Job 42

Job replies to the LORD ^{▼▼42:0 Job has heard God speak. Job has heard God speak about himself. And now Job sees that God’s wisdom is so much greater than Job’s wisdom. He sees that God’s power is so much greater than the power of any man. Job is now sorry about the things that he said. He is ready to believe God again.} ^{▼▼42:0 At the end of this chapter, God speaks to Job’s three friends. He tells them that Job was right. And he tells them that they said wrong things about Job. But he asks Job to pray for them and he promises to forgive them. God is kind to Job after all his troubles. And he makes Job richer than he had been before.}

1 Then Job replied to the LORD,

2 ‘I know that you can do all things. Nobody can beat you.

You are powerful. And you can do anything that you want to do.

3 I do not know much. And you asked me why I talk so much.

I have talked about the surprising things that you do.
But I did not understand them.

4 You told me to listen and to answer your questions.

5 I had heard about you from other people.

Now I have seen you with my own eyes.

6 So I do not like the things that I said.

I sit here in the ashes.
I am doing that to show you that I am sorry.’

The end of the story

7 The LORD said to Eliphaz,

‘The things that my servant Job has said about me are true. But the things that you said were not true. So I am angry with you and your two friends. 8 I want you to go to Job and to sacrifice 7 bulls and 7 goats. If you do that, I will be happy. After you have sacrificed the animals, Job will pray for you. Then I will forgive you for your silly words. Job, who is my servant, said the right things about me. But you did not.’

9 So Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar obeyed the LORD and they sacrificed the animals. And Job prayed for his three friends. Then the LORD did as he had promised. He forgave them for all the wrong things that they had said.

10 So Job prayed for his three friends. After that, the LORD made him twice as rich as he had been before. 11 Then Job had a party for his brothers and sisters and for his friends. They each told Job how sad they had been. They had been very sad because the LORD had caused much pain to Job. They each gave a coin and a gold ring to Job.

12 The LORD made Job richer than he had been before. The LORD gave to him 14,000 sheep, 6000 camels, 1000 pairs of oxen, and 1000 donkeys. 13 As well as seven sons, Job had three daughters. 14 Their names were Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-Happuch. 15 They were the most beautiful women in the whole country. Job said what should happen after his death. His sons and his daughters should have all the things that had belonged to him. 16 Job lived for another 140 years. He lived until he had seen his grandchildren and their grandchildren. 17 When, in the end, he died, he was a very old man.