The Book of Job

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The Book of Job

As translated by Stephen Mitchell

Philosophy & Religion

Aug 10, 2018

Job’s tale is the Bible’s profound and unsettling meditation on suffering, justice, and the inscrutability of life. It begins in prose (as it will close), introducing the legend of the pious man from the land of Uz and revealing what Job himself never knows: that the miseries visited upon him result from a bet between God and the Accusing Angel (whom we might as well call Satan), who is sure Job’s piety is a consequence of the blessings bestowed upon him rather than true love of the Lord. What would happen if those blessings disappeared? You can read the Book of Job in countless translations, but through Stephen Mitchell’s particular eloquence (abetted by his insightful introductory essay) the reader is powerfully reminded that the tale is prayer as well as story; its words are infused with the searching, impulsive expressiveness of need. In no other writing save the Greek tragedies is the sheer challenge of human existence (to say nothing of the dark majesty of divinity) so boldly assayed.

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Mary Balsano Colombini Morgan

Oct 30, 2018

Good message.

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Daniel Bennett

Nov 6, 2018

fantastic story, regardless of your religious affiliation...but since the bible is on this list, isn't this redundant?

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Tricia Sean Goodman

Feb 19, 2019

My mother's favorite...

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Mr. Griebel

Mar 27, 2019

Life's hard. Sometimes it's not your fault. Know that your role as a human means accepting life's hardships, even if there's no logical explanation as toward why.

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