Women living for Him
Chapter 1
1There 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 eschewed evil.
2And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3His 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.
4And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5And 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.
6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
7And 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.
8And 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?
9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10Hast 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.
11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12And 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.
13And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
14And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
15And 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.
16While 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.
17While 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.
18While 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:
19And, 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.
20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21And 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.
22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Chapter 2
2And 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.
3And 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 movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10But 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.
11Now 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.
12And 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.
13So 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.
Chapter 3
1After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
3Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
4Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
5Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6As 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.
7Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.
8Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.
9Let 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:
10Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
11Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
13For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
15Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
16Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
17There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
18There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
20Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
21Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
22Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?
23Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
24For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
25For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.
Chapter 4
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?
3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
5But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.
12Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
15Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
16It 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,
17Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
18Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
19How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
20They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
21Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.
Chapter 5
1Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
3I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
5Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.
6Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
10Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
11To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
15But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
16So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
25Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
27Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
Chapter 6
2Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
3For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.
4For 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.
5Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.
8Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
9Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
10Then 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.
11What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?
12Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?
13Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?
14To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
15My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;
16Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:
17What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
18The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.
19The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.
20They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.
21For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.
22Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?
23Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?
24Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?
26Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?
27Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.
28Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.
29Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.
30Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?
Chapter 7
1Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?
2As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:
3So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.
4When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.
5My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.
6My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.
7O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.
8The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.
9As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
10He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
11Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?
13When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;
14Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
15So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.
16I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.
17What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
18And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?
19How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?
20I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
21And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.
Chapter 8
1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
4If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
5If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
8For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
10Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:
14Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.
15He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
16He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
17His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
18If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
19Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:
21Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.
22They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
Related Posts
