Job’s Character and Wealth
1 There was a man in the land of aUz whose name was bJob, and that man was cblameless and upright, one who dfeared God and eturned away from evil. 2 There were born to him fseven sons and three daughters. 3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all gthe people of the east. 4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and hconsecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and ioffer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and jcursed1 God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
Satan Allowed to Test Job
6 Now there was a day when kthe sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and lSatan2 also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From mgoing to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you nconsidered my oservant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, pa blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put qa hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have rblessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But sstretch out your hand and ttouch all that he has, and he will ucurse you vto your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Satan Takes Job’s Property and Children
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and wthe Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants3 with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, x“The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, y“The Chaldeans formed zthree groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, a“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across bthe wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
20 Then Job arose and ctore his drobe and eshaved his head fand fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, g“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I hreturn. The Lord igave, and the Lord has taken away; jblessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 kIn all this Job did not sin or charge God with lwrong.
Satan Attacks Job’s Health
1 Again mthere was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still nholds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him owithout reason.” 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But pstretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will qcurse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome rsores from sthe sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took ta piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in uthe ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still vhold fast your integrity? qCurse God and die.” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the wfoolish women would speak. xShall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”4 yIn all this Job did not zsin with his lips.
Job’s Three Friends
11 Now when Job’s three afriends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz bthe Temanite, Bildad cthe Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to dshow him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they etore their robes and sprinkled fdust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground gseven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.
Judging Others
1 r“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 sFor with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and twith the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but udo not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 v“Do not give wdogs what is holy, and do not throw your xpearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Ask, and It Will Be Given
7 y“Ask, zand it will be given to you; aseek, and you will find; bknock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for cbread, will give him ca stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, dwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will zyour Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
The Golden Rule
12 “So ewhatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is fthe Law and the Prophets.
13 g“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy1 that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and hthe way is hard that leads to life, and ithose who find it are few.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 j“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are kravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them lby their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, mevery healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 nEvery tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them lby their fruits.
I Never Knew You
21 o“Not everyone who psays to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will qenter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who rdoes the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 sOn that day tmany will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not uprophesy in your name, and cast out demons vin your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 tAnd then will I declare to them, ‘I wnever knew you; xdepart from me, yyou workers of lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
24 z“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like aa wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like aa foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Authority of Jesus
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, bthe crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 cfor he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
