Chapter 4

Then Eliphaz the Temanite, spoke up and said, If we try to speak with you, will you be grieved? But who can stop himself from talking?

See, you have taught many people, and you have strengthened weak hands. Your words have up held the person that was falling, and you have stregthened the weak kneed.

But now it is come upon you, and you are fainting, it is touching you, and you are worried. Is this what you have feared, what you have put confidence in, what you have hoped in, the righteousness of thy ways?

Bring to rememberance those who perished, that were innocent? or the times when the righteous were cut off?

As I have seen, they that till, evil meditations, and sow wicked works, reap the same. By the blast of God they are destroyed, and by the breath of His nostrils are they consumed. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lion, are broken. The old lion dies for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

Now it was brought to me in secret, my ear received a little of this. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when most men are fast asleep. Fear came on me, and a trembling that made all my bones to shake.

Then a spirit passed before my face; my hair stood up:

It stood still, but I could not make out the form, it had taken. It was an image before my eyes, it was quiet, and I heard a voice, saying, Shall mere man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker?

See, he did not trust his servant; and his angels he thought were foolish. How much less for them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is build in the dust, which are destroyed by moths?

They are made desolate from sun up until sundown: they perish for ever without any thought. Doth not their greatness, go away? They die, even without wisdom.

Chapter 3

After the seven days were over Job spoke, and continued speaking on, about the day he was born.

He said, Let the day I was born be no more, and the night which I concieved be ended. Let it be darkness unto God that he may not pay attention to it, let there be no light that would illuminate it. Let the blackness of death take hold upon it; The darkness that is in the day shall cause it to fear. The night shall also be taken over by darkness; Don't let it be in the calender, let it not be even thought of as a day.

See that the night is seperate, let there be no rejoiceing in it. Let them speak ill of it that speak ill of the same day, they who are ready to speak up with deep sorrow. Let the stars of the evening be darkened, let the night look for light, yet even none should be found; Neither let the day dawn. Because it did not shut the opening of my mother's womb, Neither did it hide trouble from me.

Why did I not die when I was born? Why did I let my spirit go when I first came out of the belly?

Why did the knees stop me? Why did the breasts allow me to suck?

For by this time I should be able to be still and quiet, I should be sleeping and be at rest, I should be with kings and their advisors, who have built decaying cities for themselves; or with princes that have gold, and have filled their store houses with silver: Or I should be as an secret unintentional birth. I have not been as an infant that never saw the light of day.

There evil people stop troubling others; there the tired find rest. There those that are behind bars find rest together; they do not hear the voice of opression. They that have little sucnificance and those that have been exalted are both there. The servant is free from his master.

Why is light given to him that is in great sorrow, and life unto discontented people. They that long for death, but it does not come; They dig for it more that for hid treasures; They rejoice greatly, and are glad, when they should find the grave.

Why is light given to a man that has his way hid from others, and whom God has traped inside a fence? Fory my exsasperation comes before I eat, and my groanings come out of my mouth as water out of a hose.

The thing that I feared alot is come upon me, and the thing that I was afraid of has reached me.

I was not safe, neither did I have rest, neither was I quiet, yet trouble came.

Verse 2:11-13

Job's three friends heard about all the trouble he was going through and came right away. There was Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They all came together from there own villages and decided on a time to come and mourn with Job and to give comfort to him.

As they were coming down the road they realized that he was un-recognizable. So they began to weep loudly, and they riped their coats, and there dust all over themselves.

Then they came and sat on ther ground next to him for seven days, and seven nights, and they did not say a word. For they realized that he was in great sorrow.

verse 2:7-10

Then Satan went away from the LORD, and hurt Job with terrible open sores from the botom of his feet through the top of his head.

Job reacted by taking a piece of broken potery and scraping his sores, and sitting down in a pile of ashes.

His wife came and said to him, "why do you still hold true to your morals? Let God know that you hate Him, then you can die."

But Job replied,"You are speaking as a foolish woman. What is this? Can we get good from God, and not evil? In everything he said Job did not commit sin.

Verses 2:1-6

There came another day when the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also was among them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you been." So Satan answered the Lord and said, "I was going to different places on the earth and moving around.

"Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you taken deep thought of my servant Job, there is none to be compared to him in the whole world, for he is a righteous man who is above reproach in everything he does. He is marked by a reverent awe of God, and power to continually turn away from evil." He even continues to live according to his morals, even though you have persuaded me to go against him, to tear him apart for no reason.

Satan responded to the LORD and said, "body for body! Of course, everything a man has he will give up, if he can hold onto his breath of life. But reach out now and brake his bones, and slice into his muscle, and he will tell you he hates you right to your face.

The Lord said to Satan, "See, he is in your care, just don't take his life."

Verse 13-22

One day when Job's sons and daughters were enjoying a meal, along with some wine, in the oldest brother's house, there came a messenger unto Job, and said, "The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys were feeding beside them: and the Sabeans attacked them, and stole them from us, they have slain all the servants except for me. I was the only one that was able to escaped to tell you.

Well he was still explaining everything, another servant came and said, "Great Fire came down from the sky, and it burned up all the sheep and your servants that were watching them, and hath distroyed everything. I was the only one that was able to escape to tell you."

While he was still explaining everything, another servant came and said, "The Chaldeans brought three companies, and attacked the camels and stole them away, and have killed all of your servants with swords. I am the only one that was able to escape to tell thee."

While he was still explaining what happened another servant came and said, "your sons and your daughters were enjoying their meal with some wine in the oldest son's house, and a wind storm came from the wilderness, and struck the sides of the house and it fell down on top of all of them. I am the only one that was able to escaped to tell you.

Then Job got up and riped his clothes, then went and shaved his head, then he fell down on the ground, and worshipped, and said, "I came out of my mother's womb Naked and I will go away Naked. The LORD has given, and the the LORD has taken away, Praise the name of the Lord."

In all of his reactions, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God for all of the problems.

Job in Modern Language

I have been looking for ways to use the internet as an encouragement for people that are going through suffering.
In my life I have had a few circumstances that at the time were times of great suffering, but have seen many blessings come as a result.
Job is the quintessential example of someone who God brings through suffering and latter is blessed because of his faithfulness through that suffering.
When I was ten years old I nearly died from apendicitis because my parents just thought I had the flu for a five days. later that year my three month old brother died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Both of these circumstances gave me who just recently had given my life to Jesus a time of testing for my faith.
When I was a teen ager 14-17 I was diganosed with kyphoses(curvature of the spine) and I had to wear a back brace in order to "straighten me up" as my Grandpa liked to say.
Later when I was 19 I again found myself lying on my back for several months, when I broke my femur bone getting thrown from an ATV. This of course was not pleasant but it got me doing a lot of reading and thinking about my future. That accident I believe was a catalyst for me to decide to pursue a college degree.
The message of Job as well as the message of the entire Bible is summed up here by Jesus in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
God allows suffering so that we can find our comfort in Him. He allows us to be weak so that we can find our strenth in Him.
So I am going through Job and paraphrasing it so that, we can be blessed by this story.

Verse 6-12

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also was among them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you been." So Satan answered the Lord and said, "I was going to different places on the earth and moving around."



Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you taken deep thought of my servant Job, there is none to be compared to him in the whole world, for he is a righteous man who is above reproach in everything he does. He is marked by a reverent awe of God, and power to continually turn away from evil."

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job revere God without a reason." Have you not put your protection on him, and on his household, and on everything he has, protecting it completely.? You have made his work to prosper, and increased his possession. But if you would now reach out Your hand and take all of his possessions, he will most asuradly speak cursing to you, right in front of you."

And the Lord said to Satan, "Look, all of his possessions I put under your authority; yet do not come close to Job himself"

Then Satan went away from the Lord.

Verse 3-5

His sons would get together and hold banquets, on a rotating basis, at each of their houses. They also invited their sisters to enjoy the drinks and well prepared cuisine. When these parties where over, Job would set them apart to God, by regularly rising early and offering a burnt offering for each of them. For he said to himself "My sons might have sinned and cursed God in their hearts."

Job in modern language verse 1-3

Many Years ago in the Middle East, near present day Jordan, there lived a man named Job. He was a righteous man who was above reproach in everything he did. He was marked by a reverent awe of God, and power to continually turn away from evil.

Over the course of his life he was blessed with seven sons and three daughters. He also was the owner of seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a multitude of servants. So that he was the most distiguished man in all the east.