Category: Job

Introduction

The book of Job

is the story of a good man who suffers total disaster—he loses all his children and property and is afflicted with a repulsive disease. Then in three series of poetic dialogues the author shows how Job’s friends and Job himself react to these calamities. In the end, God himself, whose dealings with the human race have been a prominent part of the discussion, appears to Job.

The friends of Job explain his suffering in traditional religious terms. Since God, so they assume, always rewards good and punishes evil, the sufferings of Job can only mean that he has sinned. But for Job this is too simple; he does not deserve such cruel punishment, because he has been an unusually good and righteous man. He cannot understand how God can let so much evil happen to one like himself, and he boldly challenges God. Job does not lose his faith, but he does long to be justified before God and to regain his honor as a good man.

God does not give an answer to Job’s questions, but he does respond to Job’s faith by overwhelming him with a poetic picture of his divine power and wisdom. Job then humbly acknowledges God as wise and great, and repents of the wild and angry words he had used.

The prose conclusion records how Job is restored to his former condition, with even greater prosperity than before. God reprimands Job’s friends for failing to understand the meaning of Job’s suffering. Only Job had really sensed that God is greater than traditional religion had depicted him.

Outline of Contents

Prologue (1.1—2.13)

Job and his friends (3.1—31.40)

a. Job’s complaint (3.1-26)

b. The first dialogue (4.1—14.22)

c. The second dialogue (15.1—21.34)

d. The third dialogue (22.1—27.23)

e. In praise of wisdom (28.1-28)

f. Job’s final statement (29.1—31.40)

The speeches of Elihu (32.1—37.24)

The Lord answers Job (38.1—42.6)

Epilogue (42.7-17)

Satan Tests Job

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 beingsto appear before theLord, Satanwas there among them.

7 TheLordasked 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?” theLordasked. “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,” theLordsaid to Satan, “everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself.” So Satan left.

Job’s Children and Wealth Are Destroyed

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 Sabeansattacked 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 Chaldeanraiders 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. TheLordgave, 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.

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Satan Tests Job Again

1 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before theLordagain, Satan was there among them.

2 TheLordasked 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?” theLordasked. “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 theLordsaid to Satan, “All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him.”

7 Then Satan left theLord’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.

Job’s Friends Come

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.

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Job’s Complaint to God

1 Finally Job broke the silence and cursed the day on which he had been born.

2-3 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.

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The First Dialogue

1-2 Job, will you be annoyed if I speak?

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 ofGod

or be pure beforehis 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.”

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1 Call out, Job. See if anyone answers.

Is there any angel to whom you can turn?

2 To worry yourself to death with resentment

would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.

3 I have seen fools who looked secure,

but I called down a sudden curse on their homes.

4 Their children can never find safety;

no one stands up to defend them in court.

5 Hungry people will eat the fool’s crops—

even the grain growing among thorns—

and thirsty people will envy his wealth.

6 Evil does not grow in the soil,

nor does trouble grow out of the ground.

7 No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves,

as surely as sparks fly up from a fire.

8 If I were you, I would turn to God

and present my case to him.

9 We cannot understand the great things he does,

and to his miracles there is no end.

10 He sends rain on the land

and he waters the fields.

11 Yes, it is God who raises the humble

and gives joy to all who mourn.

12-13 He upsets the plans of cunning people,

and traps the wise in their own schemes,

so that nothing they do succeeds;

14 even at noon they grope in darkness.

15 But God saves the poorfrom death;

he saves the needy from oppression.

16 He gives hope to the poor and silences the wicked.

17 Happy is the person whom God corrects!

Do not resent it when he rebukes you.

18 God bandages the wounds he makes;

his hand hurts you, and his hand heals.

19 Time after time he will save you from harm;

20 when famine comes, he will keep you alive,

and in war protect you from death.

21 God will rescue you from slander;

he will save you when destruction comes.

22 You will laugh at violence and hunger

and not be afraid of wild animals.

23 The fields you plow will be free of rocks;

wild animals will never attack you.

24 Then you will live at peace in your tent;

when you look at your sheep, you will find them safe.

25 You will have as many children

as there are blades of grass in a pasture.

26 Like wheat that ripens till harvest time,

you will live to a ripe old age.

27 Job, we have learned this by long study.

It is true, so now accept it.

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1-2 If my troubles and griefs were weighed on scales,

3 they would weigh more than the sands of the sea,

so my wild words should not surprise you.

4 Almighty God has shot me with arrows,

and their poison spreads through my body.

God has lined up his terrors against me.

5 A donkey is content when eating grass,

and a cow is quiet when eating hay.

6 But who can eat flat, unsalted food?

What taste is there in the white of an egg?

7 I have no appetite for food like that,

and everything I eat makes me sick.

8 Why won’t God give me what I ask?

Why won’t he answer my prayer?

9 If only he would go ahead and kill me!

10 If I knew he would, I would leap for joy,

no matter how great my pain.

I know that God is holy;

I have never opposed what he commands.

11 What strength do I have to keep on living?

Why go on living when I have no hope?

12 Am I made of stone? Is my body bronze?

13 I have no strength left to save myself;

there is nowhere I can turn for help.

14 In troublelike this I need loyal friends—

whether I’ve forsaken God or not.

15 But you, my friends, you deceive me like streams

that go dry when no rain comes.

16 The streams are choked with snow and ice,

17 but in the heat they disappear,

and the stream beds lie bare and dry.

18 Caravans get lost looking for water;

they wander and die in the desert.

19 Caravans from Sheba and Tema search,

20 but their hope dies beside dry streams.

21 You are likethose streams to me,

you see my fate and draw back in fear.

22 Have I asked you to give me a gift

or to bribe someone on my behalf

23 or to save me from some enemy or tyrant?

24 All right, teach me; tell me my faults.

I will be quiet and listen to you.

25 Honest words are convincing,

but you are talking nonsense.

26 You think I am talking nothing but wind;

then why do you answer my words of despair?

27 You would even roll dice for orphan slaves

and make yourselves rich off your closest friends!

28 Look me in the face. I won’t lie.

29 You have gone far enough. Stop being unjust.

Don’t condemn me. I’m in the right.

30 But you think I am lying—

you think I can’t tell right from wrong.

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1 Human life is like forced army service,

like a life of hard manual labor,

2 like a slave longing for cool shade;

like a worker waiting to be paid.

3 Month after month I have nothing to live for;

night after night brings me grief.

4 When I lie down to sleep, the hours drag;

I toss all night and long for dawn.

5 My body is full of worms;

it is covered with scabs;

pus runs out of my sores.

6 My days pass by without hope,

pass faster than a weaver’s shuttle.

7 Remember, O God, my life is only a breath;

my happiness has already ended.

8 You see me now, but never again.

If you look for me, I’ll be gone.

9-10 Like a cloud that fades and is gone,

we humans die and never return;

we are forgotten by all who knew us.

11 No! I can’t be quiet!

I am angry and bitter.

I have to speak.

12 Why do you keep me under guard?

Do you think I am a sea monster?

13 I lie down and try to rest;

I look for relief from my pain.

14 But you—you terrify me with dreams;

you send me visions and nightmares

15 until I would rather be strangled

than live in this miserable body.

16 I give up; I am tired of living.

Leave me alone. My life makes no sense.

17 Why are people so important to you?

Why pay attention to what they do?

18 You inspect them every morning

and test them every minute.

19 Won’t you look away long enough

for me to swallow my spit?

20 Are you harmed by my sin, you jailer?

Why use me for your target practice?

Am I so great a burden to you?

21 Can’t you ever forgive my sin?

Can’t you pardon the wrong I do?

Soon I will be in my grave,

and I’ll be gone when you look for me.

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1-2 Are you finally through with your windy speech?

3 God never twists justice;

he never fails to do what is right.

4 Your children must have sinned against God,

and so he punished them as they deserved.

5 But turn now and plead with Almighty God;

6 if you are so honest and pure,

then God will come and help you

and restore your household as your reward.

7 All the wealth you lost will be nothing

compared with what God will give you then.

8 Look for a moment at ancient wisdom;

consider the truths our ancestors learned.

9 Our life is short, we know nothing at all;

we pass like shadows across the earth.

10 But let the ancient wise people teach you;

listen to what they had to say:

11 “Reeds can’t grow where there is no water;

they are never found outside a swamp.

12 If the water dries up, they are the first to wither,

while still too small to be cut and used.

13 Godless people are like those reeds;

their hope is gone, once God is forgotten.

14 They trust a thread—a spider’s web.

15 If they lean on a web, will it hold them up?

If they grab for a thread, will it help them stand?”

16 Evil people sprout like weeds in the sun,

like weeds that spread all through the garden.

17 Their roots wrap around the stones

and hold fast toevery rock.

18 But then pull them up—

no one will ever know they were there.

19 Yes, that’s all the joy evil people have;

others now come and take their places.

20 But God will never abandon the faithful

or ever give help to evil people.

21 He will let you laugh and shout again,

22 but he will bring disgrace on those who hate you,

and the homes of the wicked will vanish.

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1-2 Yes, I’ve heard all that before.

But how can a human being win a case against God?

3 How can anyone argue with him?

He can ask a thousand questions

that no one could ever answer.

4 God is so wise and powerful;

no one can stand up against him.

5 Without warning he moves mountains

and in anger he destroys them.

6 God sends earthquakes and shakes the ground;

he rocks the pillars that support the earth.

7 He can keep the sun from rising,

and the stars from shining at night.

8 No one helped God spread out the heavens

or trample the sea monster’s back.

9 God hung the stars in the sky—the Dipper,

Orion, the Pleiades, and the stars of the south.

10 We cannot understand the great things he does,

and to his miracles there is no end.

11 God passes by, but I cannot see him.

12 He takes what he wants, and no one can stop him;

no one dares ask him, “What are you doing?”

13 God’s anger is constant. He crushed his enemies

who helped Rahab,the sea monster, oppose him.

14 So how can I find words to answer God?

15 Though I am innocent, all I can do

is beg for mercy from God my judge.

16 Yet even then, if he lets me speak,

I can’t believe he would listen to me.

17 He sends storms to batter and bruise me

without any reason at all.

18 He won’t let me catch my breath;

he has filled my life with bitterness.

19 Should I try force? Try force on God?

Should I take him to court? Could anyone make him go?

20 I am innocent and faithful, but my words sound guilty,

and everything I say seems to condemn me.

21-22 I am innocent, but I no longer care.

I am sick of living. Nothing matters;

innocent or guilty, God will destroy us.

23 When an innocent person suddenly dies,

God laughs.

24 God gave the world to the wicked.

He made all the judges blind.

And if God didn’t do it, who did?

25 My days race by, not one of them good.

26 My life passes like the swiftest boat,

as fast as an eagle swooping down on a rabbit.

27-28 If I smile and try to forget my pain,

all my suffering comes back to haunt me;

I know that God does hold me guilty.

29 Since I am held guilty, why should I bother?

30 No soap can wash away my sins.

31 God throws me into a pit with filth,

and even my clothes are ashamed of me.

32 If God were human, I could answer him;

we could go to court to decide our quarrel.

33 But there is no one to step between us—

no one to judge both God and me.

34 Stop punishing me, God!

Keep your terrors away!

35 I am not afraid. I am going to talk

because I know my own heart.

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