Passage

Job 1

Job 1 opens the Bible's longest sustained treatment of innocent suffering with two scenes set side by side: an earthly portrait of a blameless and prosperous man, and a heavenly council scene in which the Accuser ("the satan," with the definite article in Hebrew) appears before YHWH and challenges the integrity of Job's fear of God. The chapter then narrates Job's catastrophic losses on a single day, ending with his worship: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." It is the canonical theodicy framework: God allows but does not author evil; an accuser exists who works within bounds God sets; faithful sufferers may not be told what we as readers are told.

Key verses

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, 'From where do you come?'" (Job 1:6-7a, NASB95)

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.' Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." (Job 1:20-22, NASB95)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil. 2. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east. 4. And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 6. Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. 7. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. 9. Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10. Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. 12. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. 13. And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, 14. that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; 15. and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the, servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 18. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; 19. and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 20. Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; 21. and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. 22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job 1:1-22, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil. 2. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3. His possessions also were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east. 4. His sons went and held a feast in the house of each one on his birthday; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5. It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts." Job did so continually. 6. Now on the day when God's sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan also came among them. 7. Yahweh said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." 8. Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil." 9. Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10. Haven't you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will renounce you to your face." 12. Yahweh said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself don't stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of Yahweh. 13. It fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14. that there came a messenger to Job, and said, "The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15. and the Sabeans attacked, and took them away. Yes, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 16. While he was still speaking, there also came another, and said, "The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 17. While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, "The Chaldeans made three bands, and swept down on the camels, and have taken them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you." 18. While he was still speaking, there came also another, and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19. and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you." 20. Then Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshiped. 21. He said, "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh's name." 22. In all this, Job did not sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:1-22, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 2. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. ^{substance: or, cattle} ^{household: or, husbandry} ^{men: Heb. sons} 4. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. ^{continually: Heb. all the days} 6. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. ^{Satan: Heb. the adversary} ^{among: Heb. in the midst of} 7. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? ^{considered: Heb. set thy heart on} 9. Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10. Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. ^{substance: or, cattle} 11. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. ^{and he: Heb. if he curse thee not to thy face} 12. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. ^{power: Heb. hand} 13. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 14. And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15. And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ^{The fire: or, A great fire} 17. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ^{fell: Heb. rushed} 18. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 19. And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ^{from: Heb. from aside, etc} 20. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, ^{mantle: or, robe} 21. And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. ^{charged: or, attributed folly to God}" (Job 1:1-22, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. A man there hath been in the land of Uz, Job his name, and that man hath been perfect and upright, both fearing God, and turning aside from evil. 2. And there are borne to him seven sons and three daughters, 3. and his substance is seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred pairs of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a service very abundant; and that man is greater than any of the sons of the east. 4. And his sons have gone and made a banquet, the house of each [in] his day, and have sent and called to their three sisters to eat and to drink with them; 5. and it cometh to pass, when they have gone round the days of the banquet, that Job doth send and sanctify them, and hath risen early in the morning, and caused to ascend burnt-offerings, the number of them all, for Job said, 'Perhaps my sons have sinned, yet blessed God in their heart.' Thus doth Job all the days. 6. And the day is, that sons of God come in to station themselves by Jehovah, and there doth come also the Adversary in their midst. 7. And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, 'Whence comest thou?' And the Adversary answereth Jehovah and saith, 'From going to and fro in the land, and from walking up and down on it.' 8. And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, 'Hast thou set thy heart against My servant Job because there is none like him in the land, a man perfect and upright, fearing God, and turning aside from evil?' 9. And the Adversary answereth Jehovah and saith, 'For nought is Job fearing God? 10. Hast not Thou made a hedge for him, and for his house, and for all that he hath, round about? 11. The work of his hands Thou hast blessed, and his substance hath spread in the land, and yet, put forth, I pray Thee, Thy hand, and strike against anything that he hath, if not: to Thy face he doth bless Thee!' 12. And Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, 'Lo, all that he hath [is] in thy hand, only unto him put not forth thy hand.' And the Adversary goeth out from the presence of Jehovah. 13. And the day is, that his sons and his daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born. 14. And a messenger hath come in unto Job and saith, 'The oxen have been plowing, and the she-asses feeding by their sides, 15. and Sheba doth fall, and take them, and the young men they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, and I am escaped, only I alone, to declare [it] to thee.' 16. While this [one] is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Fire of God hath fallen from the heavens, and burneth among the flock, and among the young men, and consumeth them, and I am escaped, only I alone, to declare [it] to thee.' 17. While this [one] is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Chaldeans made three heads, and rush on the camels, and take them, and the young men they have smitten by the mouth of the sword, and I am escaped, only I alone, to declare [it] to thee.' 18. While this [one] is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Thy sons and thy daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born. 19. And lo, a great wind hath come from over the wilderness, and striketh against the four corners of the house, and it falleth on the young men, and they are dead, and I am escaped, only I alone, to declare [it] to thee.' 20. And Job riseth, and rendeth his robe, and shaveth his head, and falleth to the earth, and doth obeisance, 21. and he saith, 'Naked came I forth from the womb of my mother, and naked I turn back thither: Jehovah hath given and Jehovah hath taken: let the name of Jehovah be blessed.' 22. In all this Job hath not sinned, nor given folly to God." (Job 1:1-22, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: the narrator of the prose prologue; YHWH and "the satan" in direct discourse during the council scene
Audience: Israelite wisdom-literature readers, with the book serving as a paradigm for the problem of innocent suffering
Location: Job's homeland is "the land of Uz," east of Israel (likely Edomite/Aramean borderlands); the council scene takes place in the heavenly court
Time period: the events are set in a patriarchal age (Job acts as family priest, lives 140+ years per chapter 42); the book's composition is debated, with proposals ranging from Solomonic-era (10th c. BC) to post-exilic (6th-4th c. BC)

Theological reading

The chapter's structural genius is the gap between earthly and heavenly knowledge. We the readers are shown the council scene; Job and his comforters never are. This is the structural foundation of the book's theodicy: when Job later demands an explanation and his friends offer easy answers (suffering is divine retribution for sin), the audience knows both are partly wrong. Job is right that the comforters' retribution-theology fails him; the comforters are right that there is a reason, but the reason is one neither they nor Job have access to. The reader holds privileged information that the sufferers in the story do not. Application: when we suffer, we may be in Job's epistemic position, not the reader's.

The council scene's "sons of God" (Heb. bənê hāʾĕlōhîm) are divine-council members presenting themselves at God's throne; the council motif also appears in 1 Kings 22.19-22 and Zechariah 3.1-2. "Satan" here is haśśāṭān, "the satan" with the article, a title ("the accuser") more than a proper name in the earliest layers. The prosecutorial role is clear: he scrutinizes Job's piety and charges that it is mercenary. The challenge is not whether God exists or is just; it is whether anyone serves God for God's own sake when self-interest is stripped away.

The verbal structure of God's permission (verse 12) is decisive for the theodicy. God grants the satan power within bounds: "all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand on him." Satan does the destroying; God does not act as immediate agent. Yet Job, knowing nothing of the council, attributes the losses to YHWH: "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away." Both sentences are theologically true. God permits in the sense that nothing happens outside His sovereignty; the satan acts in the sense that he is the immediate efficient cause of the destruction. This is the canonical template for the distinction between divine permission and divine causation that runs through Christian theology of providence and the Problem of Evil.

A theodicy that comes out of this chapter: evil is real, it is not authored by God, it has a personal accuser-agent behind it, that accuser operates within bounds God sets, and the sufferer is not guaranteed an explanation in the moment of suffering. The apologetic value is that this framework predates and survives the modern problem-of-evil objection. The atheist's "if God were good, He would not allow this" is not the question Job's prologue ignores; it is the question Job's prologue already answers differently. The book is the Bible's most extended insistence that God's goodness and human suffering are not contradictories, even when no consoling explanation is provided. See Job Bet Objection for the apologetic engagement with critics who read the chapter as a divine cruelty narrative; see Why Doesnt God Stop Satan Objection Defeater for the broader question.

Key words

H7854 - satan, śāṭān (Strong's H7854), the accuser of the council scene.
H3068 - YHWH, YHWH (Strong's H3068), the covenant name of God, used throughout.
H0430 - elohim, ʾĕlōhîm (Strong's H430), the term in "sons of God" (bənê hāʾĕlōhîm).

Theological themes

Heavenly council and the accuser. A real cosmic court where charges are pressed against the righteous.
Permission versus causation. God grants the satan limited authority; the satan executes the destruction; God remains sovereign over the boundary.
Disinterested righteousness. The wager turns on whether anyone fears God when fear of God costs them everything.
The epistemic gap of the sufferer. Job never learns what the reader is shown; faithful suffering does not require knowing why.
Worship in loss. "Blessed be the name of the LORD" as the paradigm of orthodox response to catastrophe.

Cross-references

Job 2, the second council scene where Job's body is added to what the satan may touch.
Job 42, the closing restoration; pairs with chapter 1 as prose bookends.
1 Kings 22.19-22, a parallel council scene with a "lying spirit" sent out.
Zechariah 3.1-2, the satan in another courtroom-accusation setting.
2 Peter 2.4 and Jude 6, the angelic rebellion and imprisonment background.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.