1 There was a man in the land of Uz named Job. That man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him; 3 his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-asses, and a very large household. That man was wealthier than anyone in the East.

4 It was the custom of his sons to hold feasts, each on his set day in his own home. They would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a round of feast days was over, Job would send word to them to sanctify themselves, and, rising early in the morning, he would make burnt offerings, one for each of them; for Job thought, "Perhaps my children have sinned and blasphemed God in their thoughts." This is what Job always used to do.

6 0ne day the divine beings presented themselves before the Lord, and the Adversary came along with them. 7 The Lord said to the Adversary, "Where have you been?" The Adversary answered the Lord, "I have been roaming all over the earth." 8 The Lord said to the Adversary, "Have you noticed My servant Job? There is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil!" 9 The Adversary answered the Lord, "Does Job not have good reason to fear God? 1O Why, it is You who have fenced him round, him and his household and all that he has. You have blessed his efforts so that his possessions spread out in the land. 11 But lay Your hand upon all that he has and he will surely blaspheme You to Your face." 12 The Lord replied to the Adversary, "See, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on him." The Adversary departed from the presence of the Lord.

13 0ne day, as his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the she-asses were grazing alongside them 15 when Sabeans attacked them and carried them off, and put the boys to the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." 16 This one was still speaking when another came and said, "God's fire fell from heaven, took hold of the sheep and the boys, and burned them up; I alone have escaped to tell you." 17 This one was still speaking when another came and said, "A Chaldean formation of three columns made a raid on the camels and carried them off and put the boys to the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you." 18 This one was still speaking when another came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother 19 when suddenly a mighty wind came from the wilderness. It struck the four corners of the house so that it collapsed upon the young people and they died; I alone have escaped to tell you."

20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, cut off his hair, and threw himself on the ground and worshiped. 21 He said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

22 For all that, Job did not sin nor did he cast reproach on God.

2 0ne day the divine beings presented themselves before the Lord. The Adversary came along with them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord said to the Adversary, "Where have you been?" The Adversary answered the Lord, "I have been roaming all over the earth." 3 The Lord said to the Adversary, "Have you noticed My servant Job? There is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil. He still keeps his integrity; so you have incited Me against him to destroy him for no good reason." 4 The Adversary answered the Lord, "Skin for skin–all that a man has he will give up for his life. 5 But lay a hand on his bones and his flesh, and he will surely blaspheme You to Your face." 6 So the Lord said to the Adversary, "See, he is in your power; only spare his life." 7 The Adversary departed from the presence of the Lord and inflicted a severe inflammation on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 He took a potsherd to scratch himself as he sat in ashes. 9 His wife said to him, "You still keep your integrity! Blaspheme God and die!" 1O But he said to her, "You talk as any shameless woman might talk! Should we accept only good from God and not accept evil?" For all that, Job said nothing sinful.

11 When Job's three friends heard about all these calamities that had befallen him, each came from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could not recognize him, and they broke into loud weeping; each one tore his robe and threw dust into the air onto his head. 13 They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights. None spoke a word to him for they saw how very great was his suffering.

3 Afterward, Job began to speak and cursed the day of his birth. 2 Job spoke up and said:

3 Perish the day on which I was born,
And the night it was announced,
"A male has been conceived!"
4 May that day be darkness;
May God above have no concern for it;
May light not shine on it;
5 May darkness and deep gloom reclaim it;
May a pall lie over it;
May what blackens the day terrify it.
6 May obscurity carry off that night;
May it not be counted among the days of the year;
May it not appear in any of its months;
7 May that night be desolate;
May no sound of joy be heard in it;
8 May those who cast spells upon the day damn it,
Those prepared to disable Leviathan;
9 May its twilight stars remain dark;
May it hope for light and have none;
May it not see the glimmerings of the dawn—
10 Because it did not block my mother's womb,
And hide trouble from my eyes.

11 Why did I not die at birth,
Expire as I came forth from the womb?
12 Why were there knees to receive me,
Or breasts for me to suck?
13 For now would I be lying in repose, asleep and at rest,
14 With the world's kings and counselors who rebuild ruins for themselves,
15 Or with nobles who possess gold and who fill their houses with silver.
16 0r why was I not like a buried stillbirth,
Like babies who never saw the light?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling;
There rest those whose strength is spent.
18 Prisoners are wholly at ease;
They do not hear the taskmaster's voice.
19 Small and great alike are there,
And the slave is free of his master.

20 Why does He give light to the sufferer

And life to the bitter in spirit;
21 To those who wait for death but it does not come,
Who search for it more than for treasure,
22 Who rejoice to exultation,
And are glad to reach the grave;
23 To the man who has lost his way,

Whom God has hedged about?

24 My groaning serves as my bread;
My roaring pours forth as water.
25 For what I feared has overtaken me;
What I dreaded has come upon me.
26 I had no repose, no quiet, no rest,
And trouble came.

7 11 On my part, I will not speak with restraint;

I will give voice to the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea or the Dragon,
That You have set a watch over me?
13 When I think, "My bed will comfort me,
My couch will share my sorrow,"
14 You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me with visions,
15 Till I prefer strangulation,
Death, to my wasted frame.
16 I am sick of it.
I shall not live forever;
Let me be, for my days are a breath.

17 What is man, that You make much of him,

That You fix Your attention upon him?
18 You inspect him every morning,
Examine him every minute.
19 Will You not look away from me for a while,
Let me be, till I swallow my spittle?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to You,
Watcher of men?
Why make of me Your target,
And a burden to myself?
21 Why do You not pardon my transgression
And forgive my iniquity?
For soon I shall lie down in the dust;
When You seek me, I shall be gone.

28 12 But where can wisdom be found;

Where is the source of understanding?
13 No man can set a value on it;
It cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, "It is not in me";
The sea says, "I do not have it."
15 It cannot be bartered for gold;
Silver cannot be paid out as its price.
16 The finest gold of Ophir cannot be weighed against it,
Nor precious onyx, nor sapphire.
17 Gold or glass cannot match its value,
Nor vessels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
18 Coral and crystal cannot be mentioned with it;
A pouch of wisdom is better than rubies.
19 Topaz from Nubia cannot match its value;
Pure gold cannot be weighed against it.

20 But whence does wisdom come?

Where is the source of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
Concealed from the fowl of heaven.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
"We have only a report of it."
23 God understands the way to it;
He knows its source;
24 For He sees to the ends of the earth,
Observes all that is beneath the heavens.
25 When He fixed the weight of the winds,
Set the measure of the waters;
26 When He made a rule for the rain
And a course for the thunderstorms,
27 Then He saw it and gauged it;
He measured it and probed it.
28 He said to man,
"See! Fear of the Lord is wisdom;
To shun evil is understanding."

40 The Lord said in reply to Job.

2 Shall one who should be disciplined complain against Shaddai?
He who arraigns God must respond.

3 Job said in reply to the LORD:

4 See, I am of small worth; what can I answer You?
I clap my hand to my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and will not reply;
Twice, and will do so no more.

6 Then the Lord replied to Job out of the tempest and said:

7 Gird your loins like a man;
I will ask, and you will inform Me.
8 Would you impugn My Justice?
Would you condemn Me that you may be right?
9 Have you an arm like God's?
Can you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Deck yourself now with grandeur and eminence;
Clothe yourself in glory and majesty.
11 Scatter wide your raging anger;
See every proud man and bring him low.
12 See every proud man and humble him,
And bring them down where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the earth;
Hide their faces in obscurity.
14 Then even I would praise you
For the triumph your right hand won you.

Job 1-3, 7:11-21, 28:12-28, 40:1-14

Questions for Discussion