The Book of Job Chapter 1 There was a man in the land of
us whose name was Job, and that man was perfect and upright,
and one that feared God and eschewed evil. And there were born unto
him seven sons and three daughters. 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 men of the East. And
his sons went and feasted in their houses every one his day,
and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and 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 cursed God in their hearts. Thus
did Job continually. Now there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord
and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking
up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered, my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth
God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord,
and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an
hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he
hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But
put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face.' And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power. only upon himself
put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the
presence of the Lord. And there was a day when his
sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest
brother's house. And there came a messenger unto
Job and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside
them, and the Sabians 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 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.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said,
The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels,
and have carried 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. Then Job arose, and rent
his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground,
and worshipped, and said, naked came I out of my mother's womb,
and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor
charged God foolishly. Job chapter 2 Again there was a day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord
said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered
the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and
from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job? that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth
God and escheweth evil. And still he holdeth fast his
integrity, although thou movest me against him to destroy him
without cause.' And Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin,
yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put
forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he
will curse thee to thy face.' And the Lord said unto Satan,
Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life. So went Satan
forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore
boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him
a potsherd to scrape himself withal, and he sat down among
the ashes. Then said his wife unto him,
Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse 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. For they had made an appointment
together to come to mourn with 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 mantle
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. Job chapter 3. After this opened Job his mouth
and cursed his day. And Job spake and said, Let the
day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was
said, There is a man-child conceived. Let that day be darkness, Let
not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon
it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it, let a cloud
dwell upon it, let the blackness of the day terrify it. As for
that night, let darkness seize upon it, let it not be joined
unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of
the months. Lo, let that night be solitary. Let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse
the day, Who are ready to raise up their morning. Let the stars
of the twilight thereof be dark. Let it look for light, but have
none, Neither let it see the dawning of the day, Because it
shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, Nor hid sorrow from mine
eyes. Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost
when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees prevent me,
or why the breasts that I should suck? For now should I have lain
still and been quiet. I should have slept. Then had
I been at rest with kings and counsellors of the earth, which
build desolate places for themselves, or with princes that had gold,
who filled their houses with silver, or, as an hidden untimely
birth I had not been, as infants which never saw light, There
the wicked cease from troubling, And there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together,
They hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and 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, which long for death, but it cometh not, and
dig for it more than for hid treasures, which 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 roarings are poured out
like the waters. For the thing which I greatly
feared is come upon me, And that which I was afraid of is come
unto me. I was not in safety, neither
had I rest, neither was I quiet, yet trouble came. Job chapter 4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered
and said, If we say 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 strengthened the
feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee,
and thou faintest. It toucheth thee, and thou art
troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence,
thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways? Remember, I pray
thee, whoever perished being innocent? Or where were the righteous
cut off? Even as I have seen, they that
plough iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same. By the blast of
God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils 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 stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad. Now a thing was secretly brought
to me, and mine ear received a little 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. Then a spirit passed before my
face, The hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could
not discern The form thereof. An image was before mine eyes.
There was silence, and I heard a voice saying, Shall mortal
man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than
his Maker? Behold, he put no trust in his
servants, And his angels he charged with folly. How much less in
them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in
the dust, Which are crushed before the moth! They are destroyed
from morning to evening. They perish forever without any
regarding it. Doth not their excellency which
is in them go away? They die, even without wisdom. Job 5 Call now, if there be any that
will answer thee, and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly
one. I have seen the foolish taking
root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are
far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither
is there any to deliver them. Whose harvest the hungry eateth
up, And taketh it even out of the thorns, And the robber swalloweth
up their substance. Although affliction cometh not
forth of the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground,
Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto
God would I commit my cause, which doeth great things and
unsearchable, marvellous things without number, who giveth rain
upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields, to set up on
high those that be low, that those which mourn may be exalted
to safety. He disappointeth the devices
of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own
craftiness, and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the
daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. But he saveth
the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand
of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, and iniquity
stoppeth her mouth. Behold, happy is the man whom
God correcteth. Therefore despise not thou the
chastening of the Almighty. For he maketh sore, and bindeth
up, he woundeth, and his hands make whole. He shall deliver
thee in six troubles, yea, in seven there shall no evil touch
thee. In famine he shall redeem thee
from death, and in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt
be hid from the scourge of the tongue, neither shalt thou be
afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine
thou shalt laugh, neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts
of the earth. For thou shalt be in league with
the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall
be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy
tabernacle shall be in peace. And thou shalt visit thy habitation,
and shalt not sin. Thou shalt know also that thy
seed shall be great, And thine offspring as the grass of the
earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave
in a full age, Like as a shock of corn cometh in his season. Lo, this, we have searched it,
so it is. Hear it, and know thou it for
thy good. Job chapter 6 But Job answered and said, O
that my grief were truly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances
together! For now it would be heavier than
the sand of the sea, therefore my words are swallowed up. For
the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof
drinketh up my spirit. The terrors of God do set themselves
in array against me. Doth the wild ass bray when he
hath grass, or loweth the ox over his fodder? Can that which
is unsavoury be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in
the white of an egg? The things that my soul refused
to touch are as my sorrowful meat. Oh, that I might have my
request, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for,
even that it would please God to destroy me, that He would
let loose His hand and cut me off. Then should I yet have comfort. Yea, I would harden myself in
sorrow. Let Him not spare, for I have
not concealed the words of the Holy One. What is my strength
that I should hope, and what is mine end that I should prolong
my life? Is my strength the strength of
stones, or is my flesh of brass? Is not my help in me, and is
wisdom driven quite from me? To him that is afflicted pity
should be shewed from his friend, but he forsaketh the fear of
the Almighty. My brethren have dealt deceitfully
as a brook, And as the stream of brooks they pass away, Which
are blackish by reason of the ice, And wherein the snow is
hid. What time they wax warm they
vanish, When it is hot they are consumed out of their place,
The paths of their way are turned aside, They go to nothing and
perish. The troops of Tima looked. The
companies of Sheba waited for them. They were confounded because
they had hoped. They came thither and were ashamed. For now ye are nothing. Ye see
my casting down and are afraid. Did I say, Bring unto me, or
give a reward for me of your substance, or deliver me from
the enemy's hand, or redeem me from the hand of the mighty?
Teach me, and I will hold my tongue, And cause me to understand
wherein I have erred. How forcible are right words! But what doth your arguing reprove?
Do ye imagine to reprove words, And the speeches of one that
is desperate, Which are as wind? Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless,
And ye dig a pit for your friend. Now, therefore, be content. Look
upon me, for it is evident unto you if I lie. Return, I pray
you. Let it not be iniquity. Yea,
return again. My righteousness is in it. Is
there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern perverse
things? Job chapter 8 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite
and said, How long wilt thou speak these things, and how long
shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? Doth God
pervert judgment, or doth the Almighty pervert justice? If
thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away
for their transgression, if thou wouldst seek unto God betimes,
and make thy supplication to the Almighty, if thou wert pure
and upright, Surely now he would awake for thee, and make the
habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. Though thy beginning
was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. For
inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And prepare thyself
to the search of their fathers. For we are but of yesterday,
and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow. Shall not they teach thee, and
tell thee, And utter words out of their heart? Can the rush
grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water? Whilst it is yet in his greenness,
and not cut down, It withereth before any other herb. So are
the paths of all that forget God. And the hypocrite's hope
shall perish, Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust Shall
be a spider's web. He shall lean upon his house,
but it shall not stand. He shall hold it fast, but it
shall not endure. He is green before the sun, and
his branch shooteth forth in his garden. His roots are wrapped
about the heap, and seeth the place of stones. If ye destroy
him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not
seen thee. Behold, this is the joy of his
way, and out of the earth shall others grow. Behold, God will
not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evildoers,
till he fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with rejoicing.
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the dwelling
place of the wicked shall come to naught. Job chapter 9 Then Job answered and said, I
know it is so of a truth. But how should man be just with
God? If he will contend with Him,
he cannot answer Him one of a thousand. He is wise in heart and mighty
in strength. Who hath hardened himself against
him, and hath prospered, Which removeth the mountains, and they
know not, Which overturneth them in his anger, Which shaketh the
earth out of her place, And the pillars thereof tremble, Which
commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, And sealeth up the stars. Which alone spreadeth out the
heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea, Which maketh
Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, And the chambers of the South,
Which doeth great things past finding out, Yea, and wonders
without number. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see
him not. He passeth on also, but I perceive
him not. Behold, he taketh away, who can
hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest
thou? If God will not withdraw his
anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him, how much less shall
I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him,
whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I
would make supplication to my judge. If I had called, and he
had answered me, yet would I not believe that he had hearkened
unto my voice. For he breaketh me with a tempest,
and multiplieth my wounds without cause. He will not suffer me
to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness. If I speak
of strength, lo, he is strong. And if of judgment, who shall
set me a time to plead? If I justify myself, mine own
mouth shall condemn me. If I say, I am perfect, it shall
also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet would
I not know my soul, I would despise my life. This is one thing, therefore
I said it. He destroyeth the perfect and
the wicked. If the scourge slay suddenly,
he will laugh at the trial of the innocent. The earth is given
into the hand of the wicked. He covereth the faces of the
judges thereof. If not, where? and who is he? Now my days are swifter than
a post. They flee away, they see no good. They are passed away as the swift
ships, As the eagle that hasteth to the prey. If I say, I will
forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness and comfort
myself, I am afraid of all my sorrows. I know that thou wilt
not hold me innocent. If I be wicked, why then labour
I in vain? If I wash myself with snow-water,
And make my hands never so clean, Yet shalt thou plunge me in the
ditch, And mine own clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man
as I am, That I should answer him, And we should come together
in judgment. Neither is there any daysman,
betwixt us, That might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take
his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me. Then would I speak and not fear
him. But it is not so with me. Job chapter 10 My soul is weary of my life. I will leave my complaint upon
myself. I will speak in the bitterness
of my soul. I will say unto God, Do not condemn
me, show me wherefore thou contendest with me. Is it good unto thee
that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the
work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?
Hast thou eyes of flesh, or seest thou as man seeth? Are thy days
as the days of man? Are thy years as man's days,
that thou inquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after
my sin? Thou knowest that I am not wicked,
and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand. Thine hands
have made me, and fashioned me together round about, yet thou
dost destroy Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me
as the clay, and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou
not poured me out as milk? and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin
and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast
granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved
my spirit. And these things hast thou hid
in thine heart. I know that this is with thee.
If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from
mine iniquity. If I be wicked, woe unto me,
and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full
of confusion. Therefore see thou mine affliction,
for it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion,
and again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me. Thou renewest
thy witnesses against me, and increaseth thine indignation
upon me. Changes and war are against me. Wherefore then hast thou brought
me forth out of the womb? O, that I had given up the ghost,
and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though
I had not been. I should have been carried from
the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? Cease then. and let me alone, that I may
take comfort a little. Before I go whence I shall not
return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death. A land
of darkness as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death without
any order, and where the light is as darkness. Job chapter 11 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite,
and said, Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should
a man full of talk be justified? Should thy lies make men hold
their peace? And when thou mockest, shall
no man make thee ashamed? For thou hast said, My doctrine
is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. But, O, that God would
speak and open His lips against thee, and that He would show
thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which
is. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity
deserveth. Canst thou by searching find
out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection? It is high as heaven, what canst
thou do? Deeper than hell, what canst
thou know? The measure thereof is longer
than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he cut off, and shut
up, or gather together, then who can hinder him? For he knoweth
vain men, he seeth wickedness also, Will he not then consider
it? For vain men would be wise, though
man be born Like a wild ass's colt. If thou prepare thine heart,
and stretch out thine hands toward him, If iniquity be in thine
hand, put it far away, And let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy
face without spot, Yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shall
not fear, Because thou shalt forget thy misery, And remember
it as waters that pass away. And thine age shall be clearer
than the noonday, Thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as
the morning, And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope. Yea, thou shalt dig about thee,
and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie
down, and none shall make thee afraid, yea, many shall make
suit unto thee. But the eyes of the wicked shall
fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the
giving up of the ghost. Job chapter 12 And Job answered and said, No
doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
But I have understanding as well as you. I am not inferior to
you. Yea, who knoweth not such things
as these? I am as one mocked of his neighbor, who calleth
upon God, and he answereth him. The just, upright man is laughed
to scorn. He that is ready to slip with
his feet is as a lamp, despised in the thought of him that is
at ease. The tabernacles of robbers prosper,
and they that provoke God are secure, into whose hand God bringeth
abundantly. But ask now the beasts, and they
shall teach thee, And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell
thee. Or speak to the earth, and it
shall teach thee, And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto
thee, Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord
hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of
every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? Doth not the
ear try words, and the mouth taste his meat? With the ancient
is wisdom, and in length of days understanding. With him is wisdom
and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he
breaketh down, and it cannot be built again. He shutteth up
a man, and there can be no opening. Behold, he withholdeth the waters,
and they dry up. Also he sendeth them out, and
they overturn the earth. With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver
are his. He leadeth counsellors away spoiled,
and maketh the judges fools. He looseth the bond of kings,
and girdeth their loins with a girdle. He leadeth princes
away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty. He removeth away
the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding
of the aged. He poureth contempt upon princes,
and weakeneth the strength of the mighty. He discovereth deep
things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. He increaseth the nations, and
destroyeth them. He enlargeth the nations, and
straighteneth them again. He taketh away the heart of the
chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in
a wilderness where there is no way. They grope in the dark without
light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.