Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

“May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’

“Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul,

Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.

Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

“Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

You will know that your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.

“We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”

Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?

Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze?

Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake.

Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice?

My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering.

Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again.

As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so one who goes down to the grave does not return.

so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine.

“What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention,

Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.

What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web.