Job’s Character and Wealth
1 There was a man in the land of Jer. 25:20;Lam. 4:21Uz whose name was Ezek. 14:14,20;James 5:11Job, and that man was ver. 8;ch. 2:3;[ch. 9:20;Gen. 6:9;17:1] blameless and upright, one who ch. 4:6;Prov. 16:6feared God and [ch. 28:28;Ps. 34:14]turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him ch. 42:13seven 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 See Judg. 6:3the 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 1 Sam. 16:5consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and ch. 42:8;Gen. 8:20offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and ch. 2:5;[Ps. 10:3]cursed1:5 The Hebrew word bless is used euphemistically for curse in 1:5, 11; 2:5, 9 God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.
Satan Allowed to Test Job
6 Now there was a day when ch. 2:1;38:7;Gen. 6:2,4the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and [1 Chr. 21:1;Zech. 3:1;Rev. 12:9,10]Satan1:6 Hebrew the Accuser or the Adversary; so throughout chapters 1–2 also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the Lord and said, "From ch. 2:2;[1 Pet. 5:8]going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." 8 And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you ch. 2:3considered my Num. 12:7;2 Sam. 7:5;Isa. 20:3servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, ver. 1a 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 [Ps. 3:3;34:7] a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have [Ps. 128:1,2]blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But ch. 2:5stretch out your hand and ch. 19:21;Isa. 53:4(Heb.)touch all that he has, and he will ver. 5curse you Isa. 65:3to 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 ch. 6:19;See 1 Kgs. 10:1the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants1:15 Hebrew the young men; also verses 16, 17 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, 2 Kgs. 1:12"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, Gen. 11:28;2 Kgs. 24:2"The Chaldeans formed [Judg. 7:16;1 Sam. 11:11]three 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, ver. 4, 13"Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across Isa. 21:1;Jer. 4:11;Hos. 13:15the 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 See Gen. 37:29tore his Ezra 9:3robe and Jer. 7:29shaved his head [1 Pet. 5:6]and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, Eccles. 5:15;[Ps. 49:17;1 Tim. 6:7] "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I [Gen. 3:19;Ps. 90:3;Eccles. 12:7] return. The Lord[Eccles. 5:19;James 1:17] gave, and the Lord has taken away; Ps. 113:2;Dan. 2:20;[Eph. 5:20;1 Thess. 5:18]blessed be the name of the Lord."
22 ch. 2:10In all this Job did not sin or charge God with ch. 24:12wrong.