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“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.
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“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
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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.
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In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
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He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
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That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it.
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That night—may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.
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May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn,
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for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me to hide trouble from my eyes.
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“Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?
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Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?
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to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure,
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Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?
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It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice:
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Are not the cords of their tent pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’
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For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.
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“Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
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You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes.
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You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the wild animals.
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You will know that your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.
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Then I would still have this consolation— my joy in unrelenting pain— that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.
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Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake.
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Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice?
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“Do not mortals have hard service on earth? Are not their days like those of hired laborers?
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As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so one who goes down to the grave does not return.
