Job, family man and herder
1A man named Job lived in the land of Uz. [1] He was a good guy who respected God. 2He had seven sons and three daughters.3He was one of the richest people in the Eastern lands. His livestock holdings included:
4Job’s sons often organized family reunions with a feast that lasted for days. The brothers took turns hosting the reunions at their homes. They invited their sisters and families to join them. 5When the reunion ended, Job sent for them and offered sacrifices to purify each one of them for sins they may have committed. He said, “Who knows? One of them might have silently cussed God out or done something else terrible.”
Job’s critic
6One day the LORD met with his servants, heavenly spirit beings known as “sons of God.” [4] Among them was a prosecutor, known as the Accuser.7The LORD asked the Accuser, “Where have you been?” The Accuser said, “Here and there, all over the earth.”
8The LORD said, “Did you come across Job? He’s not just faithful to me, he’s one of a kind. No one on earth is better at telling evil to get lost.”
9The Accuser said, “Does he follow you because it’s good for business? 10Doesn’t he live under the protection of your blessing? You give him a boost in everything he does. And he got rich because of it. 11Take it away from him and watch him look you in the eye and teach you how to cuss.” 12The LORD said, “I’ll tell you what. I’m giving you control of everything Job owns. Do whatever you want with it. Just don’t hurt him physically.” The Accuser agreed and left the meeting.
Last family reunion
13One day Job’s family met in the home of his oldest son. The daughters and families were there, too.14At Job’s house, though, a messenger arrived with bad news. He said, “The cattle were plowing, and the donkeys were grazing nearby 15when Sabean [6] raiders attacked. They stole the livestock and killed your servants. I'm the only one who lived to tell you what happened.”
16The man was still talking when another person came running in said, “Lightning started a fire that burned up all the sheep and the servants with them. I'm the only one who lived to tell you about it.” 17He was still talking when the next messenger arrived saying, “The Chaldeans [7] attacked with three columns of raiders. They stole the camels and killed the servants. I'm the only one who got away, so I came to tell you about it.”
18He was still talking when someone else rushed in saying, “Your children were eating at the home of your oldest son 19when a windstorm blew in from the desert and collapsed the house on top of them. They’re all dead. I'm the only one who survived, and I came here to tell you about it.”
Job’s poised response
20When Job finally got a chance to respond he stood and tore his robe. Then he shaved his head [8] and sat down and prayed. 21He said, “I came here with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing. [9] The LORD gave them to me and the LORD took them away. Praise the LORD and thank him for who he is.” [10]22In the middle of this mess, Job did nothing wrong. Nor did he accuse God of doing something wrong.
