The book of Job

Meet Job. He lives in the land of Uz, out east. Blameless, straight, fears God, keeps well clear of evil. Seven sons, three daughters, thousands of sheep and camels, and more servants than you could count. The biggest man in the whole East.

His sons take turns throwing feasts at their houses, and they always invite their three sisters. After every round, Job is up early making a burnt offering for each of his kids. Just in case one of them cursed God in their heart. Every single time.

Now something Job never got to see. The angels come before the LORD, and Satan, the accuser, comes with them. The LORD points to Job: there’s nobody on earth like him. Satan’s answer: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” You’ve put a fence round him and everything he owns. Take it all away and he’ll curse you to your face. The LORD lets him touch everything Job has. Not Job himself.

Four of them. Each one still talking when the next one ran in.

A servant who ploughed Job’s fields@jobs.ploughmanOxen ploughing, donkeys grazing next to them. The Sabeans came out of nowhere and took the lot. Killed the other lads. I’m the only one who got away. Ran straight to Job to tell him.

In all of this, Job doesn’t sin. He doesn’t blame God for doing wrong.

Job@jobI tore my robe and shaved my head, and I fell on the ground and worshipped. I came into the world with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Praise the name of the LORD.

Back in heaven, another day. The LORD again: Job is still holding on to his integrity, even though Satan talked him into ruining him for no reason. Satan: “Skin for skin.” Strike his body and he’ll curse you to your face. The LORD: he’s in your hands. But spare his life.

Sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job sits down in the ashes and scrapes himself with a bit of broken pot.

Replying to @jobswife

Not one wrong word from him.

Word gets round. Three of Job’s friends hear what’s happened: Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah and Zophar from Naamah. They arrange to meet up and go and comfort him together.

Replying to @bildad

That’s Bildad’s whole speech this time. And Zophar doesn’t speak again.

Replying to @job

That’s the end of Job’s words.

The three friends stop answering him. As far as they’re concerned, he thinks he’s in the right.

Elihu son of Barachel. He’s angry with Job for justifying himself instead of God. And angry with the three friends for condemning Job when they couldn’t answer him.

Elihu son of Barachel@elihuI’m the youngest here, so I waited while the older men talked. I figured age should do the talking. But they’ve run out of answers, and literally not one of them has proved Job wrong.

Then the LORD answers Job. Out of the storm. No explanation. Questions. Brace yourself like a man, he says. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Replying to @bookofjob

Some of what he asked Job: 1. Who shut the sea behind doors and told it, this far and no further? 2. Have you ever told the morning when to come? 3. Where does light live? 4. Can you tie up the Pleiades, or undo Orion’s belt? 5. Who feeds the young ravens when they cry out? 6. Did you give the horse its strength? 7. Does the eagle fly up there because you said so?

Replying to @bookofjob

And this, about when the world’s cornerstone went in: the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy.

Then the LORD tells Job about two huge creatures, Behemoth and Leviathan. Can you catch Leviathan with a fishhook? Nobody dares stir him up. So who can stand up to God? Everything under heaven is his.

Then the LORD speaks to Eliphaz. He’s angry with him and his two friends, because they didn’t speak about him accurately, the way his servant Job did. They’re to take seven bulls and seven rams to Job and make an offering. Job will pray for them.

After Job prays for his friends, the LORD restores everything. Twice what he had before.

Job lives another 140 years and sees four generations of his family. Then he dies, an old man who’d lived a full life.