2:1After these things, when the fury of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. 2:2Then said the king's servants that attended upon him, Let there be maidens, virgins of beautiful countenance, sought for the king; 2:3and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the young virgins of beautiful countenance to Shushan the fortress, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given. 2:4And let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. 2:5There was in Shushan the fortress a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 2:6who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. 2:7And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter; for she had neither father nor mother and the maiden was fair and beautiful and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter. 2:8And it came to pass when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the fortress, unto the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was brought into the king's house, unto the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. 2:9And the maiden pleased him, and obtained favour before him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, and her portions, and the seven maidens selected to be given her, out of the king's house; and he removed her and her maids to the best [place] of the house of the women. 2:10Esther had not made known her people nor her birth; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known. 2:11And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her. 2:12And when every maiden's turn came to go in to king Ahasuerus after that she had been treated for twelve months, according to the manner of the women (for so were the days of their purification accomplished six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices, and with things for the purifying of the women, 2:13and thus came the maiden in unto the king), whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king's house. 2:14In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, unto the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, keeper of the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she were called by name. 2:15And when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained grace in the sight of all them that saw her. 2:16So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus, into his royal house, in the tenth month, that is, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 2:17And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins, and he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. 2:18And the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants, Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave presents according to the king's bounty. 2:19And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai sat in the king's gate. 2:20(Esther, as Mordecai had charged her, had not yet made known her birth nor her people; for Esther did what Mordecai told her, like as when she was brought up with him.) 2:21In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. 2:22And the thing became known to Mordecai, and he related it to Esther the queen, and Esther told it to the king in Mordecai's name. 2:23And the matter was investigated and found out; and they were both hanged on a tree. And it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
3:1After these things king Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 3:2And all the king's servants that were in the king's gate bowed and did Haman reverence, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did [him] reverence. 3:3Then the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, said to Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? 3:4And it came to pass as they spoke daily to him, and he hearkened not to them, that they informed Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 3:5And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, Haman was full of fury. 3:6But he scorned to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus the people of Mordecai. 3:7In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman for each day and for each month, to the twelfth [month], that is, the month Adar. 3:8And Haman said to king Ahasuerus, There is a people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from [those of] every people, and they keep not the king's laws; and it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. 3:9If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have charge of the affairs, to bring [it] into the king's treasuries. 3:10And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. 3:11And the king said to Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as seems good to thee. 3:12Then were the king's scribes called, in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the [month], and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors over every province, and to the princes of every people; to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to their language: in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. 3:13And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, upon the thirteenth of the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, and [to take] the spoil of them for a prey. 3:14That the decree might be given in every province, a copy of the writing was published to all peoples, that they should be ready against that day. 3:15The couriers went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the fortress. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was in consternation.
4:1And when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry, 4:2and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 4:3And in every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing: many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4:4And Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him; but he received [it] not. 4:5Then Esther called for Hatach, [one] of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to wait upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was. 4:6And Hatach went forth to Mordecai, unto the public place of the city which was before the king's gate. 4:7And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and of the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. 4:8And he gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that had been given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew [it] to Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people. 4:9And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 4:10And Esther spoke to Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai: 4:11All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces do know that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is *one* law, to put [him] to death, except [such] to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live; and I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. 4:12And they told Mordecai Esther's words. 4:13And Mordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 4:14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise relief and deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art [not] come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 4:15And Esther bade to answer Mordecai: 4:16Go, gather together all the Jews that are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish. 4:17And Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
5:1And it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house. And the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the entrance to the house. 5:2And it was so, when the king saw the queen Esther standing in the court, that she obtained grace in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand; and Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 5:3And the king said to her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom. 5:4And Esther said, If it seem good to the king, let the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him. 5:5And the king said, Hasten Haman, that it may be done as Esther has said. And the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 5:6And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be done. 5:7And Esther answered and said, My petition and my request is, 5:8If I have found grace in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to-morrow according to the king's word. 5:9And Haman went forth that day joyful and glad of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved for him, he was full of fury against Mordecai. 5:10But Haman controlled himself, and came home; and he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 5:11And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 5:12And Haman said, Yea, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also I am invited to her with the king. 5:13Yet all this is of no avail to me so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. 5:14Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends to him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king that Mordecai may be hanged on it: then go in merrily with the king to the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
6:1On that night sleep fled from the king. And he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 6:2And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, keepers of the threshold, who had sought to lay hand on king Ahasuerus. 6:3And the king said, What honour and dignity has been done to Mordecai for this? And the king's servants that attended upon him said, Nothing has been done for him. 6:4And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 6:5And the king's servants said to him, Behold, Haman is standing in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. 6:6So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What is to be done with the man whom the king delights to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to me? 6:7And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delights to honour, 6:8let the royal apparel be brought with which the king arrays himself, and the horse that the king rides upon, and on the head of which the royal crown is set; 6:9and let the apparel and horse be delivered into the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, and let them array the man whom the king delights to honour, and cause him to ride on the horse through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour! 6:10And the king said to Haman, Make haste, take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast said. 6:11And Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and caused him to ride through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour! 6:12And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having his head covered. 6:13And Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and to all his friends all that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife to him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but wilt certainly fall before him. 6:14While they were yet talking with him, the king's chamberlains came, and hasted to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
7:1And the king and Haman came to drink with Esther the queen. 7:2And the king said again to Esther on the second day, at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be done. 7:3And Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found grace in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request; 7:4for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the adversary could not compensate the king's damage. 7:5And king Ahasuerus spoke and said to Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he that has filled his heart to do so? 7:6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 7:7And the king in his wrath rose up from the banquet of wine, [and went] into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to make request for his life to Esther the queen, for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 7:8And the king returned out of the palace garden into the house of the banquet of wine, and Haman was fallen upon the couch on which Esther was. And the king said, Will he even force the queen before me in the house? The word went forth out of the king's mouth, and they covered Haman's face. 7:9And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold, also, the gallows fifty cubits high, that Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, stands in the house of Haman. And the king said, Hang him on it! 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. And the king's wrath was appeased.
8:1On that day did king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' oppressor to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her. 8:2And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. 8:3And Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device which he had devised against the Jews. 8:4And the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. And Esther arose and stood before the king, 8:5and said, If it please the king and if I have found grace before him, and the thing seem right to the king, and I be pleasing in his sight, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces. 8:6For how shall I endure to see the evil that shall befall my people? and how shall I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 8:7And king Ahasuerus said to queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he stretched forth his hand against the Jews. 8:8Write ye then for the Jews as seems good to you, in the king's name, and seal [it] with the king's ring. For a writing that is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, cannot be reversed. 8:9Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth [day] thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the princes of the provinces which are from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to their language, and to the Jews according to their writing and according to their language. 8:10And he wrote in the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed [it] with the king's ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback riding on coursers, horses of blood reared in the breeding studs: 8:11[stating] that the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that might assault them, [their] little ones and women, and to [take] the spoil of them for a prey, 8:12upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, upon the thirteenth of the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. 8:13That the decree might be given in every province, a copy of the writing was published to all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 8:14The couriers mounted on coursers [and] horses of blood went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the fortress. 8:15And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a mantle of byssus and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. 8:16The Jews had light, and joy, and gladness, and honour. 8:17And in every province, and in every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
9:1And in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day thereof, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them (but it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had power over them that hated them), 9:2the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout the provinces of king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt. And no man could withstand them; for the fear of them had fallen upon all the peoples. 9:3And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors and officers of the king, helped the Jews; for the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them. 9:4For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout the provinces; for the man Mordecai became continually greater. 9:5And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword and slaughter and destruction, and did what they would to those that hated them. 9:6And in Shushan the fortress the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. 9:7And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, 9:8and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 9:9and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, 9:10the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the oppressor of the Jews, they slew; but they laid not their hands on the prey. 9:11On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the fortress was brought before the king. 9:12And the king said to Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the fortress, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? And what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request further? and it shall be done. 9:13And Esther said, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according to this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. 9:14And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. 9:15And the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but they laid not their hand on the prey. 9:16And the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their life, and had rest from their enemies; and they slew of them that hated them seventy-five thousand (but they laid not their hand on the prey), 9:17on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and joy. 9:18But the Jews that were at Shushan gathered themselves together on the thirteenth [day] thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and joy. 9:19Therefore the Jews of the villages that dwell in the country towns make the fourteenth of the month Adar a day of joy and feasting, and a good day, and on which they send portions one to another. 9:20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews near and far that were in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, 9:21to establish [this] among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 9:22as the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. 9:23And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written to them. 9:24For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the oppressor of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them and to destroy them; 9:25and when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head; and they hanged him and his sons on the gallows. 9:26Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, according to all the words of this letter, and for what they had seen concerning this matter and what had happened to them, 9:27the Jews ordained and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves to them, so that it should not fail, that they would observe these two days according to their writing and according to their fixed time, every year; 9:28and that these days should be remembered and observed throughout every generation, in every family, every province, and every city, and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them cease from among their seed. 9:29And queen Esther the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. 9:30And he sent letters to all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, words of peace and truth, 9:31to confirm these days of Purim in their fixed times, according as Mordecai the Jew and queen Esther had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, as to the matters of the fastings and their cry. 9:32And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
10:1And king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land and the isles of the sea. 10:2And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 10:3For Mordecai the Jew was second to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the welfare of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
Job
1:1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and this man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and abstained from evil. 1:2And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 1:3And his substance was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants; and this man was greater than all the children of the east. 1:4And his sons went and made a feast in the house of each one on his day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 1:5And it was so, when the days of the feasting were gone about, that Job sent and hallowed them; and he rose up early in the morning, and offered up burnt-offerings [according to] the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 1:6And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them. 1:7And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 1:8And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil? 1:9And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 1:10Hast 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 substance is spread abroad in the land. 1:11But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath, [and see] if he will not curse thee to thy face! 1:12And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy hand; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. 1:13And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn. 1:14And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them; 1:15and [they of] Sheba fell [upon them] and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:16While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:17While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:18While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn; 1:19and behold, there came a great wind from over the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they died; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:20And Job rose up, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped; 1:21and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah! 1:22In all this Job sinned not, nor ascribed anything unseemly to God.
2:1And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan also came among them to present himself before Jehovah. 2:2And Jehovah said to Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 2:3And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil? and still he remaineth firm in his integrity, though thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause. 2:4And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life; 2:5but put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, [and see] if he will not curse thee to thy face! 2:6And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. 2:7And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah; and he smote Job with a grievous botch from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 2:8And he took a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat among the ashes. 2:9And his wife said to him, Dost thou still remain firm in thine integrity? curse God and die. 2:10But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. We have also received good from God, and should we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. 2:11And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that was come upon him. And they came each one from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him. 2:12And 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 sprinkled dust upon their heads toward the heavens. 2:13And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights; and none spoke a word to him; for they saw that [his] anguish was very great.
3:1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. 3:2And Job answered and said, 3:3Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived. 3:4That day let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it: 3:5Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it. 3:6That night let gloom seize upon it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months. 3:7Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein; 3:8Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan; 3:9Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it wait for light, and have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the dawn: 3:10Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes. 3:11Wherefore did I not die from the womb, come forth from the belly and expire? 3:12Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck? 3:13For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest, 3:14With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves, 3:15Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver; 3:16Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light. 3:17There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest. 3:18The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. 3:19The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master. 3:20Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul, 3:21Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures; 3:22Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? 3:23To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in? 3:24For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters. 3:25For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me. 3:26I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.
4:1And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 4:2If a word were essayed to thee, wouldest thou be grieved? But who can refrain from speaking? 4:3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands; 4:4Thy words have upholden him that was stumbling, and thou hast braced up the bending knees: 4:5But now it is come upon thee, and thou grievest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 4:6Hath not thy piety been thy confidence, and the perfection of thy ways thy hope? 4:7Remember, I pray thee, who that was innocent has perished? and where were the upright cut off? 4:8Even as I have seen, they that plough iniquity and sow mischief, reap the same. 4:9By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his nostrils are they consumed. 4:10The roar of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken; 4:11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered. 4:12Now to me a word was secretly brought, and mine ear received a whisper thereof. 4:13In thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men: 4:14Fear came on me, and trembling, and made all my bones to shake; 4:15And a spirit passed before my face the hair of my flesh stood up 4:16It stood still; I could not discern the appearance thereof: a form was before mine eyes; I heard a slight murmur and a voice: 4:17Shall [mortal] man be more just than God? Shall a man be purer than his Maker? 4:18Lo, he trusteth not his servants, and his angels he chargeth with folly: 4:19How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed as the moth! 4:20From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever. 4:21Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom.
5:1Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn? 5:2For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple. 5:3I myself saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation. 5:4His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer: 5:5Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh even out of the thorns; and the snare gapeth for his substance. 5:6For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; 5:7For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards. 5:8But as for me I will seek unto God, and unto God commit my cause; 5:9Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number; 5:10Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields; 5:11Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity. 5:12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise. 5:13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong: 5:14They meet with darkness in a the daytime, and grope at midday as in the night. 5:15And he saveth the needy from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. 5:16So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth. 5:17Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty. 5:18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole. 5:19He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 5:20In famine he will redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword. 5:21Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh. 5:22At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid. 5:23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. 5:24And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing. 5:25And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thine offspring as the herb of the earth. 5:26Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season. 5:27Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thyself.
6:1And Job answered and said, 6:2Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! 6:3For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas; therefore my words are vehement. 6:4For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, their poison drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God are arrayed against me. 6:5Doth the wild ass bray by the grass? loweth an ox over his fodder? 6:6Shall that which is insipid be eaten without salt? Is there any taste in the white of an egg? 6:7What my soul refuseth to touch, that is as my loathsome food. 6:8Oh that I might have my request, and that God would grant my desire! 6:9And that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off! 6:10Then should I yet have comfort; and in the pain which spareth not I would rejoice that I have not denied the words of the Holy One. 6:11What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should have patience? 6:12Is my strength the strength of stones? is my flesh of brass? 6:13Is it not that there is no help in me, and soundness is driven away from me? 6:14For him that is fainting kindness [is meet] from his friend; or he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. 6:15My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a stream, as the channel of streams which pass away, 6:16Which are turbid by reason of the ice, in which the snow hideth itself: 6:17At the time they diminish, they are dried up; when heat affecteth them, they vanish from their place: 6:18They wind about in the paths of their course, they go off into the waste and perish. 6:19The caravans of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba counted on them: 6:20They are ashamed at their hope; they come thither, and are confounded. 6:21So now ye are nothing; ye see a terrible object and are afraid. 6:22Did I say, Bring unto me, and make me a present from your substance? 6:23Or, rescue me from the hand of the oppressor, and redeem me from the hand of the violent? 6:24Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 6:25How forcible are right words! but what doth your upbraiding reprove? 6:26Do ye imagine to reprove words? The speeches of one that is desperate are indeed for the wind. 6:27Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and dig [a pit] for your friend. 6:28Now therefore if ye will, look upon me; and it shall be to your face if I lie. 6:29Return, I pray you, let there be no wrong; yea, return again, my righteousness shall be in it. 6:30Is there wrong in my tongue? cannot my taste discern mischievous things?
7:1Hath not man a life of labour upon earth? and are not his days like the days of a hireling? 7:2As a bondman earnestly desireth the shadow, and a hireling expecteth his wages, 7:3So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. 7:4If I lie down, I say, When shall I rise up, and the darkness be gone? and I am full of tossings until the dawn. 7:5My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and suppurates. 7:6My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope. 7:7Remember thou that my life is wind; mine eye shall no more see good. 7:8The eye of him that hath seen me shall behold me no [more]: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. 7:9The cloud consumeth and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to Sheol shall not come up. 7:10He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him again. 7:11Therefore I will not restrain my mouth: I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 7:12Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, that thou settest a watch over me? 7:13When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; 7:14Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions; 7:15So that my soul chooseth strangling, death, rather than my bones. 7:16I loathe it; I shall not live always: let me alone, for my days are a breath. 7:17What is man, that thou makest much of him? and that thou settest thy heart upon him? 7:18And that thou visitest him every morning, triest him every moment? 7:19How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? 7:20Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself? 7:21And why dost not thou forgive my transgression and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I lie down in the dust, and thou shalt seek me early, and I shall not be.
8:1And Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, 8:2How long wilt thou speak these things? and the words of thy mouth be a strong wind? 8:3Doth God pervert judgment, and the Almighty pervert justice? 8:4If thy children have sinned against him, he hath also given them over into the hand of their transgression. 8:5If thou seek earnestly unto God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty, 8:6If thou be pure and upright, surely now he will awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous; 8:7And though thy beginning was small, yet thine end shall be very great. 8:8For inquire, I pray thee, of the former generation, and attend to the researches of their fathers; 8:9For we are [but] of yesterday, and know nothing, for our days upon earth are a shadow. 8:10Shall not they teach thee, [and] tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? 8:11Doth the papyrus shoot up without mire? doth the reed-grass grow without water? 8:12Whilst it is yet in its greenness [and] not cut down, it withereth before any [other] grass. 8:13So are the paths of all that forget God; and the profane man's hope shall perish, 8:14Whose confidence shall be cut off, and his reliance is a spider's web. 8:15He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand; he shall lay hold on it, but it shall not endure. 8:16He is full of sap before the sun, and his sprout shooteth forth over his garden; 8:17His roots are entwined about the stoneheap; he seeth the place of stones. 8:18If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him: I have not seen thee! 8:19Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the dust shall others grow. 8:20Behold, God will not cast off a perfect man, neither will he take evil-doers by the hand. 8:21Whilst he would fill thy mouth with laughing and thy lips with shouting, 8:22They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked be no more.
9:1And Job answered and said, 9:2Of a truth I know it is so; but how can man be just with God? 9:3If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand. 9:4He is wise in heart and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and had peace? 9:5Who removeth mountains, and they know it not, when he overturneth them in his anger; 9:6Who shaketh the earth out of its place, and the pillars thereof tremble; 9:7Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and he sealeth up the stars; 9:8Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea; 9:9Who maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; 9:10Who doeth great things past finding out, and wonders without number. 9:11Lo, he goeth by me, and I see [him] not; and he passeth along, and I perceive him not. 9:12Behold, he taketh away: who will hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou? 9:13God withdraweth not his anger; the proud helpers stoop under him: 9:14How much less shall I answer him, choose out my words [to strive] with him? 9:15Whom, though I were righteous, [yet] would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge. 9:16If I had called, and he had answered me, I would not believe that he hearkened to my voice, 9:17He, who crusheth me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause. 9:18He suffereth me not to take my breath, for he filleth me with bitternesses. 9:19Be it a question of strength, lo, [he is] strong; and be it of judgment, who will set me a time? 9:20If I justified myself, mine own mouth would condemn me; were I perfect, he would prove me perverse. 9:21Were I perfect, [yet] would I not know my soul: I would despise my life. 9:22It is all one; therefore I said, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. 9:23If the scourge kill suddenly, he mocketh at the trial of the innocent. 9:24The earth is given over into the hand of the wicked [man]; he covereth the faces of its judges. If not, who then is it? 9:25And my days are swifter than a runner: they flee away, they see no good. 9:26They pass by like skiffs of reed; as an eagle that swoops upon the prey. 9:27If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my [sad] countenance, and brighten up, 9:28I am afraid of all my sorrows; I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. 9:29Be it that I am wicked, why then do I labour in vain? 9:30If I washed myself with snow-water, and cleansed my hands in purity, 9:31Then wouldest thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes would abhor me. 9:32For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him; that we should come together in judgment. 9:33There is not an umpire between us, who should lay his hand upon us both. 9:34Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his terror make me afraid, 9:35[Then] I will speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.
10:1My soul is weary of my life: I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 10:2I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou strivest with me. 10:3Doth it please thee to oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? 10:4Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth? 10:5Are thy days as the days of a mortal? are thy years as a man's days, 10:6That thou searchest after mine iniquity, and inquirest into my sin; 10:7Since thou knowest that I am not wicked, and that there is none that delivereth out of thy hand? 10:8Thy hands have bound me together and made me as one, round about; yet dost thou swallow me up! 10:9Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as clay, and wilt bring me into dust again. 10:10Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? 10:11Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews; 10:12Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy care hath preserved my spirit; 10:13And these things didst thou hide in thy heart; I know that this was with thee. 10:14If I sinned, thou wouldest mark me, and thou wouldest not acquit me of mine iniquity. 10:15If I were wicked, woe unto me! and righteous, I will not lift up my head, being [so] full of shame, and beholding mine affliction; 10:16And it increaseth: thou huntest me as a fierce lion; and ever again thou shewest thy marvellous power upon me. 10:17Thou renewest thy witnesses before me and increasest thy displeasure against me; successions [of evil] and a time of toil are with me. 10:18And wherefore didst thou bring me forth out of the womb? I had expired, and no eye had seen me. 10:19I should be as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. 10:20Are not my days few? cease then and let me alone, that I may revive a little, 10:21Before I go, and never to return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; 10:22A land of gloom, as darkness itself; of the shadow of death, without any order, where the light is as thick darkness.