Eyov
(Book of Job)

אִיּוֹב

Ketuvim - כְּתוּבִים

Eyov - Chapter 1

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was whole-hearted and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil.

And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east.

And his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said: ‘It may be that my sons have sinned, and blasphemed God in their hearts.’ Thus did Job continually. {P}

Now it fell upon a day, that the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Whence comest thou?’ Then Satan answered the LORD, and said: ‘From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.’

And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil?’

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said: ‘Doth Job fear God for nought?

Hast not Thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are increased in the land.

But put forth Thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, surely he will blaspheme Thee to Thy face.’

And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand.’ So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, that there came a messenger unto Job, and said: ‘The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; and the Sabeans made a raid, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.’

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said: ‘A fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.’

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said: ‘The Chaldeans set themselves in three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.’

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said: ‘Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; And, behold, there came a great wind from across the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.’

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; And he said; naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither; the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

For all this Job sinned not, nor ascribed aught unseemly to God. {P}

Eyov - Chapter 2

Again it fell upon a day, that the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘From whence comest thou?’ And Satan answered the LORD, and said: ‘From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.’

And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou didst move Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’

And Satan answered the LORD, and said: ‘Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

But put forth Thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, surely he will blaspheme Thee to Thy face.’

And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.’

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot even unto his crown.

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.

Then said his wife unto him: ‘Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? blaspheme God, and die.’

But he said unto her: ‘Thou speakest as one of the impious women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ For all this did not Job sin with his lips. {P}

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and threw dust upon their heads toward heaven.

So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word unto him; for they saw that his grief was very great.

Eyov - Chapter 3

After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. {P}

{S} And Job spoke, and said: Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night wherein it was said: ‘A man-child is brought forth.’

Let that day be darkness; {N} let not God inquire after it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; let a cloud dwell upon it; let all that maketh black the day terrify it.

As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it; {N} let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.

Lo, let that night be desolate; let no joyful voice come therein.

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning; Because it shut not up the doors of my [mother’s] womb, nor hid trouble from mine eyes.

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not perish at birth?

Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

For now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest —

With kings and counsellors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves; Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver; Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that never saw light.

There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.

There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

The small and great are there alike; and the servant is free from his master.

Wherewith is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul —

Who long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; Who rejoice unto exultation, and are glad, when they can find the grave? —

To a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?