The Book of Job is a very old Hebrew poem which talks about the relationship between man and God.
Questions:
1. There was a man dwelling in the land of Hus once, Job was the name of him, that was true and honest; ever he feared God, and kept far from wrong-doing. Seven sons he had, and three daughters; and for wealth, he had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-asses, and servants a many; in all the East none was Job's rival... And ever when their feasting was over, Job would send for [his children], and have them rid of all defilement; next morning, it was his first care to offer burnt-sacrifice for each of them. Who knows, thought he, but they may have committed some fault, these children of mine? Who knows but they may have slighted God in their secret thoughts? Never would he let the day pass without burnt- sacrifice.
One day, when the heavenly powers stood waiting upon the Lord's presence, and among them, man's Enemy, the Lord asked him, where had he been? Roaming about the earth, said he, to and fro about the earth. Why then, the Lord said, thou hast seen a servant o f mine called Job. He is a true man, an honest man, none like him on earth; ever he fears his God, and keeps far from wrong-doing. Job fears his God, the Enemy answered, and loses nothing by it. Sheltered his life by thy protection, sheltered his home, hi s property; thy blessing on all he undertakes; worldly goods that still go on increasing; he loses nothing. One little touch of thy hand, assailing all that wealth of his! Then see how he will turn and blaspheme thee. Be it so, the Lord answered; with all his possessions do what thou wilt, so thou leave himself unharmed. And with that, the Enemy left the Lord's presence and withdrew. And now it was the turn of Job's children to sit over their feasting and their wine at the house of the eldest brother. That day, a messenger brought Job news of his oxen and asses. The oxen were a-ploughing, said he, and the asses grazing near them, when on a sudden a band of Sabaeans swept down on them, and carried all away. As for thy men, the Sabaeans put them all to the sword, and none lives to tell the tale but I. Even as he spoke, another messenger came in with news of the sheep, how God's lightnin g had fallen, devouring sheep and shepherd, so that none was left to tell the tale but he. And upon the heels of that, in came a third to say that robbers from Chaldaea, in three several bands, had closed in upon the camels and driven them away, killing t he men who tended them, so that none was left to tell the tale but he. And before this one had finished his story, a fourth messenger came in. I come, said he, from thy eldest son's house, where but now thy sons and daughters sat at their feasting and the ir wine. All on a sudden, came a tempestuous wind from across the desert, and beat so on every corner of the house that it fell in, crusing thy children to death amid the ruins of it; none lives to tell the tale but I.
Then rose up Job, and rent his garments about him; and he shaved his head bare, and fell down to earth to do reverence. Naked I came, said he, when I left my mother's womb, and whence I came, naked I must go. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; nothin g is here befallen but what was the Lord's will; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job guarded his lips well, nor challenged with human folly God's wisdom...
[Satan tells God that this is not enough suffering, and God agrees that Satan may punish Job further.]
2. And cruelly he smote Job; smote him with the foul scab from head to foot, so that he was fain to sit him down on the dung-hill, and scratch himself with a pot shard where he itched. Little comfort his own wife gave him; What, she said, still maintainin g thy innocence? Better thou shouldst renounce God, and have done with living. Spoken like a foolish wife, Job answered. What, should we accept the good fortune God sends us, and not the ill? So well, even now, did Job guard his lips...
[eventually, Job falls into despair, and several of his friends try to convince him to give up his faith. He then begins to ask what he has done to deserve such suffering.]
29. And thus Job continued to lay bare his thought: Alas for the changes the months have brought with them! Alas for the old days, when God was my protector, when his light shone above me, its rays guiding me through the darkness! Days of ripe manhood, wh en God was my home's familiar guest, he, the Almighty, at my side! I had my children still about me; the milk frothed in pools at my feet, no rock so hard but my olives bathed it in oil... None heard the fame of me then, but called me a happy man; none wa tched my doings then, but spoke in my praise...
31. Did I deny some poor man the alms he craved, keep the widow waiting for her pittance, sit over my meal alone, and never an orphan boy to share it? That were an ill return for the loving care that has borne me company as I grew up from childhood, ever since I left my mother's womb. Did I spurn the naked that were ready to perish of cold, too poor to find clothing; did I never earn thanks, from the back that went bare till the fleece of my flock warmed it? Did I threaten the friendless, whenever I could secure judgement against them in the market-place?...
Men are frail; does sin lie on my conscience undisclosed, does the memory of guilt rankle in my bosom?...
[Later, a young man called Eliu the Buzite comes to talk to Job and makes a long speech which includes:]
36. Never let the thought that God is angry lure thee into tyranny and corruption; lay aside thy greatness, forbear to oppress, away with the body-guard which attends thee; put an end to the dark time when nations must march under their orders. Do not yie ld to the rebellious mood thou has cherished since affliction came upon thee.
God, that is so great and powerful, man's sovereign teacher, how should anyone fathom his designs, or charge him with injustice?
[Finally, God appears in a whirlwind and gives Job a good talking to.]
38. From what vantage-point wast thou watching, when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, whence comes this sure knowledge of thing? Tell me, since thou art so wise, was it thou or I designed earth's plan, measuring it out with the line? How came its base to stand so firm; who laid its corner-stone? To me, that day, all the morning stars sang together, all the powers of heaven uttered their joyful praise... Nay, has thou viewed the whole surface of earth itself? Tell me, if such knowledge is thine, all its secrets; where the light dwells, where darkness finds its home; hast thou followed either of these to the end of its journey, tracked it to its lair? Didst thou foresee the time of thy own birth, couldst thou foretell the years of life that lay before thee?...
42. And thus Job answered the Lord: I acknowledge it, thou canst do all thou wilt, and no thought is too difficult for thee. Here indeed it one that clouds over the truth with his ignorance! I have spoken as fools speak, of things far beyond my ken. Hence forth it is my turn to speak, thine to listen; my turn to ask questions, thine to impart knowledge? I have heard thy voice now; nay, more, I have had sight of thee; now I am all remorse, I do penance in dust and ashes.
... So [God] gave back to Job twice over all that he had lost. Clansmen and clanswomen and all his old acquaintances gathered about him now, and sat down as guests in his house, and made great ado bemoaning all the afflictions the Lord had sent him; not one of him but gave him presents, a sheep and a gold ear-ring apiece... Job himself lived on for a hundred and forty years, to see sons and grandsons and a new generation yet of his descendants; so he died at last as old men die, that have taken their full toll of the years.
Thanks to Belle Tuten.