuddered; my whole body shook with fear.
15 A light breeze touched my face, and my skin crawled with fright.
16 I could see something standing there; I stared, but couldn't tell what it was. Then I heard a voice out of the silence:
17 "Can anyone be righteous in the sight of God or be pure before his Creator?
18 God does not trust his heavenly servants; he finds fault even with his angels.
19 Do you think he will trust a creature of clay, a thing of dust that can be crushed like a moth?
20 We may be alive in the morning, but die unnoticed before evening comes.
21 All that we have is taken away; we die, still lacking wisdom."
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.