There was a certain man in the land of Ausis, whose name was Job; and that man was true, blameless, righteous, and godly, abstaining from everything evil.

And he had seven sons and three daughters.

And his cattle consisted of seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-asses in the pastures, and a very great household, and he had a great husbandry on the earth; and that man was most noble of the men of the east.

And his sons visiting one another prepared a banquet every day, taking with them also their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

And when the days of the banquet were completed, Job sent and purified them, having risen up in the morning, and offered sacrifices for them, according to their number, and one calf for a sin-offering for their souls: for Job said, Lest peradventure my sons have thought evil in their minds against God. Thus then Job did continually.

And it came to pass on a day, that, behold, the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them.

And the Lord said to the devil, Whence art thou come? And the devil answered the Lord, and said, I am come from compassing the earth, and walking up and down in the world.

And the Lord said to him, Hast thou diligently considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a man blameless, true, godly, abstaining from everything evil?

Then the devil answered, and said before the Lord, Does Job worship the Lord for nothing?

Hast thou not made a hedge about him, and about his household, and all his possessions round about? and hast thou not blessed the works of his hands, and multiplied his cattle upon the land?

But put forth thine hand, and touch all that he has: verily he will bless thee to thy face.

Then the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I give into thine hand all that he has, but touch not himself. So the devil went out from the presence of the Lord.

And it came to pass on a certain day, that Job's sons and his daughters were drinking wine in the house of their elder brother.

And, behold, there came a messenger to Job, and said to him, The yokes of oxen were ploughing, and the she-asses were feeding near them;

and the spoilers came and took them for a prey, and slew the servants with the sword; and I having escaped alone am come to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came another messenger, and said to Job, Fire has fallen from heaven, and burnt up the sheep, and devoured the shepherds likewise; and I having escaped alone am come to tell thee.

While he was yet speaking, there came another messenger, and said to Job, The horsemen formed three companies against us, and surrounded the camels, and took them for a prey, and slew the servants with the sword; and I only escaped, and am come to tell thee.

While he is yet speaking, another messenger comes, saying to Job, While thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking with their elder brother,

suddenly a great wind came on from the desert, and caught the four corners of the house, and the house fell upon thy children, and they are dead; and I have escaped alone, and am come to tell thee.

So Job arose, and rent his garments, and shaved the hair of his head, and fell on the earth, and worshipped,

and said, I myself came forth naked from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away: as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord.

In all these events that befel him Job sinned not at all before the Lord, and did not impute folly to God.

And it came to pass on a certain day, that the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord.

And the Lord said to the devil, Whence comest thou? Then the devil said before the Lord, I am come from going through the world, and walking about the whole earth.

And the Lord said to the devil, Hast thou then observed my servant Job, that there is none of men upon the earth like him, a harmless, true, blameless, godly man, abstaining from all evil? and he yet cleaves to innocence, whereas thou hast told me to destroy his substance without cause?

And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life.

Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to thy face.

And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.

So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from his feet to his head.

And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.

And when much time had passed, his wife said to him, How long wilt thou hold out, saying, Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance? for, behold, thy memorial is abolished from the earth, even thy sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows; and thou thyself sittest down to spend the nights in the open air among the corruption of worms, and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labours and my pangs which now beset me: but say some word against the Lord, and die.

But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.

Now his three friends having heard of all the evil that was come upon him, came to him each from his own country: Eliphaz the king of the Thæmans, Baldad sovereign of the Saucheans, Sophar king of the Minæans: and they came to him with one accord, to comfort and to visit him.

And when they saw him from a distance they did not know him; and they cried with a loud voice, and wept, and rent every one his garment, and sprinkled dust upon their heads,

and they sat down beside him seven days and seven nights, and no one of them spoke; for they saw that his affliction was dreadful and very great.

After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day,

saying,

Let the day perish in which I was born, and that night in which they said, Behold a man-child!

Let that night be darkness, and let not the Lord regard it from above, neither let light come upon it.

But let darkness and the shadow of death seize it; let blackness come upon it;

let that day and night be cursed, let darkness carry them away; let it not come into the days of the year, neither let it be numbered with the days of the months.

But let that night be pain, and let not mirth come upon it, nor joy.

But let him that curses that day curse it, even he that is ready to attack the great whale.

Let the stars of that night be darkened; let it remain dark, and not come into light; and let it not see the morning star arise:

because it shut not up the gates of my mother's womb, for so it would have removed sorrow from my eyes.

For why died I not in the belly? and why did I not come forth from the womb and die immediately?

And why did the knees support me? and why did I suck the breasts?

Now I should have lain down and been quiet, I should have slept and been at rest,

with kings and councillors of the earth, who gloried in their swords;

or with rulers, whose gold was abundant, who filled their houses with silver:

or I should have been as an untimely birth proceeding from his mother's womb, or as infants who never saw light.

There the ungodly have burnt out the fury of rage; there the wearied in body rest.

And the men of old time have together ceased to hear the exactor's voice.

The small and great are there, and the servant that feared his lord.

For why is light given to those who are in bitterness, and life to the souls which are in griefs?

who desire death, and obtain it not, digging for it as for treasures;

and would be very joyful if they should gain it?

Death is rest to such a man, for God has hedged him in.

For my groaning comes before my food, and I weep being beset with terror.

For the terror of which I meditated has come upon me, and that which I had feared has befallen me.

I was not at peace, nor quiet, nor had I rest; yet wrath came upon me.

Then Eliphaz the Thæmanite answered and said,

Hast thou been often spoken to in distress? but who shall endure the force of thy words?

For whereas thou hast instructed many, and hast strengthened the hands of the weak one,

and hast supported the failing with words, and hast imparted courage to feeble knees.

Yet now that pain has come upon thee, and touched thee, thou art troubled.

Is not thy fear founded in folly, thy hope also, and the mischief of thy way?

Remember then who has perished, being pure? or when were the true-hearted utterly destroyed?

Accordingly as I have seen men ploughing barren places, and they that sow them will reap sorrows for themselves.

They shall perish by the command of the Lord, and shall be utterly consumed by the breath of his wrath.

The strength of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the exulting cry of serpents are quenched.

The old lion has perished for want of food, and the lions' whelps have forsaken one another.

But if there had been any truth in thy words, none of these evils would have befallen thee. Shall not mine ear receive excellent revelations from him?

But as when terror falls upon men, with dread and a sound in the night,

horror and trembling seized me, and caused all my bones greatly to shake.

And a spirit came before my face; and my hair and flesh quivered.

I arose and perceived it not: I looked, and there was no form before my eyes: but I only heard a breath and a voice, saying,

What, shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? or a man be blameless in regard to his works?

Whereas he trusts not in his servants, and perceives perverseness in his angels.

But as for them that dwell in houses of clay, of whom we also are formed of the same clay, he smites them like a moth.

And from morning to evening they no longer exist: they have perished, because they cannot help themselves.

For he blows upon them, and they are withered: they have perished for lack of wisdom.

But call, if any one will hearken to thee, or if thou shalt see any of the holy angels.

For wrath destroys the foolish one, and envy slays him that has gone astray.

And I have seen foolish ones taking root: but suddenly their habitation was devoured.

Let their children be far from safety, and let them be crushed at the doors of vile men, and let there be no deliverer.

For what they have collected, the just shall eat; but they shall not be delivered out of calamities: let their strength be utterly exhausted.

For labour cannot by any means come out of the earth, nor shall trouble spring out of the mountains:

yet man is born to labour, and even so the vulture's young seek the high places.

Nevertheless I will beseech the Lord, and will call upon the Lord, the sovereign of all;

who does great things and untraceable, glorious things also, and marvellous, of which there is no number:

who gives rain upon the earth, sending water on the earth:

who exalts the lowly, and raises up them that are lost:

frustrating the counsels of the crafty, and their hands shall not perform the truth:

who takes the wise in their wisdom, and subverts the counsel of the crafty.

In the day darkness shall come upon them, and let them grope in the noon-day even as in the night:

and let them perish in war, and let the weak escape from the hand of the mighty.

And let the weak have hope, but the mouth of the unjust be stopped.

But blessed is the man whom the Lord has reproved; and reject not thou the chastening of the Almighty.

For he causes a man to be in pain, and restores him again: he smites, and his hands heal.

Six times he shall deliver thee out of distresses: and in the seventh harm shall not touch thee.

In famine he shall deliver thee from death: and in war he shall free thee from the power of the sword.

He shall hide thee from the scourge of the tongue: and thou shalt not be afraid of coming evils.

Thou shalt laugh at the unrighteous and the lawless: and thou shalt not be afraid of wild beasts.

For the wild beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

Then shalt thou know that thy house shall be at peace, and the provision for thy tabernacle shall not fail.

And thou shalt know that thy seed shall be abundant; and thy children shall be like the herbage of the field.

And thou shalt come to the grave like ripe corn reaped in its season, or as a heap of the corn-flour collected in proper time.

Behold, we have thus sought out these matters; these are what we have heard: but do thou reflect with thyself, if thou hast done anything wrong.

But Job answered and said,

Oh that one would indeed weigh the wrath that is upon me, and take up my griefs in a balance together!

And verily they would be heavier than the sand by the seashore: but, as it seems, my words are vain.

For the arrows of the Lord are in my body, whose violence drinks up my blood: whenever I am going to speak, they pierce me.

What then? will the wild ass bray for nothing, if he is not seeking food? or again, will the ox low at the manger, when he has fodder?

Shall bread be eaten without salt? or again, is there taste in empty words?

For my wrath cannot cease; for I perceive my food as the smell of a lion to be loathsome.

For oh that he would grant my desire, and my petition might come, and the Lord would grant my hope!

Let the Lord begin and wound me, but let him not utterly destroy me.

Let the grave be my city, upon the walls of which I have leaped: I will not shrink from it; for I have not denied the holy words of my God.

For what is my strength, that I continue? what is my time, that my soul endures?

Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

Or have I not trusted in him? but help is far from me.

Mercy has rejected me; and the visitation of the Lord has disregarded me.

My nearest relations have not regarded me; they have passed me by like a failing brook, or like a wave.

They who used to reverence me, now have come against me like snow or congealed ice.

When it has melted at the approach of heat, it is not known what it was.

Thus I also have been deserted of all; and I am ruined, and become an outcast.

Behold the ways of the Thæmanites, ye that mark the paths of the Sabæans.

They too that trust in cities and riches shall come to shame.

But ye also have come to me without pity; so that beholding my wound ye are afraid.

What? have I made any demand of you? or do I ask for strength from you,

to deliver me from enemies, or to rescue me from the hand of the mighty ones?

Teach ye me, and I will be silent: if in anything I have erred, tell me.

But as it seems, the words of a true man are vain, because I do not ask strength of you.

Neither will your reproof cause me to cease my words, for neither will I endure the sound of your speech.

Even because ye attack the fatherless, and insult your friend.

But now, having looked upon your countenances, I will not lie.

Sit down now, and let there not be unrighteousness; and unite again with the just.

For there is no injustice in my tongue; and does not my throat meditate understanding?

Is not the life of man upon earth a state of trial? and his existence as that of a hireling by the day?

Or as a servant that fears his master, and one who has grasped a shadow? or as a hireling waiting for his pay?

So have I also endured months of vanity, and nights of pain have been appointed me.

Whenever I lie down, I say, When will it be day? and whenever I rise up, again I say when will it be evening? and I am full of pains from evening to morning.

And my body is covered with loathsome worms; and I waste away, scraping off clods of dust from my eruption.

And my life is lighter than a word, and has perished in vain hope.

Remember then that my life is breath, and mine eye shall not yet again see good.

The eye of him that sees me shall not see me again: thine eyes are upon me, and I am no more.

I am as a cloud that is cleared away from the sky: for if a man go down to the grave, he shall not come up again:

and he shall surely not return to his own house, neither shall his place know him any more.

Then neither will I refrain my mouth: I will speak being in distress; being in anguish I will disclose the bitterness of my soul.

Am I a sea, or a serpent, that thou hast set a watch over me?

I said that my bed should comfort me, and I would privately counsel with myself on my couch.

Thou scarest me with dreams, and dost terrify me with visions.

Thou wilt separate life from my spirit; and yet keep my bones from death.

For I shall not live for ever, that I should patiently endure: depart from me, for my life is vain.

For what is man, that thou hast magnified him? or that thou givest heed to him?

Wilt thou visit him till the morning, and judge him till the time of rest?

How long dost thou not let me alone, nor let me go, until I shall swallow down my spittle?

If I have sinned, what shall I be able to do, O thou that understandest the mind of men? why hast thou made me as thine accuser, and why am I a burden to thee?

Why hast thou not forgotten my iniquity, and purged my sin? but now I shall depart to the earth; and in the morning, I am no more.

Then Baldad the Sauchite answered, and said,

How long wilt thou speak these things, how long shall the breath of thy mouth be abundant in words?

Will the Lord be unjust when he judges; or will he that has made all things pervert justice?

If thy sons have sinned before him, he has cast them away because of their transgression.

But be thou early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.

If thou art pure and true, he will hearken to thy supplication, and will restore to thee the habitation of righteousness.

Though then thy beginning should be small, yet thy end should be unspeakably great.

For ask of the former generation, and search diligently among the race of our fathers:

(for we are of yesterday, and know nothing; for our life upon the earth is a shadow:)

shall not these teach thee, and report to thee, and bring out words from their heart?

Does the rush flourish without water, or shall the flag grow up without moisture?

When it is yet on the root, and though it has not been cut down, does not any herb wither before it has received moisture?

Thus then shall be the end of all that forget the Lord: for the hope of the ungodly shall perish.

For his house shall be without inhabitants, and his tent shall prove a spider's web.

If he should prop up his house, it shall not stand: and when he has taken hold of it, it shall not remain.

For it is moist under the sun, and his branch shall come forth out of his dung-heap.

He lies down upon a gathering of stones, and shall live in the midst of flints.

If God should destroy him, his place shall deny him. Hast thou not seen such things,

that such is the overthrow of the ungodly? and out of the earth another shall grow.

For the Lord will by no means reject the harmless man; but he will not receive any gift of the ungodly.

But he will fill with laughter the mouth of the sincere, and their lips with thanksgiving.

But their adversaries shall clothe themselves with shame; and the habitation of the ungodly shall perish.

Then Job answered and said,

I know of a truth that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord?

For if he would enter into judgment with him, God would not hearken to him, so that he should answer to one of his charges of a thousand.

For he is wise in mind, and mighty, and great: who has hardened himself against him and endured?

Who wears out the mountains, and men know it not: who overturns them in anger.

Who shakes the earth under heaven from its foundations, and its pillars totter.

Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and he seals up the stars.

Who alone has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground.

Who makes Pleias, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the chambers of the south.

Who does great and unsearchable things; glorious also and excellent things, innumerable.

If ever he should go beyond me, I shall not see him: if he should pass by me, neither thus have I known it.

If he would take away, who shall turn him back? or who shall say to him, What hast thou done?

For if he has turned away his anger, the whales under heaven have stooped under him.

Oh then that he would hearken to me, or judge my cause.

For though I be righteous, he will not hearken to me: I will intreat his judgment.

And if I should call and he should not hearken, I cannot believe that he has listened to my voice.

Let him not crush me with a dark storm: but he has made my bruises many without cause.

For he suffers me not to take breath, but he has filled me with bitterness.

For indeed he is strong in power: who then shall resist his judgment?

For though I should seem righteous, my mouth will be profane: and though I should seem blameless, I shall be proved perverse.

For even if I have sinned, I know it not in my soul: but my life is taken away.

Wherefore I said, Wrath slays the great and mighty man.

For the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn.

For they are delivered into the hands of the unrighteous man: he covers the faces of the judges of the earth: but if it be not he, who is it?

But my life is swifter than a post: my days have fled away, and they knew it not.

Or again, is there a trace of their path left by ships? or is there one of the flying eagle as it seeks its prey?

And if I should say, I will forget to speak, I will bow down my face and groan;

I quake in all my limbs, for I know that thou wilt not leave me alone as innocent.

But since I am ungodly, why have I not died?

For if I should wash myself with snow, and purge myself with pure hands,

thou hadst thoroughly plunged me in filth, and my garment had abhorred me.

For thou art not man like me, with whom I could contend, that we might come together to judgment.

Would that he our mediator were present, and a reprover, and one who should hear the cause between both.

Let him remove his rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

so shall I not be afraid, but I will speak: for I am not thus conscious of guilt.

Weary in my soul, I will pour my words with groans upon him: I will speak being straitened in the bitterness of my soul.

And I will say to the Lord, Do not teach me to be impious; and wherefore hast thou thus judged me?

Is it good before thee if I be unrighteous? for thou hast disowned the work of thy hands, and attended to the counsel of the ungodly.

Or dost thou see as a mortal sees? or wilt thou look as a man sees?

Or is thy life human, or thy years the years of a man,

that thou hast enquired into mine iniquity, and searched out my sins?

For thou knowest that I have not committed iniquity: but who is he that can deliver out of thy hands?

Thy hands have formed me and made me; afterwards thou didst change thy mind, and smite me.

Remember that thou hast made me as clay, and thou dost turn me again to earth.

Hast thou not poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese?

And thou didst clothe me with skin and flesh, and frame me with bones and sinews.

And thou didst bestow upon me life and mercy, and thy oversight has preserved my spirit.

Having these things in thyself, I know that thou canst do all things; for nothing is impossible with thee.

And if I should sin, thou watchest me; and thou hast not cleared me from iniquity.

Or if I should be ungodly, woe is me: and if I should be righteous, I cannot lift myself up, for I am full of dishonour.

For I am hunted like a lion for slaughter; for again thou hast changed and art terribly destroying me;

renewing against me my torture: and thou hast dealt with me in great anger, and thou hast brought trials upon me.

Why then didst thou bring me out of the womb? and why did I not die, and no eye see me,

and I become as if I had not been? for why was I not carried from the womb to the grave?

Is not the time of my life short? suffer me to rest a little,

before I go whence I shall not return, to a land of darkness and gloominess;

to a land of perpetual darkness, where there is no light, neither can any one see the life of mortals.

Then Sophar the Minæan answered and said,

He that speaks much, should also hear on the other side: or does the fluent speaker think himself to be righteous? blessed is the short-lived offspring of woman.

Be not a speaker of many words; for is there none to answer thee?

For say not, I am pure in my works, and blameless before him.

But oh that the Lord would speak to thee, and open his lips with thee!

Then shall he declare to thee the power of wisdom; for it shall be double of that which is with thee: and then shalt thou know, that a just recompence of thy sins has come to thee from the Lord.

Wilt thou find out the traces of the Lord? or hast thou come to the end of that which the Almighty has made?

Heaven is high; and what wilt thou do? and there are deeper things than those in hell; what dost thou know?

Or longer than the measure of the earth, or the breadth of the sea.

And if he should overthrow all things, who will say to him, What hast thou done?

For he knows the works of transgressors; and when he sees wickedness, he will not overlook it.

But man vainly buoys himself up with words; and a mortal born of woman is like an ass of the desert.

For if thou hast made thine heart pure, and liftest up thine hands towards him;

if there is any iniquity in thy hands, put it far from thee, and let not unrighteousness lodge in thy habitation.

For thus shall thy countenance shine again, as pure water; and thou shalt divest thyself of uncleanness, and shalt not fear.

And thou shalt forget trouble, as a wave that has passed by; and thou shalt not be scared.

And thy prayer shall be as the morning star, and life shall arise to thee as from the noon-day.

And thou shalt be confident, because thou hast hope; and peace shall dawn to thee from out of anxiety and care.

For thou shalt be at ease, and there shall be no one to fight against thee; and many shall charge, and make supplication to thee.

But safety shall fail them; for their hope is destruction, and the eyes of the ungodly shall waste away.

And Job answered and said,

So then ye alone are men, and wisdom shall die with you?

But I also have a heart as well as you.

For a righteous and blameless man has become a subject for mockery.

For it had been ordained that he should fall under others at the appointed time, and that his houses should be spoiled by transgressors: let not however any one trust that, being evil, he shall be held guiltless,

even as many as provoke the Lord, as if there were indeed to be no inquisition made of them.

But ask now the beasts, if they may speak to thee; and the birds of the air, if they may declare to thee.

Tell the earth, if it may speak to thee: and the fishes of the sea shall explain to thee.

Who then has not known in all these things, that the hand of the Lord has made them?

Whereas the life of all living things is in his hand, and the breath of every man.

For the ear tries words, and the palate tastes meats.

In length of time is wisdom, and in long life knowledge.

With him are wisdom and power, with him counsel and understanding.

If he should cast down, who will build up? if he should shut up against men, who shall open?

If he should withhold the water, he will dry the earth: and if he should let it loose, he overthrows and destroys it.

With him are strength and power: he has knowledge and understanding.

He leads counsellors away captive, and maddens the judges of the earth.

He seats kings upon thrones, and girds their loins with a girdle.

He sends away priests into captivity, and overthrows the mighty ones of the earth.

He changes the lips of the trusty, and he knows the understanding of the elders.

He pours dishonour upon princes, and heals the lowly.

Revealing deep things out of darkness: and he has brought into light the shadow of death.

Causing the nations to wander, and destroying them: overthrowing the nations, and leading them away.

Perplexing the minds of the princes of the earth: and he causes them to wander in a way they have not known, saying,

Let them grope in darkness, and let there be no light, and let them wander as a drunken man.

Behold, mine eye has seen these things, and mine ear has heard them.

And I know all that ye too know; and I have not less understanding than you.

Nevertheless I will speak to the Lord, and I will reason before him, if he will.

But ye are all bad physicians, and healers of diseases.

But would that ye were silent, and it would be wisdom to you in the end.

But hear ye the reasoning of my mouth, and attend to the judgment of my lips.

Do ye not speak before the Lord, and utter deceit before him?

Or will ye draw back? nay, do ye yourselves be judges.

For it were well if he would thoroughly search you: for though doing all things in your power ye should attach yourselves to him,

he will not reprove you at all the less: but if moreover ye should secretly respect persons,

shall not his whirlpool sweep you round, and terror from him fall upon you?

And your glorying shall prove in the end to you like ashes, and your body like a body of clay.

Be silent, that I may speak, and cease from mine anger,

while I may take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand.

Though the Mighty One should lay hand upon me, forasmuch as he has begun, verily I will speak, and plead before him.

And this shall turn to me for salvation; for fraud shall have no entrance before him.

Hear, hear ye my words, for I will declare in your hearing.

Behold, I am near my judgment: I know that I shall appear evidently just.

For who is he that shall plead with me, that I should now be silent, and expire?

But grant me two things: then I will not hide myself from thy face.

Withhold thine hand from me: and let not thy fear terrify me.

Then shalt thou call, and I will hearken to thee: or thou shalt speak, and I will give thee an answer.

How many are my sins and my transgressions? teach me what they are.

Wherefore hidest thou thyself from me, and deemest me thine enemy?

Wilt thou be startled at me, as at a leaf shaken by the wind? or wilt thou set thyself against me as against grass borne upon the breeze?

For thou hast written evil things against me, and thou hast compassed me with the sins of my youth.

And thou hast placed my foot in the stocks; and thou hast watched all my works, and hast penetrated to my heels.

I am as that which waxes old like a bottle, or like a moth-eaten garment.

For a mortal born of a woman is short-lived, and full of wrath.

Or he falls like a flower that has bloomed; and he departs like a shadow, and cannot continue.

Hast thou not taken account even of him, and caused him to enter into judgment before thee?

For who shall be pure from uncleanness? not even one;

if even his life should be but one day upon the earth: and his months are numbered by him: thou hast appointed him for a time, and he shall by no means exceed it.

Depart from him, that he may be quiet, and take pleasure in his life, though as a hireling.

For there is hope for a tree, even if it should be cut down, that it shall blossom again, and its branch shall not fail.

For though its root should grow old in the earth, and its stem die in the rock;

it will blossom from the scent of water, and will produce a crop, as one newly planted.

But a man that has died is utterly gone; and when a mortal has fallen, he is no more.

For the sea wastes in length of time, and a river fails and is dried up.

And man that has lain down in death shall certainly not rise again till the heaven be dissolved, and they shall not awake from their sleep.

For oh that thou hadst kept me in the grave, and hadst hidden me until thy wrath should cease, and thou shouldest set me a time in which thou wouldest remember me!

For if a man should die, shall he live again, having accomplished the days of his life? I will wait till I exist again?

Then shalt thou call, and I will hearken to thee: but do not thou reject the work of thine hands.

But thou hast numbered my devices: and not one of my sins shall escape thee?

And thou hast sealed up my transgressions in a bag, and marked if I have been guilty of any transgression unawares.

And verily a mountain falling will utterly be destroyed, and a rock shall be worn out of its place.

The waters wear the stones, and waters falling headlong overflow a heap of the earth: and thou destroyest the hope of man.

Thou drivest him to an end, and he is gone: thou settest thy face against him, and sendest him away;

and though his children be multiplied, he knows it not; and if they be few, he is not aware.

But his flesh is in pain, and his soul mourns.

Then Eliphaz the Thæmanite answered and said,

Will a wise man give for answer a mere breath of wisdom? and does he fill up the pain of his belly,

reasoning with improper sayings, and with words wherein is no profit?

Hast not thou moreover cast off fear, and accomplished such words before the Lord?

Thou art guilty by the words of thy mouth, neither hast thou discerned the words of the mighty.

Let thine own mouth, and not me, reprove thee: and thy lips shall testify against thee.

What! art thou the first man that was born? or wert thou established before the hills?

Or hast thou heard the ordinance of the Lord? or has God used thee as his counsellor? and has wisdom come only to thee?

For what knowest thou, that we know not? or what understandest thou, which we do not also?

Truly among us are both the old and very aged man, more advanced in days than thy father.

Thou hast been scourged for but few of thy sins: thou hast spoken haughtily and extravagantly.

What has thine heart dared? or what have thine eyes aimed at,

that thou hast vented thy rage before the Lord, and delivered such words from thy mouth?

For who, being a mortal, is such that he shall be blameless? or, who that is born of a woman, that he should be just?

Forasmuch as he trusts not his saints; and the heaven is not pure before him.

Alas then, abominable and unclean is man, drinking unrighteousness as a draught.

But I will tell thee, hearken to me; I will tell thee now what I have seen;

things wise men say, and their fathers have not hidden.

To them alone the earth was given, and no stranger came upon them.

All the life of the ungodly is spent in care, and the years granted to the oppressor are numbered.

And his terror is in his ears: just when he seems to be at peace, his overthrow will come.

Let him not trust that he shall return from darkness, for he has been already made over to the power of the sword.

And he has been appointed to be food for vultures; and he knows within himself that he is doomed to be a carcase: and a dark day shall carry him away as with a whirlwind.

Distress also and anguish shall come upon him: he shall fall as a captain in the first rank.

For he has lifted his hands against the Lord, and he has hardened his neck against the Almighty Lord.

And he has run against him with insolence, on the thickness of the back of his shield.

For he has covered his face with his fat, and made layers of fat upon his thighs.

And let him lodge in desolate cities, and enter into houses without inhabitant: and what they have prepared, others shall carry away.

Neither shall he at all grow rich, nor shall his substance remain: he shall not cast a shadow upon the earth.

Neither shall he in any wise escape the darkness: let the wind blast his blossom, and let his flower fall off.

Let him not think that he shall endure; for his end shall be vanity.

His harvest shall perish before the time, and his branch shall not flourish.

And let him be gathered as the unripe grape before the time, and let him fall as the blossom of the olive.

For death is the witness of an ungodly man, and fire shall burn the houses of them that receive gifts.

And he shall conceive sorrows, and his end shall be vanity, and his belly shall bear deceit.

But Job answered and said,

I have heard many such things: poor comforters are ye all.

What! is there any reason in vain words? or what will hinder thee from answering?

I also will speak as ye do: if indeed your soul were in my soul's stead, then would I insult you with words, and I would shake my head at you.

And would there were strength in my mouth, and I would not spare the movement of my lips.

For if I should speak, I shall not feel the pain of my wound: and if I should be silent, how shall I be wounded the less?

But now he has made me weary, and a worn-out fool; and thou hast laid hold of me.

My falsehood has become a testimony, and has risen up against me: it has confronted me to my face.

In his anger he has cast me down; he has gnashed his teeth upon me: the weapons of his robbers have fallen upon me.

He has attacked me with the keen glances of his eyes; with his sharp spear he has smitten me down upon my knees; and they have run upon me with one accord.

For the Lord has delivered me into the hands of unrighteous men, and thrown me upon the ungodly.

When I was at peace he distracted me: he took me by the hair of the head, and plucked it out: he set me up as a mark.

They surrounded me with spears, aiming at my reins: without sparing me they poured out my gall upon the ground.

They overthrew me with fall upon fall: they ran upon me in their might.

They sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and my strength has been spent on the ground.

My belly has been parched with wailing, and darkness is on my eyelids.

Yet there was no injustice in my hands, and my prayer is pure.

Earth, cover not over the blood of my flesh, and let my cry have no place.

And now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.

Let my supplication come to the Lord, and let mine eye weep before him.

Oh that a man might plead before the Lord, even as the son of man with his neighbour!

But my years are numbered and their end come, and I shall go by the way by which I shall not return.

I perish, carried away by the wind, and I seek for burial, and obtain it not.

Weary I intreat; and what have I done? and strangers have stolen my goods.

Who is this? let him join hands with me.

For thou hast hid their heart from wisdom; therefore thou shalt not exalt them.

He shall promise mischief to his companions: but their eyes have failed for their children.

But thou hast made me a byword among the nations, and I am become a scorn to them.

For my eyes are dimmed through pain; I have been grievously beset by all.

Wonder has seized true men upon this; and let the just rise up against the transgressor.

But let the faithful hold on his own way, and let him that is pure of hands take courage.

Howbeit, do ye all strengthen yourselves and come now, for I do not find truth in you.

My days have passed in groaning, and my heart-strings are broken.

I have turned the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.

For if I remain, Hades is my habitation: and my bed has been made in darkness.

I have called upon death to be my father, and corruption to be my mother and sister.

Where then is yet my hope? or where shall I see my good?

Will they go down with me to Hades, or shall we go down together to the tomb?

Then Baldad the Sauchite answered and said,

How long wilt thou continue? forbear, that we also may speak.

For wherefore have we been silent before thee like brutes?

Anger has possessed thee: for what if thou shouldest die; would the earth under heaven be desolate? or shall the mountains be overthrown from their foundations?

But the light of the ungodly shall be quenched, and their flame shall not go up.

His light shall be darkness in his habitation, and his lamp shall be put out with him.

Let the meanest of men spoil his goods, and let his counsel deceive him.

His foot also has been caught in a snare, and let it be entangled in a net.

And let snares come upon him: he shall strengthen those that thirst for his destruction.

His snare is hid in the earth, and that which shall take him is by the path.

Let pains destroy him round about, and let many enemies come about him,

vex him with distressing hunger: and a signal destruction has been prepared for him.

Let the soles of his feet be devoured: and death shall consume his beauty.

And let health be utterly banished from his tabernacle, and let distress seize upon him with a charge from the king.

It shall dwell in his tabernacle in his night: his excellency shall be sown with brimstone.

His roots shall be dried up from beneath, and his crop shall fall away from above.

Let his memorial perish out of the earth, and his name shall be publicly cast out.

Let one drive him from light into darkness.

He shall not be known among his people, nor his house preserved on the earth.

But strangers shall dwell in his possessions: the last groaned for him, and wonder seized the first.

These are the houses of the unrighteous, and this is the place of them that know not the Lord.

Then Job answered and said,

How long will ye vex my soul, and destroy me with words? only know that the Lord has dealt with me thus.

Ye speak against me; ye do not feel for me, but bear hard upon me.

Yea verily, I have erred in truth, (but the error abides with myself) in having spoken words which it was not right to speak; and my words err, and are unseasonable.

But alas! for ye magnify yourselves against me, and insult me with reproach.

Know then that it is the Lord that has troubled me, and has raised his bulwark against me.

Behold, I laugh at reproach; I will not speak: or I will cry out, but there is nowhere judgment.

I am fenced round about, and can by no means escape: he has set darkness before my face.

And he has stripped me of my glory, and has taken the crown from my head.

He has torn me round about, and I am gone: and he has cut off my hope like a tree.

And he has dreadfully handled me in anger, and has counted me for an enemy.

His troops also came upon me with one accord, liers in wait compassed my ways.

My brethren have stood aloof from me; they have recognised strangers rather than me: and my friends have become pitiless.

My nearest of kin have not acknowledged me, and they that knew my name, have forgotten me.

As for my household, and my maid-servants, I was a stranger before them.

I called my servant, and he hearkened not; and my mouth intreated him.

And I besought my wife, and earnestly intreated the sons of my concubines.

But they rejected me for ever; whenever I rise up, they speak against me.

They that saw me abhorred me: the very persons whom I had loved, rose up against me.

My flesh is corrupt under my skin, and my bones are held in my teeth.

Pity me, pity me, O friends; for it is the hand of the Lord that has touched me.

Wherefore do ye persecute me as also the Lord does, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

For oh that my words were written, and that they were recorded in a book for ever,

with an iron pen and lead, or graven in the rocks!

For I know that he is eternal who is about to deliver me,

and to raise up upon the earth my skin that endures these sufferings: for these things have been accomplished to me of the Lord;

which I am conscious of in myself, which mine eye has seen, and not another, but all have been fulfilled to me in my bosom.

But if ye shall also say, What shall we say before him, and so find the root of the matter in him?

Do ye also beware of deceit: for wrath will come upon transgressors; and then shall they know where their substance is.

Then Sophar the Minæan answered and said,

I did not suppose that thou wouldest answer thus: neither do ye understand more than I.

I will hear my shameful reproach; and the spirit of my understanding answers me.

Hast thou not known these things of old, from the time that man was set upon the earth?

But the mirth of the ungodly is a signal downfall, and the joy of transgressors is destruction:

although his gifts should go up to heaven, and his sacrifice reach the clouds.

For when he shall seem to be now established, then he shall utterly perish: and they that knew him shall say, Where is he?

Like a dream that has fled away, he shall not be found; and he has fled like a vision of the night.

The eye has looked upon him, but shall not see him again; and his place shall no longer perceive him.

Let his inferiors destroy his children, and let his hands kindle the fire of sorrow.

His bones have been filled with vigour of his youth, and it shall lie down with him in the dust.

Though evil be sweet in his mouth, though he will hide it under his tongue;

though he will not spare it, and will not leave it, but will keep it in the midst of his throat:

yet he shall not at all be able to help himself; the gall of an asp is in his belly.

His wealth unjustly collected shall be vomited up; a messenger of wrath shall drag him out of his house.

And let him suck the poison of serpents, and let the serpent's tongue slay him.

Let him not see the milk of the pastures, nor the supplies of honey and butter.

He has laboured unprofitably and in vain, for wealth of which he shall not taste: it is as a lean thing, unfit for food, which he cannot swallow.

For he has broken down the houses of many mighty men: and he has plundered an habitation, though he built it not.

There is no security to his possessions; he shall not be saved by his desire.

There is nothing remaining of his provisions; therefore his goods shall not flourish.

But when he shall seem to be just satisfied, he shall be straitened; and all distress shall come upon him.

If by any means he would fill his belly, let God send upon him the fury of wrath; let him bring a torrent of pains upon him.

And he shall by no means escape from the power of the sword; let the brazen bow wound him.

And let the arrow pierce through his body; and let the stars be against his dwelling-place: let terrors come upon him.

And let all darkness wait for him: a fire that burns not out shall consume him; and let a stranger plague his house.

And let the heaven reveal his iniquities, and the earth rise up against him.

Let destruction bring his house to an end; let a day of wrath come upon him.

This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord, and the possession of his goods appointed him by the all-seeing God.

But Job answered and said,

Hear ye, hear ye my words, that I may not have this consolation from you.

Raise me, and I will speak; then ye shall not laugh me to scorn.

What! is my reproof of man? and why should I not be angry?

Look upon me, and wonder, laying your hand upon your cheek.

For even when I remember, I am alarmed, and pains seize my flesh.

Wherefore do the ungodly live, and grow old even in wealth?

Their seed is according to their desire, and their children are in their sight.

Their houses are prosperous, neither have they any where cause for fear, neither is there a scourge from the Lord upon them.

Their cow does not cast her calf, and their beast with young is safe, and does not miscarry.

And they remain as an unfailing flock, and their children play before them, taking up the psaltery and harp;

and they rejoice at the voice of a song.

And they spend their days in wealth, and fall asleep in the rest of the grave.

Yet such a man says to the Lord, Depart from me; I desire not to know thy ways.

What is the Mighty One, that we should serve him? and what profit is there that we should approach him?

For their good things were in their hands, but he regards not the works of the ungodly.

Nevertheless, the lamp of the ungodly also shall be put out, and destruction shall come upon them, and pangs of vengeance shall seize them.

And they shall be as chaff before the wind, or as dust which the storm has taken up.

Let his substance fail to supply his children: God shall recompense him, and he shall know it.

Let his eyes see his own destruction, and let him not be saved by the Lord.

For his desire is in his house with him, and the number of his months has been suddenly cut off.

Is it not the Lord who teaches understanding and knowledge? and does not he judge murders?

One shall die in his perfect strength, and wholly at ease and prosperous;

and his inwards are full of fat, and his marrow is diffused throughout him.

And another dies in bitterness of soul, not eating any good thing.

But they lie down in the earth together, and corruption covers them.

So I know you, that ye presumptuously attack me:

so that ye will say, Where is the house of the prince? and where is the covering of the tabernacles of the ungodly?

Ask those that go by the way, and do not disown their tokens.

For the wicked hastens to the day of destruction: they shall be led away for the day of his vengeance.

Who will tell him his way to his face, whereas he has done it? who shall recompense him?

And he has been led away to the tombs, and he has watched over the heaps.

The stones of the valley have been sweet to him, and every man shall depart after him, and there are innumerable ones before him.

How then do ye comfort me in vain? whereas I have no rest from your molestation.

Then Eliphaz the Thæmanite answered and said,

Is it not the Lord that teaches understanding and knowledge?

For what matters it to the Lord, if thou wert blameless in thy works? or is it profitable that thou shouldest perfect thy way?

Wilt thou maintain and plead thine own cause? and will he enter into judgment with thee?

Is not thy wickedness abundant, and thy sins innumerable?

And thou hast taken security of thy brethren for nothing, and hast taken away the clothing of the naked.

Neither hast thou given water to the thirsty to drink, but hast taken away the morsel of the hungry.

And thou hast accepted the persons of some; and thou hast established those that were already settled on the earth.

But thou hast sent widows away empty, and hast afflicted orphans.

Therefore snares have compassed thee, and disastrous war has troubled thee.

The light has proved darkness to thee, and water has covered thee on thy lying down.

Does not he that dwells in the high places observe? and has he not brought down the proud?

And thou hast said, What does the Mighty One know? does he judge in the dark?

A cloud is his hiding-place, and he shall not be seen; and he passes through the circle of heaven.

Wilt thou not mark the old way, which righteous men have trodden?

who were seized before their time: their foundations are as an overflowing stream.

Who say, What will the Lord do to us? or what will the Almighty bring upon us?

Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from him.

The righteous have seen it, and laughed, and the blameless one has derided them.

Verily their substance has been utterly destroyed, and the fire shall devour what is left of their property.

Be firm, I pray thee, if thou canst endure; then thy fruit shall prosper.

And receive a declaration from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

And if thou shalt turn and humble thyself before the Lord, thou hast thus removed unrighteousness far from thy habitation.

Thou shalt lay up for thyself treasure in a heap on the rock; and Sophir shall be as the rock of the torrent.

So the Almighty shall be thy helper from enemies, and he shall bring thee forth pure as silver that has been tried by fire.

Then shalt thou have boldness before the Lord, looking up cheerfully to heaven.

And he shall hear thee when thou prayest to him, and he shall grant thee power to pay thy vows.

And he shall establish to thee again a habitation of righteousness and there shall be light upon thy paths.

Because thou hast humbled thyself; and thou shalt say, Man has behaved proudly, but he shall save him that is of lowly eyes.

He shall deliver the innocent, and do thou save thyself by thy pure hands.

Then Job answered and said,

Yea, I know that pleading is out of my reach; and his hand has been made heavy upon my groaning.

Who would then know that I might find him, and come to an end of the matter?

And I would plead my own cause, and he would fill my mouth with arguments.

And I would know the remedies which he would speak to me, and I would perceive what he would tell me.

Though he should come on me in his great strength, then he would not threaten me;

for truth and reproof are from him; and he would bring forth my judgment to an end.

For if I shall go first, and exist no longer, still what do I know concerning the latter end?

When he wrought on the left hand, then I observed it not: his right hand shall encompass me but I shall not see it.

For he knows already my way; and he has tried me as gold.

And I will go forth according to his commandments, for I have kept his ways; and I shall not turn aside from his commandments,

neither shall I transgress; but I have hid his words in my bosom.

And if too he has thus judged, who is he that has contradicted, for he has both willed a thing and done it.

Therefore am I troubled at him; and when I was reproved, I thought of him. Therefore let me take good heed before him: I will consider, and be afraid of him.

But the Lord has softened my heart, and the Almighty has troubled me.

For I knew not that darkness would come upon me, and thick darkness has covered me before my face.

But why have the seasons been hidden from the Lord,

while the ungodly have passed over the bound, carrying off the flock with the shepherd?

They have led away the ass of the fatherless, and taken the widow's ox for a pledge.

They have turned aside the weak from the right way: and the meek of the earth have hidden themselves together.

And they have departed like asses in the field, having gone forth on my account according to their own order: his bread is sweet to his little ones.

They have reaped a field that was not their own before the time: the poor have laboured in the vineyards of the ungodly without pay and without food.

They have caused many naked to sleep without clothes, and they have taken away the covering of their body.

They are wet with the drops of the mountains: they have embraced the rock, because they had no shelter.

They have snatched the fatherless from the breast, and have afflicted the outcast.

And they have wrongfully caused others to sleep without clothing, and taken away the morsel of the hungry.

They have unrighteously laid wait in narrow places, and have not known the righteous way.

Who have cast forth the poor from the city and their own houses, and the soul of the children has groaned aloud.

Why then has he not visited these? forasmuch as they were upon the earth, and took no notice, and they knew not the way of righteousness, neither have they walked in their appointed paths?

But having known their works, he delivered them into darkness: and in the night one will be as a thief:

and the eye of the adulterer has watched for the darkness, saying, Eye shall not perceive me, and he puts a covering on his face.

In darkness he digs through houses: by day they conceal themselves securely: they know not the light.

For the morning is to them all as the shadow of death, for each will be conscious of the terror of the shadow of death.

He is swift on the face of the water: let his portion be cursed on the earth; and let their plants be laid bare.

Let them be withered upon the earth; for they have plundered the sheaves of the fatherless.

Then is his sin brought to remembrance, and he vanishes like a vapour of dew: but let what he has done be recompensed to him, and let every unrighteous one be crushed like rotten wood.

For he has not treated the barren woman well, and has had no pity on a feeble woman.

And in wrath he has overthrown the helpless: therefore when he has arisen, a man will not feel secure of his own life.

When he has fallen sick, let him not hope to recover: but let him perish by disease.

For his exaltation has hurt many; but he has withered as mallows in the heat, or as an ear of corn falling off of itself from the stalk.

But if not, who is he that says I speak falsely, and will make my words of no account?

Then Baldad the Sauchite answered and said,

What beginning or fear is his—even he that makes all things in the highest?

For let none think that there is a respite for robbers: and upon whom will there not come a snare from him?

For how shall a mortal be just before the Lord? or who that is born of a woman shall purify himself?

If he gives an order to the moon, then it shines not; and the stars are not pure before him.

But alas! man is corruption, and the son of man a worm.

But Job answered and said,

To whom dost thou attach thyself, or whom art thou going to assist? is it not he that has much strength, and he who has a strong arm?

To whom hast thou given counsel? is it not to him who has all wisdom? whom wilt thou follow? is it not one who has the greatest power?

To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose breath is it that has come forth from thee?

Shall giants be born from under the water and the inhabitants thereof?

Hell is naked before him, and destruction has no covering.

He stretches out the north wind upon nothing, and he upon nothing hangs the earth;

binding water in his clouds, and the cloud is not rent under it.

He keeps back the face of his throne, stretching out his cloud upon it.

He has encompassed the face of the water by an appointed ordinance, until the end of light and darkness.

The pillars of heaven are prostrate and astonished at his rebuke.

He has calmed the sea with his might, and by his wisdom the whale has been overthrown.

And the barriers of heaven fear him, and by a command he has slain the apostate dragon.

Behold, these are parts of his way; and we will hearken to him at the least intimation of his word: but the strength of his thunder who knows, when he shall employ it?

And Job further continued and said in his parable,

As God lives, who has thus judged me; and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul;

verily, while my breath is yet in me, and the breath of God which remains to me is in my nostrils,

my lips shall not speak evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts.

Far be it from me that I should justify you till I die; for I will not let go my innocence,

but keeping fast to my righteousness I will by no means let it go: for I am not conscious to myself of having done any thing amiss.

Nay rather, but let mine enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me, as the destruction of transgressors.

For what is the hope of the ungodly, that he holds to it? will he indeed trust in the Lord and be saved?

Will God hear his prayer? or, when distress has come upon him,

has he any confidence before him? or will God hear him as he calls upon him?

Yet now I will tell you what is in the hand of the Lord: I will not lie concerning the things which are with the Almighty.

Behold, ye all know that ye are adding vanity to vanity.

This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord, and the possession of oppressors shall come upon them from the Almighty.

And if their children be many, they shall be for slaughter: and if they grow up, they shall beg.

And they that survive of him shall utterly perish, and no one shall pity their widows.

Even if he should gather silver as earth, and prepare gold as clay;

all these things shall the righteous gain, and the truehearted shall possess his wealth.

And his house is gone like moths, and like a spider's web.

The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is not.