1 There was a man in the land of ^aUz whose name was Job, and that man was ^bblameless and ^cupright, one who ^dfeared God and ^eturned away from evil. 2 There were born to him ^fseven sons and three daughters. 3 ^gHe possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. 4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer ^hburnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and ⁱcursed¹ God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and ^jSatan² also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, ^k“From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, ^l“Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? ^mYou have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But ⁿstretch out your hand and ^otouch all that he has, and he will ^pcurse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” ^qSo Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the ^rSabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants³ with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God ^sfell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, ^t“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

20 Then Job arose and ^utore his robe and ^vshaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, ^w“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; ^xblessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 ^yIn all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

1 ^zAgain there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ^aa blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his ^bintegrity, although you ^cincited me against him to destroy him ^dwithout reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! ^eAll that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But ^fstretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

7 ^gSo Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he ^hsat in the ashes.

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? ⁱCurse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the ^jfoolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”^{4 k}In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, ^lEliphaz the Temanite, ^mBildad the Shuhite, and ⁿZophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to ^oshow him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and ^pthey tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground ^qseven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.