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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Testament of Job belongs to the wider corpus of Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings that reinterpret and expand the figures and narratives of the Hebrew Scriptures. Unlike the canonical Book of Job, which is primarily poetic and dialogical, this work presents itself as a final testament spoken by Job to his children at the end of his life, thereby placing the narrative within the literary framework of testamentary literature.
The text survives in Greek, Coptic, and Slavonic traditions, and scholars generally place its composition between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. It is usually regarded as a Jewish work, even though some later manuscript transmission passed through Christian hands. Its literary character is deeply shaped by the world of Hellenistic Judaism, while also preserving motifs that resonate with later ascetic and apocalyptic traditions.
The Testament of Job does not merely retell the biblical account. Rather, it transforms Job into an exemplary righteous man: a royal benefactor of the poor, an enemy of idolatry, a patient athlete in spiritual combat, and finally a witness of heavenly mysteries. The result is a text that combines narrative expansion, moral exhortation, liturgical imagery, and eschatological hope.
One of the most remarkable features of the work is the way it enlarges the roles of secondary characters. Job’s wife, Sitis, becomes a dramatic and deeply human figure of suffering, humiliation, and lament, while Job’s daughters receive mystical heavenly cords that enable them to sing in angelic language. These elements give the work an unusual spiritual and symbolic richness, distinguishing it from many other pseudepigraphal texts of the same period.
Historical Context
The composition of the Testament of Job is generally situated in the late Second Temple or early post-Second Temple period, most commonly between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. In its present form, the work is widely understood as a Jewish composition, probably written originally in Greek, though preserved later in multiple textual traditions. The earliest surviving substantial witnesses are associated with the Coptic tradition, copied centuries after the original composition.
This period was marked by intense literary creativity within Judaism. Biblical figures were often reinterpreted through retellings, expansions, and exhortatory texts designed not only to preserve sacred memory but also to offer models of righteousness for later communities. In this context, Job becomes more than a suffering just man: he is reshaped into a heroic figure of charity, purity, endurance, and spiritual perception.
The text also reflects broader currents of Jewish religious thought in the Hellenistic world. Its concern with almsgiving, opposition to idolatry, the testing of the righteous, heavenly reward, and the transformation of suffering into glory places it within a moral and theological universe shared by several other Jewish writings of the period. At the same time, its hymnic passages and visionary elements give it a distinctive tone, at times almost liturgical or mystical.
From a literary perspective, the Testament of Job is often described as a retelling of the Job tradition in the style of Jewish haggadah, shaped by the conventions of testamentary literature. Rather than concentrating on the philosophical dialogues of the canonical Job, it emphasizes narrative action, piety, generosity toward the poor, and the final vindication of the righteous before heaven and earth.
Structure
Although manuscript traditions show some variation, the Testament of Job can generally be divided into the following thematic sections:
1. Job’s Final Testament to His Children
The narrative opens with Job, near death, summoning his sons and daughters around him. He identifies himself as Jobab and introduces the work as a personal testimony of what the Lord allowed him to endure and overcome.
2. Rejection of Idolatry and the Beginning of the Trial
Before his suffering begins, Job learns by revelation that the local idol is not divine but an instrument of the Seducer. He destroys the idol, and this act becomes the immediate cause of Satan’s hostility against him.
3. Job’s Charity and Royal Righteousness
A large portion of the text expands Job’s social and moral profile. He is depicted as extraordinarily generous: feeding strangers, clothing widows and orphans, cancelling debts, providing work for the poor, and governing his household with justice and mercy.
4. The Loss of Wealth, Household, and Children
As announced beforehand, Satan is permitted to strike Job’s possessions and family. Job loses his flocks, servants, riches, and children, yet he does not blaspheme GOD and remains steadfast in spirit.
5. Physical Affliction and the Trial of Sitis
Satan then receives power over Job’s body, and Job is struck with disease and cast onto the dung heap. The suffering of his wife Sitis is developed in detail, including her humiliation, labor, and lament, making her one of the most vivid figures in the narrative.
6. The Defeat of Satan Through Endurance
The text presents Job not merely as a passive sufferer, but as a spiritual athlete. Satan himself ultimately confesses defeat, acknowledging that Job, though clothed in flesh and pain, has overcome him through firmness of heart.
7. The Visit of the Kings and the Heavenly Perspective
The royal friends come to visit Job, at first scarcely able to recognize him. Their lament over his downfall leads to some of the most elevated speeches in the text, where Job declares that his true throne is not earthly but heavenly.
8. Divine Vindication and Restoration
After the controversy with the friends and the condemnation of Elihu, Job is vindicated by GOD. His fortunes are restored, and he resumes his works of benevolence, now even more clearly marked as one chosen and favored by heaven.
9. The Heavenly Cords and the Mystical Daughters
One of the most distinctive sections of the work concerns Job’s three daughters, who receive heavenly cords as their inheritance. Through them they are transformed and begin to sing hymns in angelic language, revealing a mystical and visionary dimension absent from the biblical account.
10. The Death and Glorification of Job
The work concludes with Job’s peaceful death, the coming of the holy angels, and the ascent of his soul. His memory is preserved not merely as that of a patient sufferer, but as that of a righteous king, benefactor of the poor, and witness of divine glory.
Full Text
Testament of Job
The blameless one, the sacrificer, the conqueror in many contests
The Book of Job, called Jobab: his life and the transcript of his testament
Translated by M. R. James
Apocrypha Anecdota II. Texts and Studies 5/1. Cambridge: University Press, 1897
Chapter 1
On the day when he became sick and knew that he would have to leave his bodily dwelling, he called together his seven sons and his three daughters and spoke to them as follows:
“Form a circle around me, my children, and listen, and I shall relate to you what the Lord did for me and all that happened to me.
For I am Job, your father.
Know then, my children, that you are the offspring of one who was chosen, and take heed of your noble birth.
For I am of the sons of Esau. My brother is Nahor, and your mother is Dinah. By her I became your father.
For my first wife died, together with my other ten children, in bitter death.
Hear now, children, and I will reveal to you what happened to me.
I was a very rich man living in the East, in the land of Ausitis (Utz), and before the Lord named me Job, I was called Jobab.
The beginning of my trial was this: near my house there was the idol of one worshipped by the people, and I saw burnt offerings continually brought to him as though he were a god.
Then I pondered and said to myself: ‘Is this he who made heaven and earth, the sea, and us all? How shall I know the truth?’
And in the night, as I lay asleep, a voice came and called: ‘Jobab, Jobab, rise up, and I will tell thee who is the one whom thou wishest to know.
This one, however, to whom the people bring burnt offerings and libations, is not God, but the power and work of the Seducer, by which he beguiles the people.’
And when I heard this, I fell upon the earth and prostrated myself, saying:
‘O my Lord, who speakest for the salvation of my soul, I pray thee: if this is the idol of Satan, let me go and destroy it and purify this place.
For none can forbid me from doing this, since I am king of this land, so that those who dwell in it may no longer be led astray.’
And the voice that spoke out of the flame answered me:
‘Thou canst purify this place.But behold, I declare to thee what the Lord has ordered me to tell thee, for I am the archangel of God.’
And I said: ‘Whatever shall be spoken to His servant, I shall hear.’
And the archangel said to me:
‘Thus says the Lord: if thou undertakest to destroy and remove the image of Satan, he will rise up in wrath to wage war against thee, and he will display against thee all his malice.He will bring upon thee many severe plagues and take from thee all that thou hast.
He will take away thy children and inflict many evils upon thee.
Then thou must wrestle like an athlete and resist pain, certain of thy reward, overcoming trials and afflictions.
But if thou endurest, I shall make thy name renowned throughout all generations of the earth, even to the end of the world.
And I shall restore to thee all that thou hadst, and a double portion of what thou shalt lose shall be given to thee, so that thou mayest know that God shows no partiality, but gives to each according to what he deserves.
And to thee also it shall be given, and thou shalt wear a crown of amaranth.
And at the resurrection thou shalt awaken to eternal life. Then shalt thou know that the Lord is just, true, and mighty.’
Whereupon, my children, I replied:
‘I shall, for love of God, endure unto death all that comes upon me, and I shall not draw back.’Then the angel placed his seal upon me and departed.
Chapter 2
After this, I rose in the night and took fifty slaves with me and went to the temple of the idol and destroyed it to the ground.
Then I returned to my house and gave orders that the door should be firmly locked, saying to my doorkeepers:
‘If someone asks for me, do not report it to me, but tell him: “He is occupied with urgent matters. He is within.”’
Then Satan disguised himself as a beggar and knocked heavily at the door, saying to the doorkeeper:
‘Tell Job that I desire to meet him.’
And the doorkeeper came in and told me, but heard from me that I was occupied in study.
The Evil One, having failed in this, went away, took upon his shoulder an old torn basket, returned, and said to the doorkeeper: ‘Tell Job: give me bread from thy hand that I may eat.’
And when I heard this, I gave her burnt bread to hand to him, and I made known to him: ‘Do not expect to eat of my bread, for it is forbidden to thee.’
But the doorkeeper, being ashamed to hand him the burnt and ashy bread, since she did not know that it was Satan, took some of her own fine bread and gave it to him.
But he took it and, knowing what had happened, said to the maiden:
‘Go away, evil servant, and bring me the bread that was given thee to deliver to me.’And the servant wept and said in grief:
‘Thou speakest the truth in saying that I am an evil servant, because I did not do as I was instructed by my master.’Then she returned and brought him the burnt bread and said to him:
‘Thus says my lord: “Thou shalt not eat of my bread any longer, for it is forbidden to thee.”And this he gave me in order that no charge might be brought against me that I did not give to the enemy who asked.’
And when Satan heard this, he sent back the servant to me, saying:
‘As thou seest this bread all burnt, so shall I soon burn thy body and make it like this.’And I replied:
‘Do what thou desirest and accomplish whatever thou plotest. For I am ready to endure whatever thou bringest upon me.’And when the devil heard this, he left me, and going up beneath the highest heaven, he obtained from the Lord permission to have power over all my possessions.
And after receiving this power, he immediately took away all my wealth.
Chapter 3
For I had one hundred and thirty thousand sheep, and of these I set apart seven thousand for the clothing of orphans, widows, the needy, and the sick.
I had a herd of eight hundred dogs to guard my sheep, and besides these two hundred more to watch my house.
I had nine mills working for the whole city and ships to carry goods, and I sent them into every city and village for the weak, the sick, and the unfortunate.
I had three hundred and forty thousand nomadic asses, and of these I set aside five hundred; their offspring I ordered to be sold, and the proceeds to be given to the poor and needy.
For from all lands the poor came to me.
The four doors of my house were always open, each under the charge of a watchman, who had to see whether any came asking alms, and whether they might find me sitting at one door so that they could leave by another and take whatever they needed.
I also had thirty fixed tables laid at all hours for strangers alone, and twelve tables spread for widows.
If anyone came asking for alms, he found food on my table and took what he needed; and I turned no one away from my door empty.
I also had three thousand five hundred yoke of oxen, and from these I selected five hundred for ploughing.
By means of these, work was done in every field for those who undertook it, and I set aside the produce of their crops for the table of the poor.
I also had fifty bakeries from which I sent bread to the table of the poor.
And I had slaves appointed for this service.
There were also strangers who, seeing my good will, desired to serve as attendants themselves.
Others, being in distress and unable to earn a living, came and said:
‘We pray thee, since we also can fulfill the office of attendants and possess nothing, have pity on us and advance money to us so that we may go into the great cities and trade.
And from the surplus of our profit we may give aid to the poor, and then we shall return to thee thine own.’
And when I heard this, I rejoiced that they should receive it for the cultivation of charity toward the poor.
And with a willing heart I gave them what they asked and accepted their written bond, but took no other security from them except the written document.
And they went abroad and gave to the poor according to their success.
Frequently, however, some of their goods were lost on the road or at sea, or they were robbed.
Then they would come and say:
‘We pray thee, deal generously with us so that we may see how we can restore to thee thine own.’And when I heard this, I had compassion on them, and handed them their bond; often, after reading it before them, I tore it up and released them from their debt, saying to them:
‘What I have consecrated for the benefit of the poor, I shall not take back from you.’
And thus I accepted nothing from my debtors.
And when a man of cheerful heart came to me saying:
‘I am not compelled by need to be a paid worker for the poor,but I desire to serve the needy at thy table,’
and he consented to work and ate his portion,I nevertheless gave him his wages and returned home rejoicing.
And if he did not wish to take them, I compelled him, saying:
‘I know that thou art a laboring man who waits for wages, and thou must take them.’Never did I delay the wages of the hireling or of any other, nor keep back in my house for a single evening the pay that was due to him.
Those who milked the cows and ewes signaled to passersby to come and take their share.
For the milk flowed in such abundance that it curdled into butter upon the hills and along the roadside; and by the rocks and hills lay the cattle that had borne their young.
My servants grew weary of preserving the meat for widows and the poor and dividing it into portions.
For they would complain and say:
‘Would that we had some of his flesh that we might be filled!’
though I was very kind to them.I also had six harps and six slaves to play them, and also a cithara and a decachord, and I played it by day.
And I took the cithara, and the widows responded after their meals.
With the instrument I reminded them of God, that they should give praise to the Lord.
And when my maidservants would murmur, I took the musical instruments and played as much as they would have done for their wages, and gave them relief from their labor and sighing.
Chapter 4
And my children, after taking charge of the service, would each day take their meals together with their three sisters, beginning with the eldest brother, and they made a feast.
And I rose in the morning and offered as a sin offering for them fifty rams and nineteen sheep, and what remained over I consecrated to the poor.
And I said to them:
‘Take these remains and pray for my children.Perhaps my sons have sinned before the Lord, speaking proudly in spirit: “We are the children of this rich man. These goods are ours; why should we be servants of the poor?”
And by speaking thus in pride they may have provoked the anger of God, for arrogance is an abomination before the Lord.’
So I brought oxen as offerings to the priest at the altar, saying:
‘May my children never think evil against God in their hearts.’While I lived in this manner, the Seducer could not bear the good that I did, and he demanded warfare from God against me.
And he fell upon me cruelly.
First he burned up the great number of sheep, then the camels; then he burned the cattle and all my herds, or they were captured, not only by enemies but even by those who had received benefits from me.
And the shepherds came and reported this to me.
But when I heard it, I gave praise to God and did not blaspheme.
And when the Seducer learned of my endurance, he devised fresh things against me.
He disguised himself as the king of Persia and besieged my city; and after he had led away all who were in it, he spoke to them maliciously in boastful words:
‘This man Job, who has seized all the goods of the earth and left nothing for others, has destroyed and torn down the temple of god.
Therefore I shall repay him for what he has done to the house of the great god.
Come now with me, and we shall plunder all that remains in his house.’
And they answered him and said:
‘He has seven sons and three daughters.Take care lest they flee into other lands and become tyrants over us, and later come with force and kill us.’
And he said:
‘Fear not at all. His flocks and wealth I have destroyed by fire, and the rest I have captured; and behold, his children also I shall kill.’And after saying this, he went and threw the house down upon my children and killed them.
And my fellow citizens, seeing that what he had said had come true, came and pursued me and robbed me of all that remained in my house.
And I saw with my own eyes the plundering of my house, and uncultured and dishonorable men sat at my table and on my couches, and I could not rebuke them.
For I was exhausted like a woman whose loins are loosened by many pains, remembering especially that this warfare had been foretold to me by the Lord through His angel.
And I became like one who, seeing the rough sea and adverse winds, when the cargo of the vessel in mid-ocean is too heavy, casts the burden into the sea, saying:
‘I cast away all this only that I may come safely into the city and count as gain the ship that is saved and the best of my possessions.’
Thus did I govern my own affairs.
But there came another messenger and announced to me the destruction of my children, and I was shaken with terror.
And I tore my clothes and said:
‘The Lord hath given, the Lord hath taken. As it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.’
Chapter 5
And when Satan saw that he could not drive me to despair, he went and asked for my body from the Lord, that he might afflict me with disease, for the Evil One could not endure my patience.
Then the Lord delivered me into his hands to use my body as he wished, but gave him no power over my soul.
And he came to me while I was still sitting on my throne, mourning over my children.
And he was like a great hurricane, overturning my throne and throwing me upon the ground.
And I remained lying there for three hours, and he struck me with a grievous plague from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet.
And I departed from the city in great terror and sorrow and sat down upon a dung heap, my body being consumed by worms.
And I soaked the earth with the moisture of my diseased body, for corruption flowed from me, and many worms covered me.
And when a single worm crept away from my body, I put it back, saying:
‘Remain where thou hast been placed until He who sent thee commands thee elsewhere.’Thus for seven years I endured, sitting upon a dung heap outside the city while stricken with plague.
And I saw with my own eyes my beloved children carried by angels into heaven.
And I saw my humbled wife, who had once been brought into her bridal chamber in great luxury and guarded by spearmen, now carrying water like a slave in the house of a common man in order to obtain bread and bring it to me.
And in my affliction I said:
‘Oh, that these boastful city rulers, whom I would not have thought equal even to my shepherd dogs, should now employ my wife as a servant!’Yet after this I took courage again.
But afterwards they withheld even that bread, so that it should serve only for her own nourishment.
Yet she took it and divided it between herself and me, saying in grief:
‘Woe is me! Soon he may no longer be able to eat bread, and he cannot go to the market to ask the bread sellers for bread to bring to him.’And when Satan learned this, he took the guise of a bread seller, and by chance, as it seemed, my wife met him and asked him for bread.
But Satan said to her:
‘Give me the price, and then take what thou wilt.’And she answered:
‘Where shall I get money? Dost thou not know what misfortune has befallen me? If thou hast pity, show it; if not, thou wilt see.’And he replied:
‘If thou hadst not deserved this misfortune, thou wouldst not have suffered all this.Now if thou hast no silver in thy hand, give me the hair of thy head, and take three loaves of bread for it, so that ye may live for three days.’
Then she said within herself:
‘What is the hair of my head compared with my starving husband?’And after considering the matter, she said to him:
‘Rise and cut off my hair.’Then he took a pair of scissors and cut off the hair from her head in the sight of all, and gave her three loaves of bread.
Then she took them and brought them to me. And Satan went behind her on the road, hiding himself and greatly troubling her heart.
Chapter 6
And immediately my wife came near me, crying aloud and weeping, and said:
‘Job, Job, how long wilt thou sit upon the dung heap outside the city, still pondering and hoping to obtain thy expected salvation?And I have wandered from place to place, roaming like a hired servant; behold, thy memory has already perished from the earth.
And my sons and daughters whom I carried in my bosom, and the labors and pains that I endured, have come to nothing.
And thou sittest in foul corruption with sores and worms, passing the nights in the cold air.
And I have borne every trial and trouble and sorrow, day and night, until at last I succeeded in bringing thee bread.
For even the surplus bread was no longer allowed to me; and since I could scarcely take my own food and divide it between us, I considered in my heart that it was not right that thou shouldst suffer both pain and hunger.
So I ventured to go to the market without shame. And when the bread seller said to me, “Give me money, and thou shalt have bread,” I disclosed to him our distress.
Then I heard him say, “If thou hast no money, give me the hair of thy head and take three loaves of bread, that ye may live upon them for three days.”
And I submitted to the wrong and said to him, “Rise and cut off my hair,” and he rose and shamefully cut off the hair of my head in the marketplace while the crowd stood by in astonishment.
Who would not be astonished and say: “Is this Sitis, the wife of Job, she who had fourteen curtains covering her inner chamber, and doors within doors, so that any man counted it a great honor to be admitted to her, and now behold, she barters away her hair for bread?
She who had camels laden with goods and sent them to far lands for the poor, and now she sells her hair for bread!
She who had seven fixed tables in her house at which every poor man and stranger ate, and now she sells her hair for bread!
She whose basin for washing her feet was made of gold and silver, and now she walks upon the ground and sells her hair for bread!
She whose garments were of fine linen interwoven with gold, and now she exchanges her hair for bread!
She who had couches of gold and silver, and now she sells her hair for bread!”’
‘In short, then, Job, after all that has been said to me, I now say to thee in one word:
Since the weakness of my heart has crushed my bones, rise then and take these loaves of bread and eat them, and then speak some word against the Lord and die.
For I too would exchange the numbness of death for the sustenance of my body.’
But I replied to her:
‘Behold, for these seven years I have been stricken with plague, and I have endured the worms of my body, and yet my soul has not been weighed down by all these pains.And as to the word thou sayest, “Speak some word against God and die,” together with thee I will bear the evil thou seest, and let us endure the ruin of all that we possessed.
Yet thou desirest that we should utter some word against God, and that He should be exchanged for great Pluto, the god of the underworld.
Why dost thou not remember the great goods that we once possessed? If these goods came from the lands of the Lord, should we not also endure evils and remain steadfast in all things until the Lord again has mercy and shows pity to us?
Dost thou not see the Seducer standing behind thee and confusing thy thoughts, that thou shouldst deceive me?’
And I turned to Satan and said:
‘Why dost thou not come openly to me? Stop hiding thyself, thou wretched one.Does the lion display his strength in the cage of a weasel? Or does the bird fly while shut up in a basket? I say to thee now: go away and wage thy war against me.’
Then he came out from behind my wife and stood before me crying aloud, and he said:
‘Behold, Job, I yield and give way to thee, who art but flesh, while I am a spirit.Thou art plague stricken, but I am in great distress.
For I am like a wrestler contending with another who, in single combat, has thrown down his adversary, covered him with dust, and broken all his limbs, while the man lying beneath, by displaying courage, nevertheless utters cries of victory and testifies to his own excellence.
Thus thou, O Job, lie beneath, stricken with plague and pain, and yet thou hast gained victory in the contest against me, and behold, I yield to thee.’
Then he departed from me in shame.
Now, my children, do you also be firm of heart in every evil that befalls you, for steadfastness of heart is greater than all things.
Chapter 7
At that time the kings heard what had happened to me, and they rose and came to me, each from his own land, to visit me and comfort me.
And when they drew near, they cried aloud, and each tore his garments.
And after prostrating themselves with their faces to the earth, they sat beside me for seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word.
They were four in number: Eliphaz, king of Teman, Baldad, Sophar, and Elihu.
And while they sat there, they spoke together concerning what had happened to me.
Now when they had formerly come to me and I had shown them my precious stones, they were astonished and said:
‘If all the possessions of us three kings were gathered together into one, they would not equal the precious stones of the kingdom of Jobab. For thou art nobler than all the people of the East.’
Therefore when they came now to the land of Ausitis (Utz) to visit me, they asked in the city:
‘Where is Jobab, ruler of this whole land?’And they were told concerning me:
‘He sits upon the dung heap outside the city, for he has not entered the city for seven years.’And again they inquired concerning my possessions, and all that had happened to me was revealed to them.
And when they had learned it, they went out of the city with the inhabitants, and my fellow citizens pointed me out to them.
But they objected and said:
‘Surely this is not Jobab.’And while they hesitated, Eliphaz the king of Teman said:
‘Come, let us draw nearer and see.’And when they came near, I recognized them and wept much when I learned the purpose of their journey.
And I threw dust upon my head, and by shaking my head I made known to them that I was indeed Job.
And when they saw me shake my head, they all fell upon the ground, overcome with emotion.
And while their attendants stood round about, I saw the three kings lying upon the ground for three hours like dead men.
Then they rose and said to each other:
‘We cannot believe that this is Jobab.’And after seven days of inquiring into everything concerning me and searching for my flocks and all my other possessions, they said:
‘Do we not know how many goods were sent by him into the cities and villages all around, to be given to the poor, besides all that he gave away within his own house? How then could he have fallen into such ruin and misery?’
And after the seven days Elihu said to the kings:
‘Come, let us go nearer and examine him carefully, whether he truly is Jobab or not.’And though they were not half a mile distant from my foul-smelling body, they rose and drew near carrying perfume in their hands, while their soldiers cast incense all around them so that they might be able to approach me.
And after thus spending three hours, covering the way with fragrance, they came close.
And Eliphaz began and said:
‘Art thou indeed Job, our fellow king?Art thou he who once shone like the sun upon the whole earth? Art thou he who resembled the moon and the stars shining through the night?’
And I answered him and said:
‘I am.’
And thereupon they all wept and lamented and sang a royal song of mourning, their whole army joining them in chorus.Again Eliphaz said to me:
‘Art thou he who ordered seven thousand sheep to be given for the clothing of the poor? Whither then has the glory of thy throne gone?Art thou he who ordered three thousand cattle to plough the field for the poor? Whither then has thy glory gone?
Art thou he who had golden couches, and now thou sittest upon a dung heap? Whither then has thy glory gone?
Art thou he who had sixty tables spread for the poor, and censers for fine perfume made of precious stones, and now thou art in foulness? Whither then has thy glory gone?
Art thou he who had golden candelabra set upon silver stands, and now must long for the natural light of the moon? Whither then has thy glory gone?
Art thou he who had ointment made from the spices of frankincense, and now art in a state of repulsiveness? Whither then has thy glory gone?
Art thou he who laughed scorners and sinners to scorn, and now hast become a laughingstock to all? Whither then has thy glory gone?’
And when Eliphaz had long cried and lamented, while all the others joined him and the commotion became very great, I said to them:
‘Be silent, and I will show you my throne and the glory of its splendor. My glory will be everlasting.
The whole world shall perish, and its glory shall vanish, and all who cling to it shall remain below; but my throne is in the upper world, and its glory and splendor are at the right hand of the Savior in heaven.
My throne exists in the life of the holy ones, and its glory in the imperishable world.
For rivers shall dry up, and their pride shall sink into the depths of the abyss; but the streams of my land, in which my throne is established, shall not dry up, but remain unbroken in strength.
Kings perish and rulers vanish, and their glory and pride are like a shadow in a mirror; but my kingdom endures for ever and ever, and its glory and beauty are in the chariot of my Father.’
Chapter 8
When I had spoken thus to them, Eliphaz became angry and said to the other friends:
‘For what purpose have we come here with our retinues to comfort him? Behold, he reproaches us. Therefore let us return to our own countries.’‘This man sits here in misery, worm eaten and in unbearable corruption, and yet he says: “Kingdoms shall perish and their rulers vanish, but my kingdom shall last forever.”’
Eliphaz then rose in great agitation, and, turning away in fury, said:
‘I am leaving. We indeed came to comfort him, but he makes war upon us before our armies.’But Baldad took him by the hand and said:
‘One ought not speak thus to an afflicted man, especially to one struck down with so many plagues.Behold, we ourselves, being in health, scarcely dared approach him because of the offensive odor, except with much fragrance. But thou, Eliphaz, hast forgotten all this.
Let me speak plainly. Let us be generous and learn the cause. Must not a man, remembering his former happy days, become distraught when he sees himself fallen into such misfortune and plague?
Who would not be altogether bewildered? But let me draw near and discover the reason why he is thus.’
Then Baldad rose and approached me, saying:
‘Art thou Job? Is thy heart still sound?’And I said:
‘I did not set my hope on earthly things, since the earth and all who dwell therein are unstable. But my heart clings to heaven, because in heaven there is no trouble.’Then Baldad answered and said:
‘We know that the earth is unstable, for it changes with the seasons: at one time in peace, at another in war. But of heaven we hear that it remains perfectly steady.But art thou truly calm? Let me ask thee and speak. If thou answerest well to my first question, I shall ask a second; and if again thou answerest rightly, then it will be clear that thy heart has not been disturbed.’
And he said to me:
‘Upon what dost thou set thy hope?’
And I said:
‘Upon the living God.’And he said to me:
‘Who deprived thee of all thou didst possess? Who struck thee with these plagues?’
And I said:
‘God.’And he said:
‘If thou still settest thy hope on God, how can He be just in judgment, having brought upon thee these plagues and misfortunes and taken from thee all thy possessions?And since He has taken these away, it is clear that He had given thee nothing. No king would disgrace a soldier who had served him well as bodyguard.’
And I answered, saying:
‘Who can understand the depths of the Lord and of His wisdom, so as to accuse God of injustice?’And Baldad said:
‘Answer me this, O Job. Again I say to thee: if thou art in sound reason, teach me, if thou hast wisdom.Why do we see the sun rise in the East and set in the West, and when it rises again in the morning, it appears once more in the East? Tell me thy thought concerning this.’
Then I said:
‘Why should I babble forth the mighty mysteries of God? Should my mouth stumble by revealing things that belong to the Master? Never.Who are we that we should pry into matters of the upper world, while we are but flesh—indeed earth and ashes?
But that you may know that my heart is sound, hear what I ask you:
Through the stomach comes food, and water is drunk through the mouth, and both pass down through the same throat; yet when they become excrement, they are separated again. Who effects this separation?’
And Baldad said:
‘I do not know.’
And I answered him:
‘If thou dost not understand even the processes of the body, how then canst thou understand the circuits of heaven?’Then Sophar said:
‘We are not inquiring into our own affairs, but we wish to know whether thou art of sound mind, and behold, we see that thy reason has not failed.What then dost thou wish us to do for thee? Behold, we have brought with us the physicians of three kings, and if thou wilt, thou mayest be healed by them.’
But I answered and said:
‘My healing and my restoration come from God, the Maker of physicians.’
Chapter 9
And while I spoke thus to them, behold, my wife Sitis came running, clothed in rags, from the service of the master for whom she worked as a slave, though she had been forbidden to leave, lest the kings, seeing her, might take her captive.
And when she came, she threw herself down at their feet, crying and saying:
‘Remember, Eliphaz and ye other friends, what I once was among you, and how I am changed, how I am now clothed when I come before you.’Then the kings broke out into loud weeping and, being doubly perplexed, remained silent. But Eliphaz took off his purple mantle and cast it over her to cover her.
But she asked him, saying:
‘I ask this favor of you, my lords: command your soldiers to dig among the ruins of our house which fell upon my children, that their bones may be brought whole to the tombs.For because of our misfortune we have no strength left, and thus at least we may see their bones.
For have I, like a beast, the motherly feeling of wild animals, that my ten children should perish in one day and I should not give even one of them a fitting burial?’
And the kings gave orders that the ruins of my house should be dug up. But I forbade it, saying:
‘Do not labor in vain; for my children shall not be found, because they are in the keeping of their Maker and Lord.’
And the kings answered and said:
‘Who can deny that he is out of his mind and raves?For while we wish to recover the bones of his children, he forbids us and says: “They have been taken and placed in the keeping of their Maker.” Therefore show us the truth.’
But I said to them:
‘Raise me up that I may stand.’
And they lifted me, supporting my arms on either side.And I stood upright, and first I offered praise to God; and after the prayer I said to them:
‘Look with your eyes toward the East.’And they looked and saw my children crowned beside the glory of the King, the Ruler of heaven.
And when my wife Sitis saw this, she fell to the ground and prostrated herself before God, saying:
‘Now I know that my remembrance remains with the Lord.’And after she had said this, when evening came, she returned to the city, back to the master whom she served as a slave, and laid herself down at the manger of the cattle and died there from exhaustion.
And when her harsh master sought her and did not find her, he came to the fold of his herds, and there he saw her stretched out dead upon the manger, while all the animals around her were crying.
And all who saw her wept and lamented, and the cry spread throughout the whole city.
And the people brought her down, wrapped her, and buried her by the house that had fallen upon her children.
And the poor of the city made great mourning for her and said:
‘Behold this Sitis, whose equal in nobility and glory is not found among women. Alas, she was not granted a fitting tomb.’The lament for her is found in the record.
Chapter 10
But Eliphaz and those with him were astonished at these things, and they sat with me and, in answering me, spoke boastfully against me for twenty-seven days.
Again and again they repeated that I suffered thus justly for having committed many sins, and that no hope remained for me; but I answered them in the zeal of disputation.
And they rose in anger, ready to depart in wrath. But Elihu urged them to remain a little longer until he had shown them what it was.
‘For,’ said he, ‘so many days have ye passed, allowing Job to boast that he is righteous. But I shall endure it no longer.
For from the beginning I continued weeping over him, remembering his former happiness. But now he speaks proudly and in arrogance says that his throne is in heaven.
Therefore hear me, and I will tell you the cause of his fate.’
Then, filled with the spirit of Satan, Elihu spoke harsh words, which are written in the records left by Elihu.
And after he had ended, God appeared to me in storm and cloud and spoke, rebuking Elihu and showing me that the one who had spoken was not a man, but a wild beast.
And when God had finished speaking to me, the Lord said to Eliphaz:
‘Thou and thy friends have sinned in that ye have not spoken truth concerning My servant Job.Therefore rise up and let him offer a sin offering for you, that your sins may be forgiven; for if it were not for him, I would have destroyed you.’
And so they brought me all that belonged to sacrifice, and I took it and offered a sin offering for them, and the Lord accepted it favorably and forgave them their wrong.
Then, when Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar saw that God had graciously pardoned their sin through His servant Job, but had not deigned to pardon Elihu, Eliphaz began to sing a hymn, while the others responded, their soldiers also joining in as they stood by the altar.
And Eliphaz spoke thus:
“Taken away is our sin,
and removed is our injustice;
14. but Elihu, the evil one, shall have no remembrance among the living.
His lamp is extinguished and has lost its light.
15. The glory of his lamp shall testify against him,
for he is a son of darkness and not of light.
16. The gatekeepers of the place of darkness shall give him as his portion their own glory and beauty.
His kingdom has vanished, his throne has decayed,
and the honor of his stature is in Sheol, in Hades.
17. For he loved the beauty of the serpent and the scales of the dragon;
his gall and venom belong to the Northern One.
18. For he did not submit himself to the Lord, nor did he fear Him,
but hated those whom He had chosen.
19. Therefore God forgot him, and the holy ones forsook him.
Wrath and anger shall become his desolation;
he shall have no mercy in his heart nor peace,
because the venom of the adder was upon his tongue.
20. Righteous is the Lord, and true are His judgments.
With Him there is no partiality, for He judges all alike.
21. Behold, the Lord cometh.
Behold, the holy ones have been made ready.
The crowns and the prizes of the victors go before them.
22. Let the saints rejoice and let their hearts exult in gladness,
for they shall receive the glory laid up for them.”
Chorus:
23. “Our sins are forgiven, our injustice has been cleansed,
but Elihu has no remembrance among the living.”
After Eliphaz had finished the hymn, we rose and returned to the city, each to the house where he dwelt.
And the people made a feast for me in gratitude and rejoicing before God, and all my friends came back to me.
And all those who had seen me in my former prosperity asked me, saying:
‘What are these three things among us?’
Chapter 11
But I, desiring to resume my work of benevolence for the poor, asked them, saying:
‘Give me each a lamb for the clothing of the poor in their nakedness, and four drachmas of silver or gold.’
Then the Lord blessed all that remained to me, and after a few days I became rich again in merchandise, in flocks, and in all the things I had lost; and I received everything back in double measure.
Then I also took as wife your mother and became the father of you ten in place of the ten children who had died.
And now, my children, let me admonish you:
‘Behold, I die, and you shall take my place.Only do not forsake the Lord. Be charitable toward the poor. Do not neglect the weak. Do not take foreign wives for yourselves.
Behold, my children, I shall divide among you what I possess, so that each may have authority over his own portion and full power to do good with it.’
And after saying this, he brought all his goods and divided them among his seven sons, but he gave none of his goods to his daughters.
Then they said to their father:
‘Our lord and father, are we not also thy children? Why then dost thou not give us also a share in thy possessions?’Then Job said to his daughters:
‘Do not be angry, my daughters. I have not forgotten you. Behold, I have kept for you a possession better than what your brothers have received.’And he called his daughter whose name was Day (Yemima), and said to her:
‘Take this double ring used as a key, and go to the treasure chamber and bring me the golden casket, that I may give you your inheritance.’And she went and brought it to him, and he opened it and took out three-stringed girdles, concerning whose appearance no man can speak.
For they were not of earthly workmanship, but heavenly sparks flashed through them like the rays of the sun.
And he gave one cord to each of his daughters and said:
‘Put these around your waists as girdles, that all the days of your life they may surround you and endow you with every good thing.’And the other daughter, whose name was Kassia, said:
‘Is this the inheritance of which thou sayest it is better than that of our brothers? How then shall we live from this?’And their father said to them:
‘Not only is this sufficient for life, but it also brings you into a better world to dwell in, namely heaven.Do you not know, my children, the worth of these things? Hear then. When the Lord judged me worthy to receive His compassion and to remove from my body the plagues and worms, He called me and gave me these three cords.
And He said to me: “Rise and gird up thy loins like a man; I will ask thee, and thou shalt declare to Me.”
And I took them and girded them about my loins, and immediately the worms departed from my body, and the plagues likewise, and my body regained strength through the Lord, and thus I became as one who had never suffered.
And in my heart also I forgot the pains. Then the Lord spoke to me in His great power and showed me all that has been and all that shall be.’
‘Now then, my children, by keeping these you will not have the enemy plotting against you, nor evil thoughts in your minds, because this is a charm from the Lord.
Rise then and gird these around you before I die, that you may see the angels come for my departure and behold with wonder the powers of God.’
Then the one named Day (Yemima) rose and girded herself; and immediately, as her father had said, she put off concern for earthly things and received another heart.
And she sang angelic hymns in the voice of angels, and chanted the angelic praise of God while dancing.
Then the other daughter, Kassia, put on the girdle, and her heart was transformed, so that she no longer desired worldly things.
And her mouth assumed the dialect of the heavenly rulers, and she sang the doxology of the works of the highest realm. And if anyone wishes to know the works of heaven, he may find insight in the hymns of Kassia.
Then the third daughter, whose name was Amalthea’s Horn (Keren Happukh), girded herself, and her mouth spoke in the language of those on high; for her heart was transformed and lifted above worldly things.
She spoke in the dialect of the Cherubim, singing the praise of the Ruler of the cosmic powers and extolling His glory.
And he who desires to trace the footsteps of the Glory of the Father will find them written in the Prayers of Amalthea’s Horn.
Chapter 12
After these three had finished singing hymns, I, Nahor (Nereos), the brother of Job, sat down beside him as he lay there.
And I heard the marvelous things of the three daughters of my brother, one succeeding another in solemn silence.
And I wrote down this book containing these things, except the hymns and signs of the holy Word, for these were the great things of God.
And Job lay upon his couch in illness, yet without pain and suffering, because his pain no longer held him strongly, on account of the charm of the girdle which he had wrapped around himself.
But after three days Job saw the holy angels come for his soul, and immediately he rose and took the cithara and gave it to his daughter Day (Yemima).
And to Kassia he gave a censer, and to Amalthea’s Horn he gave a timbrel, so that they might bless the holy angels who came for his soul.
And they took these things and sang and played on the psaltery and praised and glorified God in the holy dialect.
And after this, He who sits upon the great chariot came and kissed Job, while his three daughters looked on, though the others did not see it.
And He took the soul of Job and soared upward, taking it by the arm and bearing it upon the chariot, and went toward the East.
His body, however, was borne to the grave, while the three daughters walked before it, girded with their cords and singing hymns in praise of God.
Then Nahor, his brother, and his seven sons, together with the rest of the people, the poor, the orphans, and the weak, made great mourning over him, saying:
‘Woe unto us, for today there has been taken from us the strength of the weak, the light of the blind, the father of orphans;
the receiver of strangers has been taken away, the guide of the erring, the covering of the naked, the shield of widows. Who would not mourn for the man of God?’
And while they mourned in many ways, they would not allow him to be placed in the grave.
But after three days he was finally laid in the grave, like one in sweet sleep, and he received the name of the good and beautiful one, whose memory shall remain renowned throughout all generations of the world.
He left seven sons and three daughters, and no daughters were found on earth as fair as the daughters of Job.
The name of Job was formerly Jobab, and he was called Job by the Lord.
Before his plague he had lived eighty-five years, and after the plague he received double of all; therefore his years were likewise doubled, namely one hundred and seventy years. Thus he lived in all two hundred and fifty-five years.
And he saw the sons of his sons to the fourth generation. It is written that he shall rise again with those whom the Lord awakens. To our Lord be glory. Amen.
Editorial Note
The Testament of Job is a Jewish pseudepigraphal work, probably composed between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE. It expands the canonical Book of Job by presenting Job as a royal and charitable figure, a destroyer of idolatry, an athlete of suffering, and a witness to heavenly mysteries. The following text is based on the English translation of M. R. James (1897), lightly regularized for readability and digital publication.