1 There was a man in the lande of Vz called Iob, and this man was an vpright and iust man, one that feared God, and eschewed euill. 2 And he had seue sonnes, and three daughters. 3 His substance also was seuen thousande sheepe, and three thousand camels, and fiue hundreth yoke of oxen, and fiue hundreth shee asses, and his family was very great, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East. 4 And his sonnes went and banketted in their houses, euery one his day, and sent, and called their three sisters to eate and to drinke with them. 5 And when the dayes of their banketting were gone about, Iob sent, and sanctified them, and rose vp early in the morning, and offred burnt offrings according to the nomber of them all. For Iob thought, It may be that my sonnes haue sinned, and blasphemed God in their hearts: thus did Iob euery day. 6 Nowe on a day when the children of God came and stoode before the Lord, Satan came also among them. 7 Then the Lord sayde vnto Satan, Whence commest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, saying, From compassing the earth to and from, and from walking in it. 8 And the Lord saide vnto Satan, Hast thou not considered my seruant Iob, how none is like him in the earth? an vpright and iust man, one that feareth God, and escheweth euill? 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and sayde, Doeth Iob feare God for nought? 10 Hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house, and about all that he hath on euery side? thou hast blessed the worke of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But stretch out now thine hand and touch all that he hath, to see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face. 12 Then the Lord sayde vnto Satan, Lo, all that he hath is in thine hand: onely vpon himselfe shalt thou not stretch out thine hand. So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. 13 And on a day, when his sonnes and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house, 14 There came a messenger vnto Iob, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding in their places, 15 And the Shabeans came violently, and tooke them: yea, they haue slayne the seruants with the edge of the sworde: but I onely am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 And whiles he was yet speaking, another came, and sayde, The fire of God is fallen from the heauen, and hath burnt vp the sheepe and the seruants, and deuoured them: but I onely am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 And whiles he was yet speaking, another came, and sayd, The Caldeans set on three bands, and fell vpon the camels, and haue taken them, and haue slayne the seruantes with the edge of the sworde: but I onely am escaped alone to tell thee. 18 And whiles he was yet speaking, came an other, and sayd, Thy sonnes, and thy daughters were eating, and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house, 19 And behold, there came a great wind from beyonde the wildernesse, and smote the foure corners of the house, which fel vpon the children, and they are dead, and I onely am escaped alone to tell thee. 20 Then Iob arose, and rent his garment, and shaued his head, and fel downe vpon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And sayd, Naked came I out of my mothers wombe, and naked shall I returne thither: the Lord hath giuen, and the Lord hath taken it: blessed be the Name of the Lord. 22 In all this did not Iob sinne, nor charge God foolishly.
Satan Tests Job
1 There was a man named Job, living in the land of Uz, who worshiped God and was faithful to him. He was a good man, careful not to do anything evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand head of cattle, and five hundred donkeys. He also had a large number of servants and was the richest man in the East.
4 Job's sons used to take turns giving a feast, to which all the others would come, and they always invited their three sisters to join them. 5 The morning after each feast, Job would get up early and offer sacrifices for each of his children in order to purify them. He always did this because he thought that one of them might have sinned by insulting God unintentionally.
6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them. 7 The Lord asked him, “What have you been doing?”
Satan answered, “I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth.”
8 “Did you notice my servant Job?” the Lord asked. “There is no one on earth as faithful and good as he is. He worships me and is careful not to do anything evil.”
9 Satan replied, “Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it? 10 You have always protected him and his family and everything he owns. You bless everything he does, and you have given him enough cattle to fill the whole country. 11 But now suppose you take away everything he has—he will curse you to your face!”
12 “All right,” the Lord said to Satan, “everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself.” So Satan left.
Job's Children and Wealth Are Destroyed
13 One day when Job's children were having a feast at the home of their oldest brother, 14 a messenger came running to Job. “We were plowing the fields with the oxen,” he said, “and the donkeys were in a nearby pasture. 15 Suddenly the Sabeans attacked and stole them all. They killed every one of your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
16 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
17 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Three bands of Chaldean raiders attacked us, took away the camels, and killed all your servants except me. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
18 Before he had finished speaking, another servant came and said, “Your children were having a feast at the home of your oldest son, 19 when a storm swept in from the desert. It blew the house down and killed them all. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downward on the ground. 21 He said, “I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!”
22 In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God.