1Da svarede Job:2„Jeg ved, at du er almægtig, at ingen har magt til at standse dig.3Du spurgte mig: ‚Hvorfra kender du mine tanker, når du knap nok ved, hvem jeg er?’[1] Jeg indrømmer, at jeg har udtalt mig om ting, som går over min forstand. (Job 38,2)4Du sagde også: ‚Lad mig stille dig nogle spørgsmål, så får vi se, om du kan svare på dem.’5Det eneste svar, jeg kan give, er: Før havde jeg kun hørt om dig, nu har jeg set dig med egne øjne.6Hvad jeg har sagt, tager jeg i mig igen, jeg angrer skamfuldt i støv og aske.”
Jobs videre skæbne
7Da Herren var færdig med at tale til Job, sagde han til Elifaz: „Jeg er vred på dig og dine to venner, for I fortalte ikke sandheden om mig, som min tjener Job gjorde.8Tag derfor syv ungtyre og syv væddere og bring dem som brændoffer for jer, mens Job ser på det. Så vil han gå i forbøn for jer, og jeg vil høre hans bøn, så jeg ikke straffer jer med ulykke for den synd, I har begået ved at tale usandt om mig.”9Så gjorde Elifaz, Bildad og Zofar, som Herren havde sagt, og Herren hørte Jobs bøn for dem, så de blev tilgivet.10Efter at Job således havde bedt for sine venner, velsignede Herren ham igen, så han fik dobbelt så meget, som han havde før.11Alle hans brødre og søstre og alle hans gamle venner kom tilbage til ham og holdt fest i hans hjem for at trøste og opmuntre ham efter de prøvelser, Herren havde tilladt ham at gennemgå. Og hver af dem gav ham et sølvstykke og en guldring.12Herren velsignede den sidste del af Jobs liv langt mere, end han havde velsignet ham tidligere. Han blev ejer af 14.000 får, 6000 kameler, 1000 par okser og 1000 hunæsler.13Gud gav ham desuden syv nye sønner og tre døtre.14Døtrenes navne var Jemima, Ketzia og Keren-Happuk.15I hele landet var der ingen kvinder så smukke som Jobs døtre, og de arvede på lige fod med deres brødre.16Job levede endnu 140 år, og han oplevede at få både børnebørn og oldebørn.17Han blev altså meget gammel og døde mæt af dage.
1Then Job answered the Lord and said:2“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (1.Mos 18,14; Matt 19,26)3‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (Job 38,2; Salm 40,5; Salm 131,1; Salm 139,6)4‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ (Job 38,3; Job 40,7)5I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;6therefore I despise myself, and repent[1] in dust and ashes.” (1.Mos 18,27; Job 2,8; Job 30,19)
The Lord Rebukes Job’s Friends
7After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. (1.Krøn 1,45; Job 2,11)8Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (1.Mos 20,7; 4.Mos 23,1; 1.Sam 12,23; 1.Krøn 15,26; Job 1,5; Jak 5,16; 1.Joh 5,16)9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. (Job 2,11)
The Lord Restores Job’s Fortunes
10And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Salm 14,7; Es 40,2; Es 61,7)11Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil[2] that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money[3] and a ring of gold. (1.Mos 24,22; 1.Mos 33,19; Josva 24,32; Job 2,11; Job 19,13)12And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. (Job 1,3; Job 8,7; Job 42,10)13He had also seven sons and three daughters. (Job 1,2)14And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.15And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. (4.Mos 27,1)16And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations. (1.Mos 50,23; Salm 128,6; Es 53,10)17And Job died, an old man, and full of days. (Job 5,26)