032 The Story of Job - A Bible Story for Children

Job 1-42

In the land of Uz there lived a man named Job who had seven sons and three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, and hundreds of asses and oxen. Job was a good man, and he led a rich and happy life.

Now there came a day when all the angels of the Lord presented themselves before him, and Satan was among them. "Where have you been?" God asked Satan.

"I have been roaming over the earth," he answered, for he would go through the world, looking for people who could be turned to evil.

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one else in the world like him, no one who loves God and hates evil as much as he does."

"He has every reason to love you," Satan answered. "He is a comfortable and happy man. He has everything a man could want. But take away all his riches and his family, and he will curse you to your face."

"Very well," said the Lord. "You may test Job. You may take away everything he has, only do not harm his body in any way."

Soon after, as Job sat by himself, a messenger ran up to him. "The Sabeans have stolen your oxen and asses, and killed all your servants," the messenger cried. "I alone escaped to tell you."

Before the man could finish speaking, a second messenger ran up to Job. "A fire came down from heaven," he said, "and burned up your shepherds and all their sheep. I alone escaped to tell you."

Before the second man could finish speaking, a third messenger ran up. "Three bands of Chaldeans took away your camels, and killed all the men who were with them. I alone escaped to tell you."

Before the third man could finish speaking, a fourth messenger arrived. "Your sons and daughters were eating in your oldest son's house," he cried, "when a great wind came from the wilderness. It blew down the house and killed all your children. I alone escaped to tell you."

Then Job tore at his clothes, and fell to the ground to pour out his sorrows to the Lord. "I came into this world with nothing, and with nothing I shall leave it. The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did no evil, and did not curse God.

The next time the angels of the Lord presented themselves before him, Satan was again among them.

"Have you considered my servant Job?" God again asked Satan. "You moved me against him, although he was perfect in every way, and still he follows my words."

"Skin for skin," answered Satan. "A man will give up everything to save his own life. Cause him enough pain, and he will curse you to your face."

"Very well," said the Lord. "Do anything you want to him, but do not kill him."

Soon Job was struck with a painful skin disease. Sores covered his body, from his feet to his head. He sat all day long in a pile of ashes, scraping himself with a piece of a broken pot. When Job's wife saw how he was suffering, she said to him, "What good is your faith in the Lord?" Curse God, and die!"

"You are talking foolishly," Job said. "Are we to take the good things from God and not the bad?" And Job did not curse God.

Hearing of Job's troubles, three of his friends came to visit him. At first, they did not recognize Job. Then seeing his suffering, they wept and tore their clothes. For seven days they sat with him and did not say a word. At the end of the seven days, Job cursed the day he was born.

Job's friends then tried to help him. "Will you listen to us?" Eliphaz asked. "You know God does not punish people for no reason. You must have done something wrong. Seek God out, and ask him to forgive you. God may wound, but he also heals. This is what you should do."

"O, that all my sorrows could be counted and weighed against my misery. Surely, my pain outweighs my mistakes," Job cried. "You say you are my friends, but you do not comfort me. You tell me I have done wrong when I have not."

"Do not go on like this," said Bildad. "God does not make mistakes. Seek him out, and ask his forgiveness."

"Do not think you are without blame," said Zophar, Job's third friend. "God has great wisdom and knows all the wrong things men do."

"You laugh at me," answered Job. "But I know as much as you know, and I know I have reason to complain. I also know God does not hear me and that my friends do not comfort me. I only want to know why God has done these terrible things to me. I have followed God's commandments, I have helped my neighbors and friends. Now they turn from me, and God does not hear me. I must know why."

When Job and his friends had finished arguing, the Lord came to Job in a whirlwind. "What will you learn from your friends? "Come, stand up like a man, for now I shall question you, and you shall answer," said the Lord.

"Where were you when I created the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all God's children shouted with joy?

"Have you shut the sea in with doors, and said, "Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped'?

"Do you know where the light gathers, and where the darkness makes its home?

"Do you teach the lion to hunt its prey, and does the hawk fly by your wisdom?

"Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like mine?

"Will you find fault with the Almighty? First answer my questions, if you would have me answer yours."

Then Job bowed his head, and was ashamed. "Lord," he said, "I am nothing. How can I answer you? I have spoken about things I do not understand. I will put my hand on my mouth, and say nothing more."

God was pleased by Job's answers and knew that Job now understood the power and greatness of the Lord. He told Job to forgive his friends for the way they had spoken, for they did not really understand the ways of the Lord. Then the Lord gave Job twice the wealth he had before. Seven more sons were born to him, and three daughters. Job lived to be a very old man and died happy, full of knowledge and perfect in his understanding.

Category: Children's Bible Stories