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There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil.

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.

And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.

Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah.

And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house,

that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them;

and the Sabeans fell `upon them', and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house;

and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.

Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped;

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die.

But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

And Job answered and said:

Let the day perish wherein I was born, And the night which said, There is a man-child conceived.

Let that day be darkness; Let not God from above seek for it, Neither let the light shine upon it.

As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it: Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that maketh black the day terrify it.

Lo, let that night be barren; Let no joyful voice come therein.

Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark: Let it look for light, but have none; Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning:

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should suck?

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me?

For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest,

With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up waste places for themselves;

Or with princes that had gold, Who filled their houses with silver:

Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, As infants that never saw light.

There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary are at rest.

There the prisoners are at ease together; They hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

The small and the great are there: And the servant is free from his master.

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, And life unto the bitter in soul;

Who long for death, but it cometh not, And dig for it more than for hid treasures;

Who rejoice exceedingly, And are glad, when they can find the grave?

`Why is light given' to a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?

For my sighing cometh before I eat, And my groanings are poured out like water.

I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest; But trouble cometh.

For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me.

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?

Behold, thou hast instructed many, And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

Thy words have upholden him that was falling, And thou hast made firm the feeble knees.

Is not thy fear of God' thy confidence, And' the integrity of thy ways thy hope?

Remember, I pray thee, who `ever' perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?

According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, And sow trouble, reap the same.

By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.

The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

Now a thing was secretly brought to me, And mine ear received a whisper thereof.

In thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falleth on men,

Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones to shake.

Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?

Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair of my flesh stood up.

Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants; And his angels he chargeth with folly:

How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!

Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: They perish for ever without any regarding it.

Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.

Call now; is there any that will answer thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

I have seen the foolish taking root: But suddenly I cursed his habitation.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns; And the snare gapeth for their substance.

For affliction cometh not forth from the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward.

But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause;

Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields;

Who doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvellous things without number:

So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety.

He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.