My name is Job

My name is Job, I have always thought of myself as a blameless and upright man who feared the Lord and turned away from evil. God has blessed my life beyond all measure. He has blessed me with seven sons and three daughters, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants. God has even made me the most powerful man in the east. I owe my life to God and to Him alone. I live in the land of Uz and my family is always near; my sons and daughter always host feasts at my son’s houses and I am thankful for their love and compassion towards each other. Every morning, I wake up and make burnt offerings to God at their expense because it may be that they have cursed God so I do this continually. 

         Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 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.” And the Lord said to Satan, “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?”  God knew my heart and believed that my faith could not be broken. He chose me to be tested! Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

         I was sitting in my kingdom when all of a sudden, I had a servant run in and he said, “The Sabeans stole the oxen and donkeys while killing all of the servants with the edge of the sword and I am the only one who survived to tell you!” As that was being told to me another servant came in and said, “Sir, while we were out tending the sheep, a fire from God rained upon us burning up all of the sheep and all of your servants and I am the only one who survived to tell you!” After he finished speaking, another one of my servants ran in and said, “Sir, the Chaldeans formed three groups stealing all of your camels and killing all of your servants and I am the only one who survived in order to tell you this!” Finally, one more servants came and said to me, “Sir, your sons and daughters were together having dinner at your oldest son’s house when a great gust of wind made the walls of the house collapse and I am the only one who survived in order to tell you!” As soon as the last servant stopped speaking I arose and tore my robe and shaved my head and fell on the ground and worshiped. “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” After all that has happened I dare not sin or charge God with wrong!

         Again 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. 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.” And the Lord said to Satan, “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? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” The Lord tested me and saw my faith stand up to tribulation and now He wanted to test me again. Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck me with loathsome sores from the sole of my foot to the crown of my head. And I took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape myself while I sat in the ashes. Then my wife said to me, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But I said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all of this I still did not sin with my lips.

         Now I had three friends who heard of all this evil that had come upon me, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show me sympathy and comfort me. And when they saw me from a distance, they did not recognize me. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with me on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to me, for they saw that my suffering was very great.