Job is a pious man living in the land of Uz with a large family, extensive flocks, and immense wealth. He is “blameless”, “upright,” and careful to avoid evil. One day, Satan comes to heaven and appears before God. God tells Satan about Job’s goodness, but Satan argues that Job is good only because God has blessed him with such happiness and wealth. Satan tells God that, if he is allowed to punish a man of such privilege, Job will lose faith in God. To test this claim, God grants Satan permission to tempt and torment Job as long as Satan doesn’t take Job’s life.
Over the course of a single day, Job receives four messengers, each bringing news that his slaves, livestock, and children have all died. Job shaves his head and tears his clothes,
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On the seventh day, Job talks to them, starting a conversation in which each of the men gives his opinion on Job’s suffering.
Job wishes he was never born, comparing life to light and death to darkness. Job wishes he was never born because life is the source of his agony. Eliphaz responds to Job by saying that he never really understood their pain, and even goes so far as to say that Job’s misery must be because Job has sinned, and tells Job to seek God’s blessing. Bildad and Zophar agree that Job has sinned and say that he should try to show more blameless behavior. Bildad tells Job that his children brought death upon themselves and Zophar implies that this sin Job has committed deserves more punishment than what he was given.
Job responds to each of these comments, become so irritated with his friends that he calls them “worthless physicians” who “whitewash with lies”. After making plans to display his blamelessness, Job begins to think about man’s relationship with God. He asks himself why God judges people if their behavior can be altered or forgiven. Job also wonders about how humans can sway God’s justice. God is beyond human comprehension, so it would seem impossible for humans persuade God with prayers. God cannot be fooled, and Job realizes that he does not even understand himself fully enough to plead his case to God. Job wishes for someone to intermediate between God and himself, or for God to just send him to