Book of Job

Chapter 1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and he was a man righteous, pure, just, and a fearer of God, and he refrained with his heart from every evil deed. And he had seven sons and three daughters. And his cattle were seven hundred, and his sheep three hundred, and his camels five hundred yoke, and his oxen five hundred, and his she-asses five hundred. And his servants were many, exceedingly, and his work was great upon the earth; and he was a good man in the land of the East, in the rising of the sun. And his sons would go and gather together in fellowship, and they would make a feast every day, and they would take their three sisters, and they would eat and drink with them. And when the days of their circumcision were completed, Job would send them before God, and he would make a feast for them, and he would sacrifice in the morning, and he would offer an offering on their behalf, for each one of them. And he would sacrifice a lamb for the sin of his soul.

And Job said, "Would that my children were more numerous than the evil against the Lord." And thus Job did throughout all the days of his life. And after that day, the angels of the Lord came, and Satan also came with them, and he stood in his place. 10. And the Lord said to Satan, "From where have you come?" And Satan bowed down to the Lord and said to him, "I have encircled the whole earth and I have wandered beneath the sky, and I have come." And the Lord said to Satan, "You have no accusation to bring against my servant Job, for there is no one like him upon the earth, a man pure, righteous, and a fearer of the Lord, and he refrains with his heart from every evil deed." And Satan bowed down before the Lord and said, "Is it not in vain that Job worships the Lord? And all that you have given him and blessed him with, the work of his hands, and you have multiplied his livestock upon the earth? Indeed, you have sent to him from within and from outside his house.

And he said, "Put your hand and touch all that is his, until it is within your grasp, and I will bless you." And after that, the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that is his, and what you have sought, is within your hand until you touch it." And Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, rejoicing. And they were until that day, the children and the daughters of Job eating and drinking in the house of their elder brother. And one came who announced to Job and said to him, "The roofs of your tents have collapsed while they were being repaired, and your servants have been crushed while they were playing with their children." Others came who were fleeing, and they had taught them, and they killed your children with swords, and I alone escaped and came to announce to you. And while this one was announcing to Job, another came who announced to him and said to Job, "Fire fell from heaven and burned your sheep and consumed your cattle together, and I alone escaped and came to announce to you.

And while this one was telling this to Job, a third came who tells Job, and said to him, "The charioteers, the horses, and the three armies, many of them, killed your servants, and I, the camels and your donkeys, and they killed your servants with the sword, and I alone escaped, and I came to tell you." And while he was telling him this, a fourth came who tells him, and said to Job, "Your sons and your daughters, while they were eating and drinking in the house of their brother-in-law, a great wind came from the wilderness and destroyed the house, which had four corners. And the house fell upon your sons and your daughters, and they died, and I alone escaped, and I came to tell you." And then, when Job heard these words, Job arose and tore his garments and plucked the hair of his head, and fell upon the ground and prostrated himself. 23 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return to the earth. The Lord gave, and the Lord took away; and it happened as the Lord willed. Only blessed be the name of the Lord.

Chapter 2 And after that day, the angels of the Lord came and stood before the Lord, and Satan also came with them and stood before him. And the Lord said to Satan, "Whence have you come?" And Satan said, "When I was before the Lord, I went beneath the sky and examined everything, and I have come." And the Lord said to Satan, "Know that thus you are envious of my servant Job, for there is no man on earth like him, meek and righteous and good and pure and fearing the Lord, and he communes with his heart from all deeds, perfect, and again meek, and you desire to destroy his wealth in vain." And Satan answered the Lord and said, "What is the price? What is the price of all that he has acquired? A man gives the price of his soul." "Only, send your hand and touch his bones and his flesh and his blood in your presence, that he may bless you." 6. And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, I have given you his flesh and his bones and his blood into your hand; his soul, know." 7. And Satan went out from before the Lord, rejoicing, and he afflicted Job with an evil leprosy from his foot to his head.

And he took a potsherd and began to scrape his wound, and he sat in the ashes of the city and lay upon the ground and became a worm. 9. And after many days had passed, his wife said to Job, “Until when will you be patient in your suffering? Curse the Lord and die! Or else I will bear for the Lord a few days more, and I will not be patient, and I will end my life which remains.” “Behold, I have forgotten your memory because my sons and my daughters died in my womb, and I suffered in the pain of the sick, and I cried out and was silent in vain. “And you dwell in the dung and the wood, and all night you groan, and I wander and go about and go from place to place, and from house to house, and I beg from morning until the setting of the sun, like a bird seeking its young, and from the pain of my affliction. And only now do I read the word against the Lord and die.” 12. And Job looked at her and said, “How is it that you, one of the maidservants, speak well? We have received from the hand of the Lord, and why then should we be patient? And in all this that has befallen him, Job has not sinned against the Lord.

Chapter 3 And after this, Job covered his mouth and cursed the day on which he was born. And he said, "Cursed is the day on which I was born, and the night on which it was said, 'It is a male.'" Dark is that day, and the Lord does not pity him who is above, and light does not come into it. Darkness will find it, and the shadow of death will cover it, and the curse of the grave will come, that it may be that day. Darkness will come for that night, and it will not be counted among the days of the year, nor will it be numbered among the days of the months. For that day, affliction will find it, and joy and gladness will not come into it. Let him who cursed that day curse it again; let him who has it strike the great serpent. Let the stars of that night be darkened, and let them dwell where they do not see light. For they have darkened the pupils of my mother's womb, and they do not see where they steal what they have not brought forth, the pain from my eyes.

Why did I die in the womb, and why did I come forth from the womb, for I was strangled? Why did my knees grow strong, and why did I cling to the breast? When I lay down, then I was at rest; and when I slept, then I was at peace. Or with the kings who plotted evil upon the earth and judged with the sword. Or with the angels and nobles who multiplied gold and filled their houses with silver. And when I was like a child whom his mother’s womb cast out, there the sinners leave stones and cry out with the scourge of his wrath. And there rest those who are bound together in their flesh from the creation of the world. There are the small and the great, and infants who have not seen the light nor heard the voice of one who nurses them; there are the servants who have served their master; there is he. Why did you give light to the bitter and life to the blind of soul?

Those who try to avoid death and do not find it, and fear it like a sword, and rejoice if they can delay it—the rest of man is death, and the Lord has placed it before his mouth. And after my harvest, my punishment found me. I weep because of the grievous thing that found me, and the fear of what I have suffered found me, and what I have hoped for has deceived me. I did not grow weary, and I did not rest, and I did not escape, and punishment and affliction reached me. Chapter 4 And Eliphaz the Temanite began to speak and said: And he said, "If you multiply speech while you are in distress, what will your many words avail you? You who have silenced many and humbled the hands of the strong, And who have raised up the sick with your word and strengthened the knees of the weak, But now that illness has come to you and has touched you, you yourself have become foolish; you have entered from without. Is not your fear and your hope your destruction, and your path evil?

Remember that there is no purity for those who have sinned; the righteous are not lost and do not perish. And just as those who sow sin reap punishment as their harvest, so they are humbled by the command of the Lord and are tested by the punishment of His wrath. The lion’s claw and the lioness’s fang and the serpent’s venom are lost. And the wolves have consumed sin, and the cubs of lions have been consumed among themselves. 12. When you have done one righteous deed, all this from the fire has covered me; a word will arise and my ear will hear a voice from him who is before me; I did not believe the one who told me. The terror of the night and its coming will come upon a man as a deed. Fear has covered me, trembling and thunder have seized me, and truly you are the loosener of my bones. And my soul has passed from my face, and the hair of my head and my flesh have bristled. I arose and did not know you; I looked at you and did not recognize you; and you have no form before my eyes; your shadow is dark; I see you and I hear your voice.

And many are those who are pure among the dead before the Lord, and many are the people who are righteous in their deeds. To his servants, they are exceedingly faithful, and to his angels, they are pure, and they are honored. And those who dwell in houses of earth, and we also, from within one passage, find them consuming wood, and they do not cease from dawn until evening. And they do not cease from dawn until evening, for their prayer is salvation, and they humble themselves, bowing their heads. And their souls are wind, and they are dry, and they humble themselves, for they have no wisdom. Chapter 5 Call out, "How long until one who will instruct you comes, and how long until you see his holy angels?" For wrath kills the proud, and the proud die in envy. I have seen the root of destruction cut off, and at its time their wealth perished, and they departed from their lives. Their children are stoned within the streets, and they are despised, and there is no one to save them. Those who are the ones who have spoken, the righteous, they eat for themselves, and evil pursues them, and their strength is consumed.

Not from the earth does thirst come forth, nor from within the mountains does sickness sprout. Man is born for toil, and the young of birds fly upward. But only to the Lord of hosts do I pray and entreat the Lord of all, who has done great things without number, glorious and wondrous things without trace. And he has done wonders without number. He who gives rain upon the earth and makes water flow beneath the sky. He who humbles the lowly and raises up the fallen. And he confounds the counsel of those who are in pride and do not do righteousness with their hands. He who seizes them by their counsel, the wise, and destroys the understanding of those who scorn counsel. By day, darkness overtakes them, and they grope at noon like a blind man and like night, and they stumble in the noonday. And he snatches the weak from the hand of the strong, for the hope of the oppressed, and the mouth of the oppressor is stopped. But blessed is the man whom the Lord has chastened, and do not despise the discipline of the Lord.

For it is he who cuts and pierces, he who strikes and heals his hand. Six times he will save you from death, and seven times he will cause you to do evil. From hunger he will save you from death, and within the ring from the hand of the sword he will rescue you. And he will turn you away from the blow of the tongue, and you shall not fear from the evil that comes. And he will cause the sinners and the wicked to stumble, and you shall not fear from the beasts of the night, and the beasts of the desert will serve you. And then you will know that your house is safe, and there is none who can be moved from your dwelling. And you will be satisfied that your seed is abundant, and your offspring like the grass of the field, numerous. And you will enter into your tomb like the grain of the harvest, numerous, and like a heap that at all times they take from it. Behold, this is the sign that we have cut, and this is what we have heard, and you alone know what you have done. Chapter 6 And Job spoke again, and he was silent thus, and he said: When one of you would lighten my blow and take up together with the measure of my pain, for it is heavier than the sand of the sea.

And yet, my words seem like a lie, for I have now accused God over my flesh, and my hunger gnaws at my blood. And when I hold my mouth, it crushes my flesh. Is it for nothing that the locusts chirp in the grass? Is it not that I desire what devours and chirps in the field while it devours and is silent? Or is the food consumed without salt? And is there taste to the dry grass that is called həṭme? And is there taste to the words of vanity? I cannot set my soul at rest and see the repentance of my flesh like the roar of a lion. 7 When prayer comes to me and God gives me my hope. And God began and finished and killed my foolishness. When my memory is troubled and I am tossed about in his ruins, and he does not forgive, because I have lied against the word of my holy God. What is my strength that I should be patient? And what is my time that my soul should be humbled?

And is it not that my flesh is of stone, and the water of my strength? I have trusted in my strength. Have I not relied upon him? And why has his help been far from me? And mercy has passed me by, and the Lord has not looked upon me, nor has he covered me with his mercy. My kinsmen have despised me, and those who did not know me, like a river that has overflowed and like a flood that has passed, those who fear me—they are the ones who mock me. Like hail and like hailstones that have fallen, and then the hail melted and did not remain where it was. So also I have gone out from everything, and I have been humbled, and I have gone out from my house. Behold the deeds of the Temenites and the wickedness of the Sabaeans and their treachery. And the rich are ashamed, those who trust in their possessions and in their houses. Why have you come without mercy, and why have you seen my wound? Why have I feared you? Is it not that I have asked you, and I have begged for the water of your strength, that you might save me from my enemy and rescue me from the hand of him who would destroy me? Teach me, teach me, and I have called you. And if I have erred, correct me, for my words, which are true, seem like a lie.

And is it not that I have told you of my strength and my weakness? Why do you not hear me? And why do you not hasten to my aid? For you have laughed at my affliction and mocked the son of death. Now, behold my face, while you sit in your houses, and speak with righteous judgment. For there is no word of iniquity in my tongue, and my throat utters wisdom. Chapter 7 Is it not that life for the son of man is but a shadow upon the earth, and his dwelling is like a dream of the day? And is it not like a servant who waits for his master and thirsts for his prayer, or like a beggar who hopes for a reward? Like him, I have endured empty months, and to me has been given a night of pain. If I sleep, I say, "When will morning come for me?" And if I wake, I say again, "When will evening come?" I have been wearied with pain from morning until evening, and my body is covered with boils and sores, and my limbs have withered while I groan, and I have become dust and ashes.

And the life of me became a lie, like a word that is not heard, and I was hidden in the vanity of the expanse. Remember that the soul is my life, and you do not enter, so that you may see my eye good. 8. And the eye of him who sees me does not see, and if he looked at me, he would not find me. Like a cloud that has been removed from the sky, for like a man who has descended into the grave, I do not ascend. And I do not enter into the house, and I do not know my own region. And because of this, I do not open my mouth, and I recite the cry of my spirit, and I gather the bitterness of my soul within me, like the sea my tears have become. Is it the sea or a pool? For you have commanded a guard over me. And I say, are my bones of ivory that they pierce me, and of ivory is my bed? And you frighten me in a dream and terrify me in a vision. And it has become a ruler over my soul and my spirit, and it has killed my eyes; are they not alive for the world, that I might be separated far from me? And it is vanity, my life.

What is man, that you magnify him, and that you change his heart? Or that you test him until he reaches you, or that you judge him within his own flesh? Until when will you lead me astray, until I spit out my spittle while you strangle me? And I, I have sinned; what have I done to you, O you who know my heart? Child of the living, why have you made me a target for your punishment, and why have you created me in your likeness? I, indeed, have I become burdensome to you? And why have you made my sin unforgettable and my error indelible, and shall I not descend into the earth where it is not dug up? Chapter 8 And the hand of Bildad the Shuhite spoke, bowed, and said: Until when will you speak like the spirit of speech in your mouth? Is there not God who judges in righteousness, and the creator of all, does he not know the righteous? If your children have sinned before him, he has sent because of their sins.

And you, go to the Lord and pray. If you are righteous and pure, he will hear you quickly; your prayer is accepted, and he will reward you with the price of your righteousness. And if you are alone, your beginning has no end for your latter end. As Job says, "He mocks me: 'Ascend to heaven and open its storehouses, and ask the earth likewise, inquire of the ancients of the world, and strike the fathers with their own weapons.'" We are a shadow and we do not know, and a shadow is our life upon the earth. And they teach you and tell you and bring forth for you a word from their heart. Does grass wither without water, and does herbage dry up without being watered? 12. And all grass that does not drink water dries up without being cut. Likewise is the end of all who hate the Lord, and the hope of sinners vanishes. And a whirlwind is he, and a shadow becomes his dwelling. And even if he strengthens his house, it will not stand; even if he prepares, he will not finish.

And his dwelling is his house under the sun, and within his garden its foliage dries up. And in his wickedness his strength perishes, and in the midst of thorns he spends the night, and within thickets he lives. And if the earth swallows him up and covers him, how much more will the wicked be shaken? And another sprouts from the earth. But the Lord does not reject the simple, nor does he strengthen the hands of the wicked, nor does he accept the offering of sinners. He fills the mouths of the righteous with laughter and makes their lips believe. And their thorns clothe them with shame, and the house of sinners perishes. Chapter 9 And Job answered and spoke, saying: Truly, I know that it is so, and how can a righteous person be pure before the Lord? And if he wishes to speak, he does not lack a single word out of a thousand. He is wise in counsel and great in strength; who is the wicked one who has stood before him in his wickedness? He who shakes the mountains, and they do not see him, and he overturns them in his wrath.

And he makes the earth tremble from its foundations, and for the sky he shakes its pillars, and he causes the stars, its great ones, to be eclipsed. He who walks upon the sea as upon the land, and spreads out the sky by himself. He who commands the moon to wane, and the face of the stars he darkens, who made the dawn and the evening and the day, and he causes the morning stars to stand. He who does much and gathers, and sees and causes the nations to stand, who has done great things without number. If he has passed by me, I do not see him; if he has passed away, I do not know him. And if he has entered, who will bring him in, and who will say to him, "What have you done?" And he is the Lord; he will not be moved from my punishments, and from him the inhabitants under the sky are cut off. And would that he would hear my voice and understand. And if I have cried out in righteousness and he does not hear me, ask for his judgment. If I have cried out in righteousness and he answers me, I will not believe that he has heard me. His injustice torments me, and much has afflicted me in vain.

And he did not leave me, as one who is a ship and who drowns me in the deep. For he is strong, and who can withstand his judgment? If my mouth has erred from righteousness, or if I have turned aside from righteousness, a wonder will befall me. I am pure, and I do not know my soul, and my life has been swallowed up in ignorance. But only the great and powerful one can inflict punishment, for he kills the sinners and laughs at the righteous, and they fall into the hands of sinners, and they cover the face of the righteous, and I—what am I? And my life is lighter than a spider’s web, for those who are hidden and cannot be found. And if there is a donkey, its path is bound; it is not known, or an eagle that flies and seeks what it devours. If I have spoken, there is no one who responds, and my face has fallen to the ground, and all my limbs have been shaken; I have known that he will not leave me like this. If I am a sinner, why have I not died? And if I have been cleansed and purified like hail, and I have washed my hands in truth.

You drag me into the mire and clothe me in sackcloth. Is he a man who can reproach me from the furnace of the forge in the field? And his finger is chosen, which opens for us and divides between the two of us from the staff of this one from me. And from the greatness of his wrath I speak, but he does not see. And I speak like a fool, and he does not fear. Chapter 10 And there is no one who knows when my soul is troubled from the deep; I have set a limit to my speech, and I speak while my soul thirsts for bitterness. And I say to the Lord, "Will you not forgive a sinner, and why have you judged me thus?" Does it please you if I have done evil, for you have hated the work of your hands and have looked upon the counsel of the wicked? Do you have the eyes of a man, and how do you look and see like a mortal? And you have made my days like those of a man, and my years like those of a beast; from life, as if you count sins and diminish my errors. Know that I have not wronged you, and who is it that takes from your hand?

My hands created me and made me, and then you turned me over and cast me out. Remember that from clay you created me and you buried me again in the earth. And like milk you milked me, and like a curd you curdled me. And you clothed me in flesh and skin, and you bound my bones with sinews. And you gave me mercy and compassion and life, and your preservation guarded my spirit. And all this is in your hand; I know that you can do everything, and there is none who can ask you anything. And when I sinned, from where you preserved me and from where you cleansed me from my sin. And if I sinned, woe to me; and if I was righteous, I asked, I kindled them and I buried the grass. Like a lion that is trapped and killed, which cannot be recognized, so I became, and again you bring me to death, and truly you mock me. And from the beginning again you humbled me, and you brought upon me a great punishment, and you sent upon me a plague. And why did I die, then, when you brought me out of my mother’s womb, and no eye saw me, and I was as if I had not been created?

And why was I buried, that I descended into the tomb, and why did I come forth from the womb, that I was conceived? Then And why did I rest in the tomb? Were not the days of my life few, and my months numbered? Leave me like one who rests a while without moving, until I enter the land of darkness and the region of darkness, the eternal place where there is no light, and I shall not see the light and the life of the dead. Chapter 11 And the scribe, the Ammonite, began to speak, having been asked, and said: “Because you speak much, you also err much; by much speech, you think that what you say is true. Blessed is he who is born of woman, whose days are few, and whose speech is not abundant. And do not say, ‘I am pure in my deeds, and I am righteous before him.’ And moreover, the Lord will speak with you and will reveal his secrets to you, and will tell you the power of wisdom, for he is hidden, who is above you. 7. When you know that he has found you, he will deliver you from the wrath of the Lord because of your sin; and will you find the Lord? Were you before him, before he created the whole world and the high heavens?

What is the height, and what is the depth of the firmament for the sky? And the breadth of the earth, or the expanse of the sea? And if I had tested everything, who would say to me, "What have you done?" 11. Only he knows the work of sin, and the year of ignorance passes away, and the man and the woman are mourned. For the evil of the grass, the word is he, and the dead who are born from women are like donkeys to me. 13. But if you say, "My heart is pure," and you stretch your hand toward me, when the year is in your hand, and if you do not place darkness in your heart, then your face will shine like one who has been washed in pure water. And you will become my equal, ashes and dust, and you will not be far from me. And you will be healed of your pain like a wave that has passed, and you will not weep, and your prayer will be like the morning star, and your life will shine like the light of day. 17. And you will believe that you will find your salvation, and you will live in peace without sorrow and grief.

And you will know, and there is none who can oppose you, and many will come and build for you. And the forgiveness of the sins of sinners will be diminished, and their hope will be cut off, and the eyes of the wicked will be blinded. Chapter 12 And Job answered and said, "You are men, and in your presence, wisdom is hidden. And I also have a heart like yours, for there is none like the Lord; he has laughed at the one who is evil, and he has laughed at the righteous and pure. And a righteous and pure man has become a laughingstock in the days of his life. And they have oppressed him and made him an orphan among strangers, and as they destroy the house of sinners. But only the wicked, who bring [offerings] to the Lord, say, 'Are we not the good ones? Is it not he who saves them?' Ask the animals, if they will tell you, and the birds of the sky, if they will inform you. And speak to the earth, when it thinks for you, and if the fish of the sea will tell you. Who knows all this? The hand of the Lord has done it.

For in his hand is the soul of every living thing and the spirit of every person. Indeed, the ear discerns speech, and his palate tastes food. In many years is wisdom found, and in much teaching is instruction. But all wisdom, power, counsel, and understanding are only from the Lord. And if he builds, who can demolish? And if he decrees against a person, who can spare? If he withholds rain from the sky, it dries up the earth, and if he abandons it, it becomes barren and is laid waste. For from him are power and strength, and from him are wisdom and counsel. And he appoints the counselors, and they go forth, and he leads the governors of the land. And he seats kings upon thrones, and he girds them with the girdle of power upon their waists. And he sends forth the lords, and they go, and he overthrows the mighty of the land. And he cuts off the horns of the arrogant, and he knows the counsel of the wise.

And he brings grass for the angels, and he nourishes the humble. And he reveals wisdom from darkness, and he brings them into the light from darkness and the shadow of death. And he gives them to the peoples, and they gather together, and he destroys the peoples, and he leads them. And he thwarts the counsel of the angels of the earth, and he shows them the path which they do not know. Chapter 13 Behold, this is what my eye has seen and what my ear has heard. And I know as you know, and from you also I am not hidden. But only before the Lord I speak and I plead before him, if he wills. 4. But you have hidden the secret of transgression and the afflictions of evil, all of you. And you will not let me be silent, for wisdom has perished from you. Hear the bow of my mouth and be silent at the opening of my lips. And now, do you not dwell before the Lord and pour out supplication before him and seek from him? Until you yourselves open.

His goodness—if it hides from you while you do all that is his, be ashamed. With what will you flatter him, that you may be reconciled to him? For the face of the flesh you adorn, and the head is hidden from his presence. Is it not his former strength that frightens you and comes upon you, a great one from his presence? Your tongue is a passer-by like a fever, and your flesh is earth. Listen to me, to word and to silence from the whisper. And I have gathered my flesh with my teeth, and I have quenched my soul with my hands. And from the thicket I have stretched my garment, and as if I had stretched it by force, if it does not rise, and if not, I will speak and be reconciled before him. And this will be for me a salvation, for I will not enter before him in falsehood. Hear my word, and I will tell you while you listen to me. Now I have approached my judgment, and I know that my righteousness will be revealed. And who is it that has refrained, as I am silent now and become merciful like a servant, and hide myself from your face?

And what is it from me? Your hand is with me, and your majesty does not touch me. 20. You pursue me, and I hide from you; and if you speak to me, I also answer you. And what is the measure of my sins and my transgressions? Show me; what is it? And why do you turn away from me and set my enemy against me? And like a leaf that is blown by the wind, you have shamed me; and like grass that the wind lifts, you have scattered me like grass; and like the sun that dries up, you have withered me. For you have written my deeds, my wanderings, and you have kept for me my sins, my evil, and you have hidden them, and you have placed them in the heart of my land. And you have set a snare for my deeds, and when my foot stood, it abandoned me. Chapter 14 A mortal who is worn out, a man whose days are few and full of the blows of his wrath. And he blossoms like a flower, and falls and passes away like a shadow, and they are no more. For this you have sinned, and to him you have brought your sleep; it will be disputed. And who is pure from sin? And who is it that has lived even one hour upon the earth? 5. For all his days are with you, and his years are counted, and they do not pass from him.

Distance from him, as one who flees and hides for his life, like a shadow. For the thirsty, there is hope: he will be cut off, again he will sprout and take root, and his strength will not wither. And if his root is in the earth, it is planted; and if he dies in the desert, his branches from the moisture of water will take root and sprout like a new plant. But a man, once he dies, withers; and once a mortal dies, he is no more. 10. For the sea, there is hope when it ebbs; and a river dries up and becomes parched. But a man, once he sleeps, does not awaken until the sky passes away and they awaken from their sleep. For from the time you placed me in the grave, and from the time you hid me, until—and from the time you hid me, your wrath will grow cold, and from the time you buried me, until you remember me. When a man lives after he dies, having completed the span of his life, from the time I was weaned until I am born again. And from the time I was saved, when you pursued me, and you did not withhold from me the work of your hands. 15. Count my sins and my transgressions, one by one, and there is no one who has forgotten my sin and my transgression for me.

And you are hidden in your valleys, a wanderer, and all that I have spoiled is upon you. Like a mountain that has fallen and collapsed, and the thorns also consume within its dwelling. And the stone is licked by water, and the water is covered in the midst of the earth, high, and you have diminished the patience of man. 19. And you bring the swift and the right, and you have turned your face toward him and anointed him. And if in this they are cut off, I do not see them, and if they are lacking, I do not know them. His flesh is consumed, and his soul is for life. Chapter 15 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: The beginning of wisdom is to know what is pleasing to the spirit, and you have constrained the knowledge for our soul and our flesh. And you speak a word of truth, and you utter what does not happen. 4. Is it not for yourself that you fear, as you utter such a word before the Lord? Your measure is not from the speech of your mouth, and you have not discerned the matter of greatness. And the speech of your mouth exceeds you, and your mouth and your lips are not your seal.

Now, from among men you were created first, like a potter, you have hidden yourself. And the commandment of the Lord you heard, and in your bosom wisdom was concealed. 9. And what is the sign that we do not know, and what is the thing that we do not lack? Our moisture and our moisture are with us, and what is taken from your father in his times. If indeed you have done evil, you have been cast down, and it is not a matter that you have spoken in your measure. How then has your heart been broken, that you should be angry before the Lord, and speak such a thing? What have your eyes seen? Who is the mortal that is clean from sin, and who is the righteous that is born of woman? Leave aside the unclean and stained man who steals for sin; for the saints, the heavens are strong, and they are not believed. 15. Hear me, I will tell you and show you what I have seen and what the wise have said, and they did not hide it from their children, their fathers, because to them alone was given the earth, and no other people passed from among them.

All his days the sinner is counted, and his days and his years are given in entirety. To strength, his cunning casts him down; when he is clothed in peace, he sits and is troubled. 18. And there is no hope of escape from darkness, and he is commanded to dwell in the forest of lamentation. And he is given as food to vultures, and he does not know that punishment and affliction await him like a fall. And sickness and torment drive him from his house, like a messenger who precedes, having been sent, and he is destroyed, for he has stretched out his hand before the Lord and bowed his neck before the Lord, who rules over all. 21. And his destruction is ever before him, and in the expanse of the firmament his strength is. And death covers him with its shadows, and it watches him from its bosom, and he dwells in the field of the plain, and he passes the night in a house of ruin, and what is left to him a stranger surpasses. 23. He multiplies, but his increase does not profit, and he does not plant a shadow upon the earth.

And there is no escape from the shadow of death for the wicked; the wind scatters his fruit, and it falls. And he does not live long, and what he has gathered is destroyed and falls. 26. And his strength is consumed by the worm, and it falls like the fruit of the fig tree. The death of sinners is a snare; it brings down the house of those who do not stand firm in righteousness. 28. In their bellies they conceive bitterness, and their bellies return the poison. Chapter 16 And Job answered and said, "I have heard many things like this, and you are all comforters of evil. 3. All that you have come to tell me, you speak without understanding; what have I done to you that you should mock me? And I, as you say, I have sinned; but do you yourselves say this to my soul? I will tell you a word, and I will reveal myself to you. When there was strength in my mouth, I did not restrain my lips, and I did not speak what was bitter. If I have spoken, my wound does not heal; and if I have kept silent, my pain increases.

Now, the garments of the servant are torn, and the thorns you have planted for me. And the hearing of your rebuke came, and my falsehood rose up against me, and it accused me before my face. And he came out to me in his wrath, and he struck my teeth against me, and he cast me down upon me in counsel. 11. And my eyes were darkened, and he cast me down on my knees, and the companions mocked me. What is in my hand that I may be saved? And the Lord cast me to the wicked. And while I was dwelling in peace, he cast me down and struck me on the hair of my head, and set me up like a target and like a palm, and he made me a spectacle like a man of the eye. For they stoned me with stones, and my kidneys were shaken, and they did not teach me, and my bitterness was buried in the earth. And ruin came upon me, ruin upon ruin, and the mighty ones ran against me. They gathered together over my entrails, and my pain was stretched out in the earth. My belly burns with weeping, and in my eyelids I see the shadow of death. And there is no sin in my hands, and my prayer is pure.

My land will deny me, my flesh, and my blood will be covered, and I will not find a place where I may rest. And now, behold, my witnesses are in heaven, and he knows for me what is in the heights. My prayer has passed to the Lord, and my eyes are dried up before him. And when a man is made to contend with the Lord, like a child of a mother with a father, years of sorrow come upon me. And I travel a path to where I do not enter. Chapter 17 He who wounds my soul will destroy me; I will entrust myself to the grave, and he will not finish me. While I groan, I have labored, and what profit is there? The wicked steal my possessions. And who is it that will stretch out my hand? For I have hidden their garments from the good, and because of this, I do not raise them up. And he teaches evil to their heart, and my eyes are deceived because of my children. And you have appointed me a word for the peoples, and you have made them a mockery and a derision. And my eyes are blinded from weeping, and all of them have silenced me.

And I trusted in this, and it brought me near, and a flood of affliction will enter upon sinners. But only I trust that I will enter upon my path, for my pure hands will find my joy. And if you exist, you will all see me, and you will come here, for there is no friend I will find among you. And my days have passed while they were wasted, and the root of my heart has been scattered. Day and night have become for me, and darkness has entered into the face of light. And if I have bent down, let me dwell in the tomb, my house, and in darkness my bed has been spread. And to death I say, "My father," and from me, and my brothers, the trees, are they? Where is my hope now, and shall I see good things? And will you descend into the tomb with me, and shall we be buried together in the earth? Chapter 18 And Bildad the Shuhite spoke and answered. 2 And he said, "Until when will you set a trap for words? You have made us weary. Why do you, like a beast, set a trap before us?

Your punishment will befall you, and what are you, for when you die, is there none who will be troubled under heaven, and will the mountains fall from their foundations? And will the light of sinners be extinguished, and will their ways not be hidden? And will their light be covered by darkness, and will their counsel and their assembly be extinguished? And will the humble be raised up in wealth, and will his counsel be hidden? And will his foot descend into a snare, and will he be bound in a snare? And will punishment come upon him, and will the strong not come upon him? And will a rope be hidden in the earth, and will they drag him from his path? And will disease destroy his limbs, and will many come under his regions in great famine? And will a harsh loss be strong for him? And will the fruits of his regions be dried up, and will death surpass his harvest? And will the birds be plucked from his flesh, and will his suffering sprout, and will the Lord cut him off? And will he groan in his house by night, and will his Creator scatter his harvest? And will his roots dry up beneath him, and will his fruit fall from above him?

Will their memory perish from the earth, and will their name be far removed? And will they be cast from light into darkness, and will there be none among their people who pities them? And will their house not be saved under heaven, and will their possessions be far from them? The dwelling of the poor is in their misery, and their lords have rejected them. As for those who do not know the Lord. Chapter 19 And Job answered and said: And he said, "How long will you afflict my soul and kill me with your words? Know, O judges, that the Lord has appointed me ten times to speak to you, and you are not ashamed to stand against my soul. Oho, truly I have erred, and my thought has been heavy, and I have spoken words I did not know, and my error has told me folly and the food of the past. Woe to me, O judges, you increase your mouth against me, for you have mocked me and you contend with me and you stone me. Know, O judges, that the Lord has mocked me and his wrath is upon me.

Now I will cry out in bitterness, and I will groan and wail, and there is none who will open for me. And my dwelling place has become desolate, and I have no one to pass through, and I am cast into the darkness of my face. And my adornment has been stripped from me, and I have no covering to put over my head. And all that I had has been taken from me, and I am withered and dried up like a tree for my life. And he has appointed for me a punishment of strength, and he has appointed me as an enemy. And his wrath came upon me in multitude, and he drove me from my path, those who were lying in wait for me. And my brothers have denied me, and they have made me a stranger, and they have removed their hands from me, and they have taught me. And my relatives have also denied me, and those who hear my name have cursed me. And those who are my neighbors do not wish to see me, and they regard me as one who has been rejected by the people. They have closed their doors to me, and they have stopped up their ears against me. And as for my wife, she is ashamed of me, and woe to her, and she is angry with me, and she has scattered the children of my house, and she has made them orphans. And they have buried me forever, and when I rise up, they will be angry with me.

And those who love me, they make me bitter; those whom I love, they have risen up against my soul. 20. And my flesh is mingled with my bones, and my sinews are dried up. Teach me, teach me, my friends, for the hand of the Lord is what has struck me. And why do you, who are dead, mock me like the Lord, and are not sated with my flesh? Who among them will write down my words and cast them into the book of eternity? Into the book of thorns and briars, and if so, they will roll it into the thorns. I know only that he who does not spare a house for the one who has built it will heal me with a living oil that endures after it is placed in the earth. And while I was still upon this earth, this came to me from the Lord. And my tongue is confused, for my palate is dry; I know what my eyes have seen, and they have not removed me to another place, all within my bosom. If you say, "What shall we tell him, and we shall find the root of the matter for him?"—the fear of the grass, you who are dead.

As for punishment, it will come to sinners, and then all their wickedness will be known from where it reached them. Chapter 20 And the hand of Sophar the Amanite spoke and was silent. And he said, "I have troubled you with speech like this, and there is none who understands from me knowledge. Hear me, I will tell you the wisdom of my teaching, and my spirit of thought will instruct me. Is there one who knows like this before him, and before you, and after you, and before the creation of the world? The joy of sinners is a great death, and the desire of the wicked is a ruin. If he ascends to heaven, his offering reaches even to the cloud. And when he says, 'I have fasted,' then his lie is mocked, and those who know him say, 'Where is he?' And it is established as if it exists, but it is not found, and it appears like a dream of the night which is not known, and it seems like the morning. And the eye that sees it is not satisfied, nor does one know its place. And he humbles his children, and his hands blow fire.

Or may pain fill his bones, and his suffering be pressed into the earth. For his strength is placed in his mouth, and it hides under his tongue. And his tongue in his belly turns, and it gathers in the middle of his throat. And he cannot trust his salvation, and the poison of a serpent of the earth is under his lips. A man who multiplies in iniquity will be destroyed, and the angel of death will take him from his house. And the poison of a serpent of the earth will bite him, and the tongue of a viper will kill him. And he will not see the offspring of his loins, and he will not take hold of old age and gray hair, and he will not reach the age of a hundred years. In vain and in weeping he spent his wealth, which does not profit him, like a strong one who is not moved and not shaken. For he destroyed many ruined houses, and he scattered the treasure, and he did not gather it. And there is no one who will save him from his destruction, and his desire will not be fulfilled. And there is no remnant for his wealth, and because of this his good deeds are hidden. When he says, "I have escaped," then he will be cast down, and all the suffering that fills his belly will come upon him.

Or may the rod of his wrath be placed, and his burden press upon him, which pains him. And he cannot escape from the hand of the spear, and the bow of bronze shakes him. And the arrow passes through his flesh, and evil troubles him within his soul, and upon him what disturbs him. And all darkness conceals him, and fire devours him which kindles, and the roof of his house burns him. And the sky revealed its secrets, and the earth also swallowed him. And death will sweep away his house, the worthless one, and the day of destruction will come to him. This is the reward of a sinful man from the Lord, and also his possessions which he acquired from his Creator. Chapter 21 And Job answered and submitted, and said: "Hear me and listen to my words, as you have said to me, 'Let us be patient.' Allow me to speak to you; where is it that you mock me? Am I not a man who surpasses me? And why am I despised? You gaze at me and mock me, and you clap your hands at me. If I have remembered, I have forgotten, and pain is new within my flesh.

Why do sinners live and increase in their houses? And if their seed sprouts before them, and their children fill the eye before them, And their houses are full, and there is none who disturbs them, and punishment from the Lord does not reach them, Their cattle do not die, and their goats do not miscarry, and they prosper in their plowing, And they multiply like sheep forever, and their flocks increase and are fruitful and multiply, And their parents rejoice at the sound of their song, And their judges and rulers, while they are perishing in the pit of hell, sleep. 13. And they say to the Lord, "Far from us, and we do not wish to see your way." And what can we do that we may be zealous for him, and what will profit us that we may live with him? 15. And in their hands is their goodness, and he does not regard the deeds of sinners. 16. But only the assembly of the wicked perishes, and their pride reaches them, and affliction and punishment reach them.

And as for them, they are like a shadow before the face of the wind, and like a flower that the wind of the storm carries away. And their children do not find their possessions, and they are mourned, and he knows when. (19) And his servants do not see, while they mock his children. And the Lord does not save them, because he does what he wills. And he buries their foals from the womb. Was it not the Lord himself who teaches counsel and wisdom, and he himself is mourned by the killer? And why does one die in abundance, rejoicing in everything, and then, within him, is full of praise, and he is covered with shame? And why does one die in the bitterness of his soul, while he does not eat good things, nor anything? And all together they sleep in the earth, and the trees cover them. And now I have asked you, as I have spoken to you, to stand against my soul. And if you say, "Where is the house of the angel, and where is the dwelling place of the destruction of sinners?" Ask the passersby of the road, and their knowledge they will not find.

Because an evil day will overtake the sinners, and they will be carried away on an evil day and a day of curse. Who has prepared his way before him, and who will serve him as his servant? And they will carry him into the tomb, and in his soul he will be buried. And the flood of the river will drown him, and all men will forget him behind him and before him, for he has no number. Why do you afflict me in vain, and among you I have no rest? Chapter 22 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: Is it not the Lord who is the giver of counsel and wisdom? And what will it profit the Lord when you have turned away your deeds, and what will it benefit him when you have straightened your ways? Will he be merciful to you and will he be patient with you, and will he walk and be equal with you? Is not your evil great before him, and is there no number for your sins? And you have seized vanity and stripped the garment from the poor. You have given strong water to the thirsty to drink, and you have gone and given food to the hungry, and the man who sows for himself a field on the face of the plain will dwell in it.

And those who have turned their faces away, and who have oppressed the poor in wickedness upon the earth. And I have brought out the naked from the caves, and I have made the children of death to wither. For what reason have you hidden the secret and caused the strong to fall? And your light has become darkness for you, and water has covered you while you sleep. And is it not so that the Most High does as he wills and destroys the wicked? And she said, "What does the strong one know, and does the ruler of darkness judge?" And blood is hidden, and he does not see; does he traverse the path of heaven? His way is eternally hidden, the path which the hands of the righteous have trodden, who have ascended without being known, like a river that erodes their foundations. And those who say, "What will the Lord give us, and what will come upon us? He who rules all, and their houses are filled with blessing." And the counsel of sinners is far from them. And the righteous saw them, they laughed and mocked them, the pure ones.

And they have destroyed their wealth, and the remainder of them has been consumed by fire. Until when shall I be evil? When will I be patient? And when will your fruit be changed? Stop the speech of your mouth, and put a veil over the word in your heart. If you repent and humble your head before the Lord, and remove iniquity from your heart, He will plant you upon a rock, and like a stone of a river he will spread you out. And he will deliver you from your enemy, who rules over all, and he will gather for you your purity like refined silver. And you will find favor before the Lord, and you will behold the heaven of your delight. And what you have prayed to him will hear you and give to you. And he will increase for you the reward of your righteousness, and he will make light shine upon your paths. For he has humbled you, saying, "The pride of him who bows his head is great." And he will speak to the pure, and you will be saved by the purity of your hands. Chapter 23 And Job answered and submitted, and said: I have known that it is from my hand that which has afflicted me, and he has laid his hand heavily upon me, and he has made me a stranger.

What is it that I do not know, that I may find and add, until the fool? And he will tell me, where have I done, and I will not restrain my mouth while I curse. And I know also that he will give me a reward, and I have sought what he will give me. And if with great force he comes, will he not act then in his wrath against me, for mercy and justice are with him? And he will remove the fool from my judgment, for before. And they are not then, and he does not know then the end. I will enter then the way of the left, and I will turn to the way of the right, and there is none whom I see. And I know my path, and he has tested me like gold. And he will not go out from his anger, and I have watched his ways, and I have not hastened. And I have not passed from his command, and I have hidden his word in my bosom. And who is it that will be accused concerning judgment, for it is he who wills to do? And because of this, I also have cried out against him, and I have besought his mercy. And because of this, I have been bold before his face, I will implore him, and he will curse me.

And the Lord has hidden my heart, and all of it he will fill; he has troubled me. Where have I known that darkness would come upon me, and a cloud cover my face? Chapter 24 Why does the Lord not give rest to my hours? And the sinners have transgressed their boundary, and they have mingled a shepherd with his pasture. And they have driven away the young of the she-ass, and they have seized the milk of the goat. And they have turned the poor from the path of righteousness, and they have gathered together the wicked of the land. And they have become like wild asses in the desert because of me, and they have abandoned their labor and their food from themselves. Are they not thieves who have no property of their own? They have plundered before his time, and they have taken away the fields of the simple ones and their vineyards without payment and without sustenance; the sinners have oppressed them. And for many, they have taken away their garments without clothing, and they have stripped them of the treasures of their souls. And the wind will pity them, and the dew of the desert, for they have no covering, and they are naked and destitute.

And they have blotted out the name of death from the midst of the book, and they have embittered the strong ones. And they have struck the strong ones, and they have cleansed them, and they have led away the weak ones, and they have cast them out. And they have uprooted the exiles, and they have oppressed them, and they do not know righteousness. And they have driven them from their houses and from their cities, and they have caused the souls of children to be scattered one by one. Why is it that he has wronged these who were upon the earth, and they do not know, and they do not see the path of righteousness, and they have not gone into the sanctuary? And he has hidden their deeds until their measure in the hand of darkness, and he has pursued them by night like a thief. The eye of the blind one waits for darkness, and he says, “There is none who sees me,” and he hides from the face. 16 And he builds houses in darkness; by day they are hidden, and they do not see the light. And like the dawn, the shadows of death appear to them all, for they know that what will be is bitter, and they tremble at death. And the cursed one casts his portion upon the face of the water upon the earth.

And they see, while their planting dries up upon the earth, and they have scattered the children of death who are there. And then he remembers his sin, and he is blotted out like a cloud and dew, and he is scattered like a servant, and he is shaken like a tree in its hollow. All is bitter. 21. For the place, he adorned it; and for the one who gives birth, he was merciful. And he destroyed them in his wrath against the strong ones, and he turned away, and he is not trusted for his life. And if he is sick, he does not live long; rather, he falls in pain. And for many, their doors are struck, and he is scorched like a pot in the midst of fire, and like a garment that falls by itself from its peg. And if not, who is he who tells me a secret thing that he knows as if it were nothing to my word? Chapter 25 And Bildad the Shuhite spoke again and bowed and said: Is it not before him that he is the majesty and the one who made all that is in the heights? And there is none who is like him, who steals in secret, and for whom his evil has not reached?

And how can a righteous one be pure before the Lord, and who is it that can cleanse himself, who is born of woman? And the moon is hidden and does not shine, and the stars likewise—are they pure before Him? Leave aside men of death and trees and the son of the living in vain. Chapter 26 Then Job answered and said: Whom do you help, and whom do you wish to assist before Him? Is not His power great and His terror great? And for whom do you advise? Is it not He who has wisdom? And for whom do you consider? Is not His power firm? And for whom do you recount the matter of the spirit? And what spirit is it that goes forth from you? Those who increase the floods of the waters beneath and within—is it not the Lord? Hell is covered before Him, and there is nothing that can hide from Him. He who spread out the sky above—and nothing—and suspended the earth upon nothing. And He presses the water upon the cloud, and His cloud does not drip from its garment.

He who is great sits upon his throne and casts his net at every hour. The heavens are pure by his command, and until the end, light is mingled with darkness. He uprooted the pillars of the sky and did not remove them from his command, and they tremble at his rebuke. By his power he dried up the sea and cleansed the phoenix by his rebuke. The depths of Sheol also he set for him, and he slew the unjust Cain by his rebuke. Behold, this is the reward of his path, and we have exhausted his words which remain, and the voice of the righteous has ceased; who knows when he will act? Chapter 27 And again Job added and said: The living Lord who judged me thus, and who rules all, who embittered my soul. When my soul existed, and again the spirit of the Lord who speaks with me, so that my mouth does not utter iniquity, and my soul does not learn sin. I have shown you righteousness without death, for I have not abandoned my life.

While I do righteousness, it is not revealed, for what evil I have done is not known. And only when my enemies were like the fall of sinners, and they rose up against me like the death of the violent. And why does the sinner wait, as if he hopes for life, and he who trusted in the Lord, does he perish? And does he hear his prayer, and if affliction comes, does he find mercy before him? And if he calls, does he answer him and grant him? But I will tell you what is in the hand of the Lord, and he who has everything does not lack. Marvel, all of you, that evil comes to the wicked. This is the reward of a sinful man from the Lord, and great wealth reaches him from him who owns everything. And if many of his children are for destruction, and if they are strong, they are scattered. And there is none who knows their number. And if he gathers like the earth for silver, and like a heap of gold.

All the righteous seek him and find their reward, the fat ones. And his house becomes like a desert and like a devouring of ants. He sleeps like a beast, and there is none who awakens him; his eyes are closed, and he is estranged. And sickness guards him like water, and a storm lifts him up. And fever burns him and passes, and he flees from his dwelling. And something unknown comes upon him, and does not pity him, and does not depart from him, and passes. And his hand is struck against him, and he flees from his house. Chapter 28 There is a land from which silver comes; for gold, there is a land from which it is refined. And bronze is made from within the earth; like stone they fashion it. And for iron, he set its time, and for all, he himself smelts the stone of iron and the shadow of death. Like the course of a river in the earth, those who walk the path of righteousness have grown weak in their sins. And from the earth comes forth food, and beneath it is wrapped in fire.

There is a land of precious stone, sapphire and gold, like the earth. A path which the eye of a bird has not seen, and which the eye of an eagle has not beheld. And the children of the hyena do not tread it with their foot, and the lion has not passed within it. And he raised his hand with the ear, and destroyed the mountains from their foundations and from their roots. And he dug the channels of the rivers, and my eyes saw all the precious things. And he dug the pools of the rivers, and showed the rest within the light. And from where is wisdom found, and where is the land of wisdom? And the dead do not pass on its path, and it does not exist where the son of the living is. The pool says, "It exists with me," and the sea says, "It was with me." And there is none who has found its equal, and pure silver does not equal it. And it is not bought with gold of Ophir, nor with balak, precious stone, and sapphire. And gold and silver are not like it, and its buyers are treasures of gold. Base and cheap things do not remember it, and wisdom is hidden from the strong by the measure of your strength. 19. And the horn of Ethiopia does not know it, and it is not bought with pure gold.

And wisdom—where is it found, and where is the land of counsel? For it is hidden from every man and concealed even from the birds of the sky. Death and Sheol say, "We have heard its voice." And the Lord has appointed a time, and He alone knows the land. And He sees all that is in heaven and knows all that is in the earth. He alone made the winds with a balance and the waters with a measure. When He created, He set the boundaries; when He made the ordinance for rain, and by way He makes the word sweet. And He saw the mother and the boundaries, and He prepared them, and honored them, and drew them. And He said to the son of the living, "Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and turning away from every evil thought is it." Chapter 29 And Job added and said: Who brought me into the days of my months that are past, as when the Lord guarded me? And as the light shines in my dawn, and when I walk in His light in the darkness.

And when I was in all blessing, and when the Lord was building my house; And when my possessions were abundant, and my servants and handmaidens were many; And when the milk flowed in my paths, and when honey was spread in my mountains; And when I walked in the majesty of my land, and sat on my throne in the sanctuary— They see me and flee, and they hide from me and avoid me, all the nobles; And the mighty also are afraid, and they do not speak, and they cover their mouths with their hands; And those who knew me mock me, and their tongues are sharp in their throats; And the ear that heard me mocks me, and the eye that saw me denies me; For I have become poorer than the one who begs from hand to hand, and I have known the child of death who has no helper; And death has pursued me, and the mouth of the abyss has blessed me; And I have put on righteousness as a garment, and I have been clothed in truth like a garment, and I have girded myself with justice; And I have become eyes for the blind, and feet for the lame.

I am the father of the poor, and I grieved for him who knew not the bow. And I broke the teeth of the wild beasts, and I drove them away from the midst of their lairs where they had hidden. And I thought to reach, to anoint, and to preserve my old age, years like the dew of the morning of the harvest, and like the dust of the multitude of days. And the dew would be renewed for my thirst, and the dew would fall into my vineyard. And my glory was new with me, and I would go forth while my bow was in my hand. They would love me and hear me, and they would have compassion on my counsel. And they would not repeat a word upon my word, and they would be silent when I spoke to them. Like the earth that thirsts, which longs for rain, so they were for speech. And they would not believe when I laughed with them, and the light of my face did not fall. I was the guide of their path, judging them, and I was like a king in my solitude, and when they were afraid, they would be disciplined by me. Chapter 30 But now the lowly mock me, and now in their solitude they reproach me, those whose fathers I had appointed and those I had counted, and not like dogs of my pasture.

And why is the strength of my hands for them, and does death come upon them? And they are saved from hunger while they lick, those who steal from the hand of the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the prisoner. Those who beg and ask and are saved, those who live in deceit, the wicked, the oppressors, and the violent, from all good things, those who uproot trees, from great hunger. Thieves have risen up against me, whose houses are in the cleft of the rock. And they roam in the midst of the desert and dwell in the grass of the wilderness. A slave, a son, and without name, for they are lost from the earth, and wisdom that is lost from the earth. And now the lyre has become their mockery, and I am their destroyer. And they mock me and flee from me, and they do not approach, and they spit in my face. And he uncovered his shield and killed me, and sent a spear into my face, a strong one. And he rose up against me with the right hand of strength, and spread his foot against me, and made a path of death against me.

And he destroyed my form, and he stripped my garments, and he struck me with his fist. And he appointed for me as he wished, and I am afflicted with pain. He gives me gall to drink, and my soul is troubled over me, and it is crushed, and my life has passed away like a cloud that vanishes. And now my soul is troubled over me, and bitterness has filled me over me. And all night my bones burn, and my sinews are consumed. From great strength I have not shaken my garment, and he has strangled the opening of my garment, and my collar has become tight around my neck. And they have cast me down like broken ground, and my joints have become dust. I cried out to you, and you did not hear me, and my standing has been hindered; they have beaten me, those who have no mercy, and the strength of the hand that struck me has prevailed. He has left me in filth and has separated me from my life. I know that death will seize me, and the abode of all who have died is the earth. If I wished to be buried, and if not, let another do for me likewise.

I, for all, am afflicted, I weep, and I have seen a sick man. I have strengthened the good; now evil days have overtaken me, and I have been deprived of light, and darkness has come upon me. My belly trembles and does not rest, and the day of strength has come upon me. And I have fallen into a pit, and there is none who can rescue me; I have sinned and stood among many, and they have accused me. And I have become a hiding place for thorns and a dwelling for birds. And he has seized me by the truth of my food; I have been consumed, and my bones have been crushed. And my pain has become a lyre, and my lamentation has become a psalm. Chapter 31 I have established a rule for my eyes, and I have not looked upon a virgin. And again I have devoured the portion of the Lord and the inheritance of the mighty from the heights. Woe to the death of iniquity and to the cunning of those who commit sins. Is it not he who sees my path and counts all my steps? When I went with those who mock, and when my foot slipped from his path.

I stood in the path of righteousness, and I do not know the Lord’s ways. My feet slipped from his path, and if my heart changed after my eyes, and if I grasped the sick in my hands, what I sowed another would eat. And without root I would be upon the earth, and if my heart changed toward a man’s wife, and if I lived in the hollow of a house. My wife would serve another man, and my children would be beaten with the rod of his wrath that seizes. For taking a man’s wife is fire that burns in all the joints; where it enters, they flee from the root. And if I had loosed the bond of my servant and my maidservant when they quarreled before me. And what shall I ask of the Lord if my servant has sinned against me, and if the one who hid from me, I shall accuse him before him? Was it not as I was formed in my mother’s womb? They also were like that, and we dwelt in that same womb. And I have repeated the deeds of Adam, which I desired, and I have not seen the eye of the blind.

I ate my own grain alone, and I did not give any to the son of death from it. And I withheld it from the little one, as his father, and I snatched it from the womb of his mother, from the time he was born. And if I saw the naked and did not clothe them while they died of cold, And the poor reproach me, and from the thirst of my well, the water of my cistern was hot for them. When I raised my hand over the son of death, they trusted me, as if great help were in me; my seed would be cut off when my portion was divided, and my hand would be shaken from my fist. For the majesty of the Lord seized me, and I do not escape from his grasp. And if I buried my gold in the earth, and when I trusted in a stone of great price, And if I rejoiced in my great wealth, and if I laid my hand upon what has no value, And the sun that shines and sets does not see me, and the moon weeps because it is not judged by itself. And there is none who silences my heart with silence; and if I laid my hand upon my mouth, and if I heard what was heard and was silent.

And if this is a great sin for me, that I lied before the Lord Most High; and if I rejoiced at the downfall of my enemies; and if I said in my heart, "Curse!" for my ear to hear evil, and an evil name went out among my people; and they said, "Our neighbor, who gave us his flesh to eat while it was still raw from his hunger?" And if I brought a merchant into my house, and to everyone who came, I gave a gift; and if I spoiled and wasted, let it be a great fault for me. And I was ashamed before many people, being solitary among them; and if a poor man went out from my door naked. Who gave me what makes me thirsty? And if I feared the hand of the Lord, and if I had a book of debt that would condemn me, I would turn it upon my shoulders and read it before many. And I would scatter and bring in, having nothing to take from what condemns me. And if I cultivated the land, and if the tiller wept; and if I ate my grain alone, without price; and if I drove away the owner of the land and afflicted his soul.

peoples, and the thorn of the curse of the people, it pierces me; and the people of the assembly of the council, it pierces me. And Job ceased speaking. Chapter 32 And these three of his friends were silent, and they did not answer Job, for Job was righteous before him. And Elihu, son of Barakiel, of the Buzites, of the people of Aram, of the land of Ausitis, was angry, and he was angry for Job in his truth, for he was righteous before the Lord. And he was very angry with his three friends, for they had sinned in answering Job, who was to be compared to his word, which he had spoken, and they had judged him as a sinner. And Elihu was enraged that they should answer Job, for they would provoke him with their words. And Elihu saw that there was no word in the mouths of the three of them, and he was angry with them in his wrath. And Elihu, son of Barakiel, of the Buzites, was kindled, and he said, "I am young in my days, and you are elders and wise men; and because of this, I was silent, fearing that I might speak to you of my own accord.

And I say, not only the years that are long, and the many honors, do I know for wisdom. 8. The spirit of the air is what is above the dead, and the spirit that rules all is what teaches. Not only those who have many honors, the wise and the learned, do I know for judgment. But only listen to me, let me tell you what I know, and hear my words. And for you, I will make you know, while you listen to me, until you find what to say. And now, behold, he has sinned who would reproach Job and who would rebuke him, because he spoke from among you as if you said, "We have found wisdom from God, and we have multiplied." And you have made a man speak such a word. And you feared and did not answer him, and you swallowed the word from your mouth. You were silent and did not speak, because you were silent and did not answer him. When Elihu spoke, he answered and said, "Listen to what I tell you again." Full of words, my belly, and it would kill me, the spirit within me. And my belly is bound like a skin of wine, and it boils like a cauldron of new wine.

I speak as the nostrils and the lips of my mouth. For I am not ashamed of the children of the living, and I am not disgraced by the dead. And I do not know the face of the judge, and whether there is one who is ashamed of man. Chapter 33 But only hear me, Job, my word, and listen to my speech. And now I have opened my mouth, and my tongue has spoken. And my heart shall be pure, and my lips wise, and it shall counsel purely. The Lord created me, and the spirit that rules all shall teach me. If you ask me by means of a parable, restrain me in this matter; I myself shall tell you, and you also ask me. From the multitude of your wisdom like me, and from it my smallness. And I shall not sadden you, and you shall not be angry with me, and my hand shall not be heavy upon you. But only I shall tell you your deed, and I have heard your word and your deed. Hear the word of my speech, for you say, "I am pure and I have not defiled myself, and I am righteous and I have not committed sin." And I have appointed for him who speaks, and he has appointed me as an enemy.

And he placed the sun over my land, and he placed all my paths. Why do you say, "I am righteous," and my voice is not heard? It is the eternal one who is above the dead. Why do you say, "My righteousness is not heard at all"? As the word of the Lord came through the prophets, and was understood in a dream, and not in the speech of the night. And a great stone falls upon a person while he sleeps on his bed. And then the heart of the person is opened, so that he sees the majesty and is afraid. And the person is cast down from his sin, and his body is saved from its burial. He rebukes his soul from death, so that it does not fall into slaughter. And again he is afflicted with disease in his bed, and all his bones are broken. And he is unable to taste any food of grain, and his soul desires to eat grain. Until his body wastes away and his bones become visible, dry. And his soul longs for death, and his life for Sheol. If there were ten hundred angels of death, not one of them would kill him, if he pleaded in his heart, contending with the Lord, so that he might announce to the person his sin and show him his error, and he might be kept so that he does not fall into death.

He destroys his soul like a choice of rest, whose bones are filled with worms. And he weakens his flesh like the flesh of an infant, and he makes it firmer than a man. And he who prays to the Lord is strengthened, and he enters with a pure face while he speaks and declares his righteousness to man. And when a man is ashamed of himself, he says to himself, "What have I done? And what I have not measured has found me in my error." And he saves my soul like a swift one from corruption, and my life's light is seen. He who does all this is now mighty, and the three paths of man. And only he saves my soul from death, so that my life may be praised in the light. And he has made me silent: if there is something you say, speak, tell, and I will consent there, so that you may be justified. And if there is something you say, speak, tell, and I will consent there, so that you may be justified. And if indeed you hear me, and I am merciful, from you I have learned wisdom. Chapter 34 And Elihu began and said:

Hear me, O wise ones, and let me be instructed by the good sages. For the ear discerns speech, and the palate tastes food. We bear our own burden and know what is good among us. For Job the Righteous said, "I am the one who has borne judgment, my justice, and I have been afflicted unjustly, though I have no sin." Who is the man like Job who drinks patience like water? He did not sin, nor did he commit a complete transgression, nor did he associate with the workers of iniquity, nor did he walk with sinners. And he said, "I will not betray a man in his righteousness before the Lord." And now hear me, O wise-hearted ones, and do not cease to be ashamed before the Lord, nor mock the righteous before Him who rules all. He rewards every man according to his deeds, and He finds every man according to his path. Trust in the Lord, for He is just, and He who rules all judges rightly, for He is the creator of the earth. Who is He who has done what is under heaven and all that is within it?

And if he wishes to strengthen and seize the spirit of his companion, then all that is flesh dies together; all that is dead enters into the earth from where it was created. But if you are clothed and hear this matter, and strengthen the word in your own person, remember the one who hates iniquity and who destroys the wicked forever—the righteous one. The one who speaks to the king, "You have done evil and wickedness," is called a messenger. The one who does not fear the face of the honorable, and who does not know how to honor the great, and who does not shrink from their faces—truth will find the one who strives and does not weary for humanity, and who does evil deeds upon the poor. And for himself, he sees the deeds of humanity, and there is nothing that is hidden from him. There is no place where the doers of iniquity can hide, for they cannot conceal themselves even from the Lord, who sees all. And the one who knows what has no trace—honorable and wondrous things that have no limit—and the one who knows their deeds, and brings night, and heats their poison.

And he destroys the sinners, but the righteous are before him. And those who have transgressed the law of God, they have not seen his judgment, how he brings upon them the afflictions of the poor, and he hears the cry of the wretched. And he gives them rest, and who is he who judges and hides his face, and there is none who sees him for his people and for his men together? And God rules over a man of strength on account of the evil of a people who say to the mighty, "I have taken and I have not increased; take." I myself see for myself, and what have I shown myself? If I have done wrong, and if I have spoken falsehood, I will not speak again. Is it from you that I have taken it, that you might remove it from me? For you are the one who is angry, and I am not. And where is the one who knows the matter? For the wise of heart say thus, and a wise man will hear my voice. And Job is not like a wise man who speaks, and they told me that he is not like a scholar. But only Job learned, and he did not err, like a servant.

As he has brought the destruction of sinners upon them, and he reveals the transgression of the multitude of words before the Lord. Chapter 35 And Elihu answered and said: What do you say, you who are wise, and who are you that you say, "I am righteous before the Lord"? And you say, "What have I sinned if I have done evil?" I will answer you and your three companions. Look at the sky and see, and understand how far the cloud is from you. If you have done evil, what do you sin against him? And if you have transgressed much, what can you do? If you are righteous, what has been given to you, and what has been taken from you? For a man like you, your sins are for the beasts, and your righteousness for the living creatures. From the multitude of the mockers, they cry out and roar from the multitude of seeds. And he does not say, "Where is the Lord who created me?" And he does not command the sleep of the night that troubles me from the beasts of the earth and from the birds of the sky.

In vain do they cry out, and he does not hear them, because of the wickedness of the evil ones. For the Lord does not wish to see evil, for he is the one who rules all, and he is wise. And he does not hear the doers of iniquity; you have been rebuked before him if you trust in your own strength as he is. And now, because there is no one who knows the time of his wrath, and he is not troubled by his great sin. 15. And Job speaks in vain and opens his mouth, and without knowledge he makes his speech heavy. Chapter 36 When Elihu had spoken, he added and said: Listen to me a little more, and I will teach you more words from me. I will draw out my words from the depth of my deeds, for I am righteous, I say. Believe my words, which are not falsehood and iniquity; the Lord does not hear them. Know only that the Lord does not reject the gentle; he is strong and firm. And he does not let the heart of the sinner live, and he gives judgment to the poor. And he does not turn his eyes from the righteous, and he exalts the righteous and makes him dwell in dwellings with kings, and he makes them dwell in their high places, and they are honored.

And those who are dead, their hands are bound with chains of iron in fetters. And he tells them their deeds and their sins, for he is great. And he hears the righteous, and he says, "They will repent from their sins." If they hear and stand and complete their days in goodness and their years in joy. But for sinners, he does not hear them, and he does not save them, for they do not wish to see the Lord, and while he chastises them, they do not hear. And the wicked harden their hearts for wrath, and they groan when he restrains them. And their souls are likened to themselves, and angels shorten their lives. For they have despised the poor and needy, and they have rejected the gift of the simple. And they have mocked you with the mouth of your enemy; a liar will be set beneath you, and your table will descend while it is full and overflowing. And his wrath comes upon the proud who have taken life, as if they were eternal, and you will not be forgiven for your former sin. Do not remove the garment and the clothing of the poor in their affliction.

Only if you do good deeds and do not do evil deeds, and because of this you will be saved from punishment. Behold, the strong one acts with his power, and who can contend with him? And who can recount his deeds, and who can say to him, "What have you done?" And remember that his deed is great. The hands of those who judged and those who were judged—all people are like the dead, for they are sinners. Behold, he is strong and great, and the number of his ways is not seen and is not known. And the raindrop that falls from the cloud is not diminished. And he makes the dew fall and covers the cloud over the waters, and the rain that has no number falls. And he knows the breadth of the clouds by the measure of his shadow. Behold, he spreads understanding over himself and covers the wave of the sea. For there he judges the peoples and gives sustenance to the strong. And to the small one he covers the light and commands her what is fitting. And he tells about him the sign that she found in his iniquity.

Chapter 37 And because of this, my heart trembled and fell from its place. Hear the sound of the punishment, the wrath of the Lord, and the word that goes forth from his mouth. He sends it down beneath all the heavens, and its light upon the face of the earth. And after it, a voice thunders, and he shakes with the voice of his wrath, and he makes them hear while he hears their voices. And he shakes with a terrible roar, and he terrifies the beasts each in its time, and he knows the time when they will be silent. And in all this, your heart will not tremble, and your heart will not be separated from his flesh, and he does works that we do not know. And he commands hail to fall upon the earth, and the rain of winter by his power. And he restrains the hand of every man, so that every child of the living knows his weakness. And the wild beasts hide under the foliage, and their dens are in their lairs. And from hunger, sickness comes upon them, and in their dwellings they grow cold. And from the breath of the strong one comes disease, and he covers the water as he wills.

And he sends the chosen ones through the cloud, and he scatters the cloud with his light, and he himself measures it in his time; one of his counsels is in his action, in all that he commanded them, like an ordinance from him upon the earth. But for the one in the desert and for the one on the earth and for the one in goodness, he finds it. Listen, Job, to this, and be strengthened and stand in the power of the Lord. We know how the Lord has done his work and made light from darkness. There is a wonder: the separation of the cloud, the great fall of the sinners. And for you, there is no knowledge of your garments, and be silent now upon the earth. And if not, will you endure the struggle with him? Great is his vision upon many. Concerning what shall I tell you, and what shall I say, and shall I be silent now, and shall I also read much? There is a book and its writer, that he may be silent while a man stands before me. And not for all that is known: light, and light itself is in what is consumed, like that from him which is in the cloud; let us be silent.

There is one who is like him, great in praise and glory, in the hand of him who rules all. There is another who is like power, a second who judges righteousness and does not permit that he be heard. And only the son of the living fears him, and the wise of heart fear him. And after that, he left in the field of Elias. Chapter 38 And after that, the Lord questioned Job in the cloud and in the storm. And he said: Who is the man who hides counsel from me and conceals a matter in his heart from me? He will be confounded. Gird your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I sowed the earth? Tell me, if you are wise. Who established its measures? If you know, and who placed the yoke upon it? And upon what are its foundations fixed? And who set its pillars? If the stars were created, all my angels praised me with a great voice. And I restrained the sea with its shores, and it came forth from the womb of the mother.

I have taken a cloud as her garment and wrapped her in a covering. I have sown for her a garment and placed within her a covering and a veil. And I said to her, "Until here you shall come, and you shall not pass beyond your boundary. The deep shall be stirred up in your midst, and your waves shall be tossed about. And above you, the dawn has been spread, and the morning star has known the command. And it shall be carried on the wing of the earth, as it looks upon the sinners from her. You have taken up a broken one from the earth and created a living one, and I have taken her so that she may speak upon the earth. You have extinguished the light of the sinners and shattered the seed of the proud. And you have entered into the land of the sea and set her within the boundary of the abyss. And the arrows of death shall be loosed for you from your wrath, and the depths of Sheol shall tremble as if they have seen you. And you know the expanse beneath the sky; tell me how great it is. And where is the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness?

I pursued them into their midst. And if you know their path, you know that you were born like them, and many are the number of your years. You have arrived at the storehouse of hail, and you have seen the evening of the shadows. And it is kept for you for the time of your enemy, on the day of battle and slaughter. From whence does the heat come, and how is the wonder beneath the sky stirred up? Who is it that restrains the force of the rain in the path of the desert? How does it rain in the desert region where there is no man, and where no child of the living dwells? And how does it make green where there is no tree, and where nothing lives, so that it causes grass to sprout in the wilderness? Who is the father of the rain, and who begets the droplets of the dew? And from whose womb does the hail come forth, and who begets the heat in the sky, and it descends? And within the stones, waters are hidden, and like water it flows; and who has gathered the anger of the sinners? And you know the prisons of the many, and you have kept the floodwaters, and you count the winter in each year, and you bring the summer after its season.

Do you know its course, the course of the sky? And if not, what can exist beneath the sky together? Do you know the taking of the rainbow, like a traveler? And have you seen its path, the path of the clouds, and their exit? 34. Do you know the time of the she-wolf and her whelps? Do you command the clouds with your voice, and do they pour down much water for you while it thunders? And do you send the storm, and does it go, and does it tell you what is within it? And who gave to the beasts wisdom, that they know and understand? Ah, now, instruction! Who counted the clouds with his wisdom, and suspended the sky above the earth? And it was established upon the earth, and they fixed it like a stone of hail. And do you know the lions of the forest, and do you silence the soul of the serpents? And they entered into their dens, and they dwell in the cave, and they hide. And who distributes food for the partridges, and they go down to the Lord of the House, their young, and they seek what they will eat? Chapter 39 Do you know the time when the wild goat is born, and have you kept watch in the thicket?

And its young, its foals, when are they born? And are they released from pain? And have you hidden the little ones without fear? And do you know their pain? And they play in their fields, and they are strong, and they are born, and they go out, and they do not enter their homes. And who brought the wild ass? And who loosened its rope? And he set for it a desert as its dwelling, and its lair in the thicket. And it laughs at the swift peoples, and it does not hear the sound of one who pursues it. And it goes up into the desert, it is seen, and it grazes on the grass. And do you desire to be clothed for yourself, O wild beast of the field, and to dwell in your house? And it is taught with a bridle, and it carries a load on its back, and it plows for you, and it threshes your grain. And it bears behind it, for its strength is great, and it abandons your work upon it. And it trusts that it will come to you, the work of your plowing, and it will bring you your food. Its offspring that you pass by, and it lives; and like a pregnant woman, it desires to eat, and it thirsts in the earth, its ear.

And she hides them in the earth, her foals, and she abandons them where she gave birth, and she conceals them from the wild beasts. And she suckles the little ones, and she hides them there, and in vain do they seek them and suffer, and they have no fear. For the Lord has given her wisdom and has bestowed upon her counsel and wisdom. And in her year she conceives and suckles and laughs upon the horse and its rider. And you have given strength to the horse, and you have placed a mane upon its neck. And you have taught it to kill with the weapons of the field. And with its mane, like a lion, while it runs, it tramples the earth with its foot, and it comes to the wilderness with its strength. And it laughs at the arrow that is shot at it, and it is not wounded by the arrow. 22. And above it, the bow and arrow and spears are strong. And in its anger it tramples the earth, and it is not trusted until the horn is blown. And when the horn is blown, it says, "I am the swift one," and it goes forth to kill. And by your wisdom, my beloved, it stands, spreading its wings, and it is not disturbed, having turned the course of blood.

And the eagle commands, and the vulture ascends, and it hides its young in the hollows. And in the caves of the rocks it dwells, and it conceals its young there. And the young ones run to blood and to a corpse, and they hasten there. Chapter 40 And the Lord answered Job and said to him: "With my strength, with which you contend, you, as you contend, while the Lord mocks you." And Job answered the Lord and said to him: "What have I accomplished, while you teach me? And what am I, that I should contend with the Lord, that I have heard this? And what have I accomplished, I, without my hand upon my mouth? I have spoken once, and I will not repeat again." And again the Lord answered Job from the cloud and said to him: "Gird your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you answer me. And if not, let my judgment be upon you. Does it seem to you another who will judge you? Gird yourself so that you may show your righteousness.

Your righteousness is like the Lord, and your voice is like thunder. Clothe yourself with the power from above, and be adorned with glory and praise. And send forth the angels of death, and destroy your enemy. And annihilate the proud, and in her time crush the wicked, and swallow them together into the earth in the abyss. And fill their faces with shame, and hide them in the earth in the abyss. And I also believe in you, that you will save the right hand of the one who trusts. And behold, the wild beasts also before you, like an animal, graze the grass. And behold, his strength is in his loins, and his firmness is in the sinews of his belly. And he set up his tail like a cedar, and his mane is rough. And the points of his horns are of iron, and the point of his tail is of bronze, its sting. This is the first deed of the Lord, and his angels have hidden his work. And he went into the mountain of rest, and he provided a place for his animals in the desert.

And it shall lie under every tree in the field and in the thicket and the cold. And it shall be shaded when the plow is driven and the heart is broken. And if much water comes, it shall be scorched, and it shall be believed that it will swallow the Jordan with its mouth. And it shall be adorned in its eye, and it shall be made ready, and it shall wait for its face. And you shall bring it to the potter with a bridle, and you shall put a muzzle into its face. And you shall bind a halter around its neck, and you shall close its face with a seal. And it shall bring you to you while it plays and rejoices you. And it shall make a covenant with you, and you shall take it for yourself, and it shall be with you as your servant forever. And you shall bind it like a bird of the children, and you shall tame it like a bird. And the peoples shall play for it, and the people of Phoenicia shall adorn it. And when all the birds gather, they shall bring one from among its flock, and they shall not bridle it with a donkey's head. And you shall put your hand to it for its shearing; remember your hunt in your flesh, and do not forget yourself. 33. And your companion told it, and you did not fear, and you did not deny, for I have prepared you for myself.

Chapter 41 Who is it that can shoot at me with an arrow? And who is it that can approach me and live? And everything under the sky is mine. And he does not grieve for me, and the voice of power helps him who is like me. And who can turn back the appearance of his face? And who can enter into the midst of his jaws? And who can count the scales before his face? And the greatness of his teeth is set. And his limbs are like iron, and his hardness is like a stone of flint. And one is joined to another, and his spirit does not pass through. And a man sends forth with his brother; they are joined and are not separated. And in his eyes, light flashes, and his eyes are like the morning star. And from his mouth comes forth a fire that burns and kindles a flame. And from his nose comes forth smoke like a burning furnace in a flame of fire. His soul is a flame, and a spark comes forth from his mouth. 13. And in his neck dwells power, and the face of death is before him who sees him.

His flesh is solid, and if a stone is thrown upon him, it does not break. And his heart is hard, like a stone of hail, and it stands like a low wall. And if he is wounded, all the wild beasts and domestic animals of the desert are troubled, and those who move upon the earth. And if he is struck, there is no one who can wound him. A spear and a garment of iron are like grass before him, and a sword is like a piece of wood in his hand. And a bow of iron does not bend him, and stones are like grass, and he considers a sharp arrow as a joke, and he shatters a great stone. And his dwelling is a great vault, and all the gold of the sea is with him like a broken thing that has no value. And he swallows up Sheol like a small cup, and the sea is like a drop to him. And the heat of Sheol is like a fire, and he has appointed Sheol as a place where he swallows. And there is none upon the earth, nor anything like him, and his angels have spread their wings over him. And he sees all the prophets, and he is the destroyer of all that is in the sky.

Chapter 42 And Job answered the Lord and said: I know that I know all things, and all things are planted in you, and there is none who can question you. Who is it that hides counsel from you, and who places a word in his heart, and from the demons who wander, he thinks? And who will tell me what I do not know—the great wonders that I have not seen? Hear me, let me tell you, my Lord: I ask you, and you teach me. I heard with my ears before, and now I have seen you with my eyes. But only in that I have erred have I been confounded; I know that earth and ashes are my head. And after the Lord spoke this word to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “You and your two companions have sinned, because you spoke righteousness before me like my servant Job, and you did not please me. And now take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and he shall make a sacrifice; and Job, my servant, shall pray for you before his Lord. And if not, I would have killed you for his sake, because you spoke rightly against my servant Job.

And Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went, and they did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord forgave them their sin concerning Job. And the Lord restored Job to life, and he prayed on behalf of his friends, and he forgave them their sin, and the Lord gave to Job all his possessions, twice all his property from before, and he multiplied it for him. And all his brothers and sisters who had found him heard, and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate and drank with him, and they made him rejoice, and they marveled at the affliction that the Lord had brought upon him, and he gave to each one a garment of gold and silver, and a talent of electrum, and four of worked gold. And the Lord blessed Job, doubling his cattle from before, and his beasts, one thousand four hundred, and his sheep, six hundred, and his garments, ten thousand, and his hands, ten thousand oxen, and his camels, ten thousand.

And she bore him seven sons and three daughters. And he named the first day (Sun), and the second Qasyas, and the third Ameltiyaskiras. And there were not found good things under heaven like the children of Job, and he gave them their father’s inheritance with their brothers. And Job lived after his affliction one hundred and seventy years, and all that he lived was two hundred and forty-eight years, and he saw his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren up to the fourth generation. And Job died old, having completed his days. And it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord will raise. And thus is its interpretation: the book of Syria, and in the land of Bēḥērūs, where dwells Awsṭāḍ, whom Edomias of Arabia summoned. And they named him Jobab, and an Arabian woman married him, and she bore him a son whose name was Ḥenon, and he is Job, his father Zara, and his mother Basuras, and he is the fifth from Abraham.

And these are the kings who ruled in Edom. And he encamped on the road of Qadimi, Balaq son of Ṣiʿor, and he named his city Dinab. And after Balaq, ʿIyobab, whose name is Job, and after him, Asom, who reigned over the land of Teman, 24. And after him, Hadad son of Barad, who slew the Midianites in the plain of Moab, and he named his city Getem. And those who came to him, his friends: Eliphaz, from the sons of Esau, king of Temenon; and Bildad, prince of Awkenewon; and Sophar, king of Ameneon.