Version: King James Version (public domain)

Job

The suffering of the righteous

Job is a righteous man who loses his wealth, his children and his health. In long poetic dialogues he and his friends argue about why the righteous suffer, until God answers out of the whirlwind.

Historical context

The prose frame and the long central poem may have different origins; the book is one of the masterpieces of ancient wisdom literature.

Explanation

Best-known passages

Job loses everything (ch. 1–2)
“I know that my redeemer liveth” (ch. 19)
God answers Job (ch. 38–41)
Job restored (ch. 42)