JOB

This is the story of the life of Job, taken out of the book called

The Testament of Job.

There came a day when Job felt that his end was near; and he called

together his seven sons and his three daughters, and said to them:

Come near to me, my children, and I will tell you the story of my

life, and all the dealings of the Lord with me. You must know, in the

first place, that before He gave me a new name, I was called Jobab;

and that I come of the family of Isaac--for I am one of the sons of

Esau, Jacob's brother. Now, long ago, I used to dwell hard by the

temple of an idol, and every day I saw people coming and bringing

offerings, and burning sacrifices before it. But as time went on, I

could not believe that this idol was indeed the God who made the

heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and us men. I pondered much,

therefore, upon this matter, saying, "How shall I come to know the

truth of it?"

Thereafter, as I lay upon my bed, in the middle of the night, a bright

light suddenly shone in my chamber, and I heard a voice calling me,

"Jobab, Jobab!" (and I answered, "Here am I"). And the voice said, "Rise

up, and I will tell thee that which I have to say. Verily, this idol to

whom offerings are brought, and wine poured out in libations, is not a

god, but is a work of the evil power whereby he deceives the sons of

men." Then I bowed myself down and said, "Lord, who hast come to

enlighten my soul, I beseech thee, give me leave to go and cleanse this

place that is polluted by the enemy, so that offerings shall no more be

made to him; but, indeed, who is there that can withstand me, seeing

that I am ruler over this country?"

The voice answered me out of the light, "Thou canst indeed destroy

that place; but I must forewarn thee of that which will ensue,

according as I have in hand to tell thee from the Lord." And I

answered, "All that He commandeth thy servant will I hear and do."

And the voice said again, "If thou takest upon thee to destroy this

abode of Satan's, he will rise up and fight against thee; he will

bring upon thee many plagues; he will take away all thy gods; he will

slay thy children. Only he will not be able to take thy life. And, if

thou endurest to the end, thy name shall become famous among all

generations for ever; and I will restore thee to thy former estate,

and recompense thee double, and thou shalt rise up again in the

resurrection of the just. Be thou therefore like a fighter who giveth

blows and endureth them, looking to win the crown of victory; and

then shalt thou know that the Lord is righteous, and true, and

mighty, giving strength to His chosen."

And I, my children, answered him, "I will verily endure even unto

death, and will not draw back." Then the angel set a mark upon my

forehead, and departed from me; and in the same night I arose and

gathered to me fifty of my servants, and went and destroyed the

temple of the idol, laying it even with the ground. Then I returned

to my house, and commanded that the doors should be made fast.

Hearken now, my children, and wonder; for as soon as I had come into

my house, and had commanded the doors to be shut, and had told the

keepers of the doors to say to any that came that I was not at

leisure to see them, Satan came, having put on the appearance of a

beggar, and said to the maid that kept the door, "Tell Job that I

desire to speak with him." She came to me, therefore, and I told her

again, "Tell him that I have no leisure to see him."

So Satan departed, and took on him another form, and put a wallet on

his shoulder, and returned and said to the maid, "Say to Job, 'Give

me bread from thine own hand, that I may eat.'" Then I took a loaf

that was burnt black and gave it to the maid to give to him, saying,

"Look to eat no more of my bread, for I am become a stranger to you."

But the maid was ashamed to give him the burnt bread, for she knew

not who he was; she took, therefore, a good loaf of her own and gave

it to him. But he was aware of what had happened, and said to her,

"Go back, unfaithful servant, and fetch me the bread that was given

to you to give to me!" And she wept and said, "You say well that I

am an unfaithful servant, for I have not done that which I was

commanded." Then she brought him the burnt bread, saying, "Thus says

my master, 'You shall eat no more of my bread, for I am estranged

from you. This I give you only that you may not have it to say that I

refused to give aught to my enemy when he asked of me.'" Satan took

the bread, and sent back the maid with this message, "As this bread

is burnt and blackened, so will I make thy body; in one hour I will

lay thee and thy house desolate." And I answered him, "That thou

doest, do quickly; for I am ready to bear whatsoever thou canst bring

upon me."

Then Satan went up straightway under the firmament of the heaven, and

asked of the Lord authority over me and my possessions. And the Lord

granted it to him, but not at that time.

Now I must tell you, my children, of my manner of life, and my goods

that I had, before I was despoiled. I had 130,000 sheep, of which

7000 were set apart for the clothing of the fatherless, and widows,

and poor; and a pack of 800 dogs guarded them. I had 9000 camels;

3000 to traffic with the cities of the earth, which I laded with good

things, and sent them out among the towns and villages, and had their

loads distributed to the poor. I had also 130,000 asses; 500 of them

were set apart that their foals might be sold, and the price given to

the poor.

Also the four gates of my house were always left open to this end,

that if any poor man came to beg, and saw me sitting at one of the

gates, he might not turn back abashed, but might go round to another

of the gates, and enter in and receive what he needed.

Within the house also I had always thirty tables ready prepared for

the entertainment of strangers, and other twelve tables appointed for

the widows. None left my house with his purse empty, and whenever any

came to ask help, he was constrained first of all to sit down and

dine. I had fifty bakehouses, and of these, twelve served the tables

of the poor.

And so it was that many strangers came to my house, and some of them

desired to follow my way of life and minister to the poor, but they

were in need of money to furnish them therefor. And to such men I

freely lent the money, taking no security of them, but only a written

acknowledgment. And sometimes they prospered in their merchandise and

gained money to give to the poor; but sometimes they failed and came

back to me, saying, "Have patience with us." And thereupon I would

destroy the bill of their debt before them, and forgive them that

which they owed me.

Sometimes also there would come to me a man of a kindly heart who

would say, "I have not wherewith to help the poor, but let me wait

upon them to-day at your table." And at evening, when he was

departing, I used to say to him, "I know that you are a labouring

man, and look to your wages." And so I paid him wages for the day and

let him go.

I had also psalteries and a ten-stringed lute, and every day when the

widows and the poor had dined I would play to them and put them in

mind of God, that they should praise Him. And if ever my handmaidens

murmured at the work they had to do, I took a psaltery and sang to

them of the recompense of the reward. And they were comforted, and

ceased from their murmuring.

As for my children, they took part every day in the ministry, and

after that they gathered together in the house of their eldest

brother, and feasted there. But every morning I offered up sacrifices

for them, even thirty doves, fifty kids of the goats, and twelve

sheep, and a choice bullock. All of these, after I had offered up

prayer, I caused to be prepared for the poor, and gave to them,

saying, "Take these over and above that which you have had, and pray

for my children, lest they perchance have said in their hearts,

'We are the children of a wealthy father, and these goods are ours.

Wherefore should we wait upon the poor and waste our substance in

this manner?'" For indeed pride is an abomination unto the Lord.

Now this was my manner of life for seven years after that the angel

had come to me. But when Satan had obtained from the Lord power

against me, he came down in great wrath; and first he burnt up the

7000 sheep, and 3000 camels, and 500 asses, and 500 yoke of oxen; and

the rest were carried away by the men of the country to whom I had

showed kindness, but now they turned against me and spoiled my goods.

Then one came and told me, and I gave glory to God, and said not a

word of complaint.

Satan therefore, when he saw how I took the matter, devised yet more

against me, and took on him the likeness of the King of Persia, and

came and spake to all the worthless men of the country, saying, "This

man Jobab, who hath consumed all the good of the land, and left

nothing, giving it away to the halt, and maimed, and blind, is the

same that destroyed the temple of the great god and laid waste the

place of offerings. It is time that he should receive the reward of

his deeds. Come, fall upon him and spoil his house." But they said,

"He hath seven sons and three daughters; what if they escape into

other lands and accuse us of violence, and return and slay us?"

Satan answered, "Trouble not yourselves for that. See, I have

consumed part of his goods with fire; other part have I carried off.

_I_ will take in hand his children."

And he departed, and cast down the house upon my sons and daughters,

and slew them all. And when the men saw that he had spoken truth,

they came and plundered all that was in my house. Mine eyes saw

worthless and dishonourable men on my couches and at my tables, and I

could not utter a word, for I was stricken weak, as a sick woman.

Nevertheless, I remembered the recompense of the reward; and I

accounted the loss of my goods as nothing, if I might attain to that

city whereof the angel had spoken.

Then there came a messenger and told me, "Thy sons and thy daughters

are dead." And verily I was greatly troubled, and rent my clothes.

Yet I said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it

pleased the Lord, so is it come to pass: blessed be the name of the

Lord."

So Satan perceived that, though all that I had possessed was taken

from me, nothing could break my spirit or make me rebel against God.

He departed, therefore, and asked leave of the Lord that he might

afflict my body. And the Lord gave him power over my body to use it

as he would, but over my life He gave him no power. Then Satan came

to me as I sat upon my throne mourning for the loss of my children;

and he came in the form of a great whirlwind, and cast my throne down

to the ground, so that I lay for three hours without moving. And he

smote me with a sore plague from head to foot, and I was filled with

worms and ulcers and corruption. Therefore I arose and went out of

the city in great misery and sorrow of heart, and sat upon a

dunghill, being severed from the sons of men because of my evil

plague. And there I remained many days. And I had no strength to work

and earn my bread, so that my wife was compelled to labour as a

handmaid in the house of a rich man, and carry water; and for that

they gave her bread, and she brought it to me. Then was I cut to the

heart, and said, "Alas for the pride of the men of this place! How

can they endure to treat my wife as a slave?" Yet after that again

I strengthened my soul and was patient.

After some time they refused to give my wife food enough for her and

myself, but allowed her only half of what they had given her before:

yet this she shared with me. Yea, she was not ashamed to go and beg

of the bakers in the market-place, that she might have wherewith to

feed me.

When Satan saw her do so, he took upon him the likeness of a seller

of bread. And my wife came and begged of him, supposing him to be a

man; and Satan said, "Pay the price, and take what you will." But she

answered, "Whence should I have money? Have you not heard of all that

has befallen us? If you will show mercy, show mercy; and if not, it

is your own concern." He said, "If you had not deserved misfortune,

I suppose it would not have come upon you; but now, if you have no

money, give me the hair of your head, and take three loaves in

exchange: it may be that you can live on them for three days." And

she thought within herself, "What is the hair of my head to me in

comparison with the hunger of my husband?" And she said to Satan,

"Come, take it." And he took a pair of shears and cut off her hair,

and then gave her three loaves, in the sight of all who were in the

market-place. She took the bread and came to bring it to me, and

Satan followed after her invisibly, and made her soul heavy within

her. So, as she drew near to me she lifted up her voice and cried

aloud, "Job, Job, how long wilt thou sit upon the dunghill waiting

and expecting thy deliverance, while I wander about from house to

house and labour as a slave? Behold, my sons and my daughters, whom

I brought up with labour and pain, are perished and gone, and thou

sittest under the open heaven filled with corruption, and I have to

work day and night to get bread to keep thy soul in thy body. Lo, now

have I sold the hair of my head for bread. Who would believe that I

am Sitis, the wife of Job, who was clothed in fine linen woven with

gold, that washed her feet in basins of silver and gold, that lay

softly and was nurtured in plenty; but now I go barefoot, in rags,

and sell my hair for bread. One thing only remains, for my bones are

broken with very weariness of spirit. Arise and eat this bread, and

satisfy thy hunger, and then speak a word against the Lord, and die;

and I shall be freed from my misery and labour, and have rest."

But I answered her, "Lo, now these many years have I been set in the

plague, enduring sickness of body and grief of heart, but my soul has

never been so heavy in me as when I heard thee say, 'Speak a word

against the Lord, and die.' Shall we have borne the loss of our

possessions, and the death of our children, and at the end lose the

true riches? Remember all the good things which we enjoyed aforetime.

Shall we receive those at the hands of the Lord, and not bear to

receive hard things likewise? But I perceive now why thou so

speakest. Come forth, thou that standest behind her to pervert her

heart and make her speak as one of the foolish women. Hide thyself no

longer; come forth and withstand me to the face." Then Satan came

forth from behind my wife, and stood before me ashamed, and even

weeping in the bitterness of his heart; and he said, "Job, thou hast

prevailed: thou art flesh and I am a spirit, but I can do no more

against thee." And he departed from me in confusion. And I, my

children, thought of fighters whom I had seen: one had thrown the

other on the ground and filled his mouth with sand, and bruised every

limb of his body, yet still he kept his hold; and of a sudden the one

that was uppermost could endure the grip no longer, and gave in, so

that the undermost won the crown. Thus was it with me and Satan; and,

my children, I counsel you to be long-suffering in all that may come

upon you; for there is nothing that is stronger than patience.

Now it was not until many years had passed that the tidings of my

affliction came to the ears of the kings who were of old time my

friends--for Satan caused the matter to be kept from them. But when

they heard, they set forth from their countries and came to visit me,

even Eliphaz of Teman, and Bildad, and Zophar, and Elihu; all of them

with great trains of followers. When they were come into my land they

inquired, "Where is Jobab, the ruler of Uz?" And it was told them,

"He sitteth upon a dunghill without the city." And they asked what

was become of my wealth--for I was aforetime richer than all the

princes of the East--and they were informed of all that had befallen

me. So they came where I was, and some of the men of the city with

them, who showed me to them. But they said, "This is not Jobab." Yet

the men of the place affirmed that it was so; and after they had

disputed for some time, Eliphaz called to me, "Art thou Jobab, our

fellow-king?" And I, weeping and casting dust upon my head, bowed

myself in token that it was I.

Then were they stricken with great astonishment and terror, and fell

to the ground as it were dead; and they rent their clothes and cast

off their armour, and sat down upon the ground. And Elihu lifted up

his voice and took up a lamentation over me, calling to mind all the

glory of my former state, my sheep and oxen, camels and asses, my

golden beds and my jewelled throne, the lamps and perfumes of my

palace, and the beauty of my children, and saying, "Where is now the

glory of thy kingdom?" And when he had ended his lamentation I said,

"Hold your peace and I will tell you."

"My throne is in the region beyond the world, and the glory and

beauty of it is at the right hand of the Father.

"This world shall pass away and the glory of it shall perish, and

they that pay heed thereto shall be overwhelmed in the overthrow of

it; but my throne is in the land of the holy, and the glory of it in

the age that hath no change.

"The rivers shall be dried up, and the abundance of their streams

floweth down into the depths of the pit; but the rivers of my land

fail not, and their streams water it for evermore.

"Kings shall pass away, and rulers be no more seen: their names and

their boasting shall be as the image in the glass; but my kingdom

abideth for ever, and the glory thereof is as the glory of the

chariot of the Most High."

Then Eliphaz waxed very wroth, and said, "Come, and let us leave him

to his folly. To what purpose have we journeyed hither to comfort

him, if he rails against us and says, 'Your kingdom shall be brought

to nought, but mine endureth for ever'?" And he would have gone

away in a rage. But Bildad restrained him, saying, "Remember that the

man is sick in body and mind; we should not deal harshly with him; it

may well be that he is mad." And Bildad and Zophar put questions to

me to discern whether I was of sound mind or not, and I answered them

soberly. And at last Zophar said, "What shall be done for thee?

Behold, we have with us the most skilful physicians that are in our

kingdoms. Wilt thou that they shall tend thee? Peradventure thou

mayest find relief at their hands." But I said, "My healing and my

medicine shall be from the Lord, who is the Maker of physicians and

of all their craft."

While I was yet speaking, there came to us my wife Sitis, clothed in

rags, and she had escaped by stealth out of the house of her master;

for he would have kept her within, fearing that the kings would call

him to account for his ill-usage of us. So when she came to us, she

threw herself down before Eliphaz and said, "Rememberest thou,

Eliphaz and thy fellows, how I looked and how I was attired in the

former days? Look now and see in what guise I go about." And they

were cut to the heart and wept, but knew not what to say; only

Eliphaz took off his purple robe and put it about her shoulders. And

she besought them, saying, "I pray you, command your servants to dig

among the ruins of the house that fell upon our children, and seek

out their bones that they may be buried and a memorial set up; for

till this day we have never been able to do so because of the cost.

Consider, I beseech you, what I suffer that have lost ten children,

and not one of them is given to burial." So they prepared to dig; but

I prevented them, and said, "Labour not in vain; ye will not find my

children, for they have been taken up into the heavens by the King

that created them." Again they said, "Who would not say that thou art

mad? Thy children are taken up into heaven, sayest thou? Show us now

what thou meanest."

I said, therefore, "Raise me up that I may stand on my feet." And

they took each an arm and raised me, and I stood up and made

supplication to the Father, and then said to them, "Lift up your eyes

and look towards the east." And they looked, and beheld my children

crowned with glory in the heavens, and above them the glory of the

Most High. Which when Sitis my wife saw, she fell upon her face and

worshipped, and said, "Now know I that there is remembrance of me

with God. I will go now into the city and rest a little, and refresh

myself for my labours of the morrow." So she went into the city, and

entered into the stable of the kine that had been hers, and had been

taken from her by those that employed her; and she lay down by one of

the mangers and slept, having her mind at rest, and so died. And on

the morrow her master sought her, and did not find her; and at last

entering into the stable, he saw her lying dead there, and ran out

and summoned men to him; and all the city came and saw her lying in

the stable, and the beasts standing about her, lowing and making

lamentation over her. Then they carried her forth and buried her

beside the place of the house that had fallen upon her children.

Now as for all the words which Eliphaz, and Bildad, and Zophar, and

Elihu spake with me, and those wherewith I answered them, are they

not written in the book for your remembrance? Also ye know how that

at the last the Lord came and answered me out of the whirlwind, and

rebuked us. And we made atonement for that which we had said amiss:

all but Elihu, for into him Satan had entered, and he had spoken evil

words against me; wherefore he departed, and made no atonement for

his sin.

Also ye know how the Lord restored to me my former state, and gave me

the double of all that I had possessed before; and how I married your

mother, and she bare me you: seven sons and three daughters, as it

is this day.

And now behold, my sons, I die; and as for you, forget not ye the

Lord, do good to the poor, pass not by the helpless, take not to

yourselves wives from among the heathen.

Moreover, Job said, "I will divide my substance among you, and each

of you shall possess his portion in peace."

Then Job divided his substance among his seven sons, but to his

daughters he gave none of it; and they were grieved, and said,

"Father, are we not also thy children?" And he answered, "Trouble not

yourselves, for I have prepared for you an inheritance better than

that of your brethren." And he called to him his eldest daughter, and

gave her his signet-ring, saying, "Go into the treasure-chamber and

bring me the three golden caskets which you will find there." And

when she had brought them, he opened them, and took from them three

cords, and gave one to each of his daughters. Now these cords were

exceeding beautiful, of many colours, and sending forth sparks of

light as it had been rays of the sun; and he said to his daughters,

"Gird them about you, and keep them all the days of your life."

But Keziah, the second of the daughters, said, "Father, is this that

excellent inheritance which you promised to us? What is the use of

these cords? Shall we be able to live by means of them?" And he

answered, "Not only so, but they will bring you even into the better

life. Know ye not, my children, what is the worth of these cords?

These are they which the Lord gave me on the day when He had mercy on

me and healed me of my sickness; for He gave them to me, and said to

me, 'Rise up, gird thy loins like a man, and I will inquire of thee

and thou shalt answer Me.' And I put them about me, and straightway

all my sores and plagues fell away from me, and my body was

strengthened as if I had never been sick; and, moreover, I forgot

all my pain and sorrow of heart. Now therefore, my children, so long

as ye have these about you, the enemy can do nothing against you; no,

not even to put into your minds evil thoughts. Arise, then, and gird

yourselves with them before I die."

Then they did so, and their hearts were changed and renewed within

them, so that they forgot the things of this world, and began to

speak in the language of the angels, singing praises to the Lord of

the heavens, and telling of the glory of that place and of the mighty

works of the Father. And I, Nahor, the brother of Job, who wrote this

testament, sat by and heard them; and that which I could I wrote down

in a book, to be for them that come after, that they might know

somewhat of the wonders of the Lord.

Now after three days wherein Job kept his bed--yet without pain or

sickness, for no disease had power over him since the day when he put

on that heavenly girdle--after three days, I say, he was aware of

those that were coming to bear away his soul. And he arose, and gave

to his eldest daughter a harp, and to the second a censer, and to the

third an instrument of music, that they might welcome those that were

on their way. And even as they took them into their hands they saw

the chariots of light approaching; and they uttered hymns of praise

and thanksgiving, each one in the language of them that dwell in the

holy places. Then He that sat in the great chariot came near and took

the soul of Job, embracing it in His arms in the sight of his

daughters; but no man else saw that sight. And He took it into the

chariot and departed towards the sunrising.

And after three days we made ready the body of Job to the burial; and

all the widows, and the fatherless, and the helpless came about us,

crying and saying, "Woe unto us this day, woe unto us! He that was

the strength of the weak, the light of the blind, the father of the

fatherless, the home of the homeless, is taken from us." And they

would not that his body should be hidden out of their sight. But when

we carried him to the sepulchre, his three daughters went before,

girded with the heavenly girdles, and giving glory to God in hymns

and psalms of thanksgiving. And we laid him in the tomb as it were

sleeping a fair sleep; and verily he left after him a name that

shall be famous and renowned in all generations.