Amplified Bible (AMP)

Job’s Character and Wealth

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God [with reverence] and abstained fromandturned away from evil [because he honored God].

2 Seven sons and three daughters were born to him.

3 He also possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (pairs) of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great number of servants, so that this man was the greatest [and wealthiest and most respected] of all the men of the east (northern Arabia).

4 His sons used to go [in turn] and feast in the house of each one on hisday, and they would sendwordand invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

5 When the days of their feasting were over, Job would send [for them] and consecrate them, rising early in the morning and offering burnt offeringsaccording tothe number of them all; for Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned andcursed God in their hearts.” Job did this at all [such] times.

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before theLord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them.

7 The Lordsaid to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it.”

8 The Lordsaid to Satan, “Have you consideredandreflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains fromandturns away from evil [because he honors God].”

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?

10 Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land.

11 But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

12 Then the Lordsaid to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand onthe manhimself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Allowed to Test Job

13 Now there was a day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

14 and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them,

15 and theSabeans attackedandswooped down on them and took away the animals. They also killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

16 While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “The fire of God (lightning) has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

17 While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “TheChaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and have taken them away and have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

18 While he was still speaking, another [messenger] also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,

19 and suddenly, a great wind came from across the desert, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

20 Then Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head [in mourning for the children], and he fell to the ground and worshiped [God].

21 He said,

“Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother’s womb,

And naked I will return there.

The Lordgave and the Lordhas taken away;

Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

Job Loses His Health

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them to present himself before the Lord.

2 The Lordsaid to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it.”

3 The Lordsaid to Satan, “Have you consideredandreflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains fromandturns away from evil [because he honors God]. And still he maintainsandholds tightly to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to destroy him without cause.”

4 Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Yes, a man will give all he has for his life.

5 But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh [and severely afflict him]; and he will curse You to Your face.”

6 So the Lordsaid to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, only spare his life.”

7 So Satan departed from the presence of the Lordand struck Job withloathsomeboilsandagonizingly painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

8 And Job took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes (rubbish heaps).

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still cling to your integrity [and your faith and trust in God, without blaming Him]? Curse God and die!”

10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the [spiritually] foolish women speaks [ignorant and oblivious to God’s will]. Shall we indeed accept [only] good from God and not [also] accept adversityanddisaster?” In [spite of] all this Job did not sin with [words from] his lips.

11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

12 When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow].

13 So they sat down on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Job’s Lament

1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of hisbirth.

2 And Job said,

3 “Let the day on which I was born perish,

And the night which announced: ‘There is a man-child conceived.’

4 “May that day be darkness;

Let God above not care about it,

Nor light shine on it.

5 “Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;

Let a cloud settle upon it;

Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).

6 “As for that night, let darkness seize it;

Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;

Let it not be counted in the number of the months.

7 “Behold, let that night be barren [and empty];

Let no joyful voice enter it.

8 “Let those curse itwho curse the day,

Who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.

9 “Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;

Letthe morningwait in vain for the light,

Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),

10 Because it did not shut the doors of mymother’swomb,

Nor hide trouble from my eyes.

11 “Why did I not die at birth,

Come forth from the womb and expire?

12 “Why did the knees receive me?

And why the breasts, that I would nurse?

13 “For now I would have lain down and been quiet;

I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],

14 With kings and counselors of the earth,

Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;

15 Or with princes who had gold,

Who filled their houses with silver.

16 “Or like a miscarriage which is hiddenandput away, I would not exist,

Like infants who never saw light.

17 “There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,

And there the weary are at rest.

18 “There the prisoners rest together;

They do not hear the taskmaster’s voice.

19 “The small and the great are there,

And the servant is free from his master.

20 “Why is the light given to him who is in misery,

And life to the bitter in soul,

21 Who wait for death, but it does not come,

And dig (search) for death more [diligently] than for hidden treasures,

22 Who rejoice exceedingly,

And rejoice when they find the grave?

23 “Why is the light of day givento a man whose way is hidden,

And whom God has hedged in?

24 “For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,

And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.

25 “For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,

And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.

26 “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,

And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”

Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 “If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]?

But who can restrain himself from speaking?

3 “Behold, you have admonishedandinstructed many,

And you have strengthened weak hands.

4 “Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand,

And you have strengthened feeble knees.

5 “But nowadversity comes upon you, and you are impatientandintolerant;

It touches you, and you are horrified.

6 “Is not your fearof Godyour confidence,

And [is not] the integrityanduprightness of your ways your hope?

7 “Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished?

Or where [and in what circumstances] were those uprightandin right standing with God destroyed?

8 “As I have seen, those who plow wickedness

And those who sow troubleandharm harvest it.

9 “By the breath of God they perish,

And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

10 “The roaring of the lion and the voice of thefiercelion,

And the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 “The lion perishes for lack of prey,

And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12 “Now a word was secretly brought to me,

And my ear received a whisper of it.

13 “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,

When deep sleep falls on men,

14 Dread and trembling came upon me,

Which made all my bones shake.

15 “Then a spirit passed before my face;

The hair on my skin stood on end!

16 “The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;

A form was before my eyes;

There wassilence, and then I heard a voice, saying:

17 ‘Can [mortal] man be just before Godorbe more righteous than He?

Can a man be pure before his Makerorbe more cleansed than He?

18 ‘God puts no trustorconfidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,

And He charges His angels with error.

19 ‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,

Whose foundations are in the dust,

Who are crushed like a moth.

20 ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in piecesanddestroyed;

Unobservedandunnoticed, they perish forever.

21 ‘Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]?

Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?’

God Is Just

1 “Call now–is there anyone who will answer you?

And to which of the holy ones (angels) will you turn?

2 “For anger slays the foolish man,

And jealousy kills the simple (naive).

3 “I have seen the foolish taking root [and outwardly prospering],

But I cursed his dwelling immediately [for his destruction was certain].

4 “His children are far from safety [and included in their father’s ruin],

They are oppressedandcrushed in the [court of justice in the city’s] gate,

And there is noone to rescuethem.

5 “The hungry devour his harvest

And take it even [when it grows] among the thorns;

The trap opens for [his] wealth.

6 “For affliction does not come forth from the dust,

Nor does trouble spring forth from the ground.

7 “For man is born for trouble,

[As naturally] as sparks fly upward.

8 “As for me, I would seek Godandinquire of Him,

And I would commit my cause to God;

9 Who does great and unsearchable things,

Marvelous things without number.

10 “He gives rain upon the earth

And sends waters upon the fields,

11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,

And He lifts to safety those who mourn.

12 “He frustrates the devicesandschemes of the crafty,

So that their hands cannot attain successorachieve anything of [lasting] worth.

13 “He catches the [so-called] wise in their own shrewdness,

And the advice of the devious is quickly thwarted.

14 “In the daytime they meet in darkness,

And at noon they grope as in the night.

15 “But God saves [the innocent] from the sword of the mouth of the devious,

And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

16 “So the helpless have hope,

And injustice shuts its mouth.

17 “Behold, how happyandfortunate is the man whom God reproves,

So do not despiseorreject the discipline of the Almighty [subjecting you to trial and suffering].

18 “For He inflicts pain, but He binds upandgives relief;

He wounds, but His hands also heal.

19 “He will rescue you from six troubles;

Even in seven, evil will not touch you.

20 “In famine He will redeem you from death,

And in war from the power of the sword.

21 “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

And you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

22 “You will laugh at violence and famine,

And you will not be afraid of the wild beasts of the earth.

23 “For you will be in harmony with the stones of the field,

And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

24 “You will know also that your tent is secureandat peace,

And you will visit your dwelling and fear no loss [nor find anything amiss].

25 “You will know also that your descendants will be many,

And your offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 “You will come to your grave in old age,

Like the stacking of grain [on the threshing floor] in its season.

27 “Behold this; we have investigated it,andit is true.

Hearandheed it, and know for yourself [for your own good].”

Job’s Friends Are No Help

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed

And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!

3 “For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;

Therefore my words have been incoherent,

4 Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me,

My spirit drinks their poison;

The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

5 “Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass?

Or does the ox low over his fodder?

6 “Can something that has no taste to it be eaten without salt?

Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg?

7 “My soul refuses to touch them;

Such things are like loathsome food to me [sickening and repugnant].

8 “Oh that my request would come to pass,

And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

9 “I wish that it would please God to crush me,

That He would let loose His hand and cut me off.

10 “Then I would still have consolation,

And I would jump for joy amid unsparing pain,

That I have not deniedorhidden the words of the Holy One.

11 “What strength do I have left, that I should wait [and hope]?

And what is ahead of me, that I should be patientandendure?

12 “Is my strengthandendurance that of stones,

Or is my flesh made of bronze?

13 “Is it that I have no help within myself,

And that successandwisdom have been driven from me?

14 “For the despairing manthere should bekindness from his friend;

So that he does notabandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.

15 “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a brook,

Like the torrents of brooks that vanish,

16 Which are dullanddirty because of ice,

And into which the snow meltsandhides itself;

17 When it is warm, they are silentandcease to flow;

When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

18 “The paths of their course wind along,

They go up into nothingandperish.

[Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]

19 “The caravans ofTema looked [for water],

The caravans ofSheba waited for them [in vain].

20 “They were put to shameanddisappointed because they had trusted [that they would find water];

They came there and were ashamed.

21 “Indeed, you have now become like a dried-up stream,

You see a terror [believing me to be a victim of the wrath of God] and are afraid [to be compassionate].

22 “Did I ever say, ‘Give mesomething,’

Or, ‘Pay a bribe for me from your wealth,’

23 Or, ‘Rescue me from the adversary’s hand,’

Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

24 “Teach me, and I will be silent;

And show me how I have erred.

25 “How painful are words of honesty.

But what does your argument prove?

26 “Do you intend to reprove my words [with a convincing argument],

When the words of one in despair belong to the wind [and go ignored]?

27 “You would castlots(gamble) over the fatherless

And bargain away your friend.

28 “Now please look at me,

Andseeif I lie to your face [for you know that I would not].

29 “Turn away [from your suspicion], let there be no injustice;

Turn away, my righteousnessandvindication is still in it.

30 “Is there injusticeormalice on my tongue?

Can my palate not discern what is destructive?

Job’s Life Seems Futile

1 “Is not man forced to labor on earth?

And are not his days like the days of a hired man?

2 “As a slave earnestly longs for the shade,

And as a hired man eagerly awaits his wages,

3 So am I allotted months of futilityandsuffering,

And [long] nights of troubleandmisery are appointed to me.

4 “When I lie down I say,

‘When shall I arise [and the night be gone]?’

But the night continues,

And I am continually tossing until the dawning of day.

5 “My body is clothed with worms and a crust of dust;

My skin is hardened [and broken and loathsome], and [breaks out and] runs.

6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

And are spent without hope.

7 “Remember that my life is but breath [a puff of wind, a sigh];

My eye will not see good again.

8 “The eye of him who sees me [now] will see me no more;

Your eyeswill beupon me, but I will not be.

9 “As a cloud vanishes and is gone,

So he who goes down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) does not come up.

10 “He will not return again to his house,

Nor will his place know about him anymore.

11 “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul [O Lord].

12 “Am I the sea, or the sea monster,

That You set a guard over me?

13 “When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,

My couch will ease my complaint,’

14 Then You frighten me with dreams

And terrify me through visions,

15 So that I would choose suffocation,

Death rather than mypain.

16 “I waste awayandloathe my life; I will not live forever.

Let me alone, for my days are but a breath [futile and without substance].

17 “What is man that You [should] magnify him [and think him important]?

And that You are concerned about him?

18 “And that You examine him every morning

And tryandtest him every moment?

19 “Will You never turn Your gaze away from me [it plagues me],

Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

20 “If I have sinned, what [harm] have I done to You,

O Watcher of mankind?

Why have You set me as a target for You,

So that I am a burden to myself?

21 “Why then do You not pardon my transgression

And take away my sinandguilt?

For now I will lie down in the dust;

And You will seek me [diligently], but I will not be.”

Bildad Says God Rewards the Good

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,

2 “How long will you say these things?

And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

3 “Does God pervert justice?

Or doesthe Almighty pervert righteousness?

4 “If your children have sinned against Him,

Then He has handed them over to the power of their transgressionandpunished them.

5 “If you would [diligently] seek God

And implore the compassionandfavor of the Almighty,

6 Then, if you are pure and upright,

Surely now He will awaken for you

And restore your righteous place.

7 “Though your beginning was insignificant,

Yet your end will greatly increase.

8 “Inquire, please, of past generations,

And considerandapply yourself to the things searched out by their fathers.

9 “For we areonlyof yesterday and know nothing,

Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].

10 “Will they (the fathers) not teach youandtell you,

And utter words from their hearts [the deepest part of their nature]?

11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?

Can the rushesorreed grass grow without water?

12 “While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down,

Yet it withers before anyotherplant [when without water].

13 “So are the paths of all who forget God;

And the hope of the godless will perish,

14 For his confidence is fragileandbreaks,

And his trust is [like] a spider’s web.

15 “He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;

He holds tightly to it, but it does not endure.

16 “He thrivesandprospers [like a green plant] before the sun,

And his branches spread out over his garden.

17 “His [godless] roots are wrapped around a pile of rocks,

And he gazes at a house of stones.

18 “If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],

Then his place will forget him,saying,‘I have never seen you.’

19 “Behold, this is the joy of His way;

And from out of the dust others will spring upandgrow [to take his place].

20 “Behold, God will not reject aman ofintegrity,

Nor will He strengthenorsupport evildoers.

21 “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter

And your lips with joyful shouting [if you are found blameless].

22 “Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,

And the tents of the wicked will be no longer.”

Job Says There Is No Arbitrator between God and Man

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 “Yes, I know it is true.

But how can a mortal man be right before God?

3 “If one should want to contendordispute with Him,

He could not answer Him once in a thousandtimes.

4 “Godis wise in heart and mighty in strength;

Who has [ever] defiedorchallenged Him and remained unharmed?

5 “It is Godwho removes the mountains, and they do not know it,

When He overturns them in His anger;

6 Who shakes the earth out of its place,

And its pillars tremble;

7 Who commands the sun, and it does not shine;

Who seals up the stars [from view];

8 Who alone stretches out the heavens

And tramples down thewaves of the sea;

9 Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,

And the [vast starry] spaces of the south;

10 Who does great things, [beyond understanding,] unfathomable,

Yes, marvelousandwondrous things without number.

11 “Behold, He passes by me, and I do not see Him;

He moves past me, but I do not perceive Him.

12 “Behold, He snatches away; who can restrainorturn Him back?

Who will say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

13 “God will not turn back His anger;

The [proud] helpers of Rahab [the arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.

14 “How can I answer Him [and plead my case],

Choosing my words [to reason] with Him?

15 For though I were righteous, I could not answer.

I must appeal for mercy to my OpponentandJudge.

16 “If I called and He answered me,

I could not believe that He was listening to my voice.

17 “For He bruises me with a tempest

And multiplies my wounds without cause.

18 “He will not allow me to catch my breath,

But fillsandsaturates me with bitterness.

19 “If it is a matter of strengthandpower, behold,He ismighty!

And if of justice, who can summonandchallenge Him?

20 “Though I am innocentandin the right, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty;

Though I am blameless, He would denounce me as guilty.

21 “[Though] I am blameless,

I do not care about myself;

I despise my life.

22 “It isallone; therefore I say,

‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’

23 “When [His] scourge kills suddenly,

He mocks at the despair of the innocent.

24 “The earth is given into the hands of the wicked;

He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blind to justice].

If it is not He, then who is it [that is responsible for all this injustice]?

25 “Now my days are swifter than a runner;

They vanish, they see no good.

26 “They pass by like the [swift] boats made of reeds,

Like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.

27 “If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,

I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerfulandbrighten up,’

28 I am afraid of all my painsandworries [yet to come];

I know that You will not acquit meandleave me unpunished.

29 “I am accounted wickedandheld guilty;

Why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?

30 “If I were to wash myself with snow

And cleanse my hands with lye,

31 You would still plunge me into the pit,

And my own clothes would hate me [and refuse to cover my foul body].

32 “For God is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I may answer Him,

That we may go to courtandjudgment together.

33 “There is no arbitrator between us,

Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

34 “Let Him take His rod away from me,

And let not the dreadandfear of Him terrify me.

35 “ThenI would speak [my defense] and not fear Him;

But I am not like that in myself.