The Book of

JOB
as interpreted in watercolours by
William Blake
 The Book of Job

There was a man in the land of Uz whose

name was Job, and that man was blameless and
upright, one who feared God and turned away
from evil.

[All Scriptures taken from the ESV]

There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000
sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very
many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
Now there was a day when the
sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD,
and Satan also came among
them. The LORD said to Satan,
“From where have you come?”
Satan answered the LORD and
said, “From going to and fro on
the earth, and from walking up
and down on it.”
Your sons and daughters
were eating and drinking
wine in their oldest brother's
house, and behold, a great
wind came across the
wilderness and struck the
four corners of the house, and
it fell upon the young people,
and they are dead, . . .
. . . and I alone have escaped to tell you.
Again there was a day
when the sons of God
came to present
themselves before the
LORD, and Satan also
came among them to
present himself before the
LORD . . .

Have you considered my

servant Job, . . . ? He still
holds fast his integrity,
although you incited me
against him to destroy
him without reason.
And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his
life.”So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with
loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him,
they came each from his own place, . . . And they raised their voices and
wept, . . .
Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, ‘A man is
conceived.’ Let that day be darkness!
Eliphaz:
Amid thoughts from visions of the
night, when deep sleep falls on
men, dread came upon me, and
trembling, which made all my
bones shake. A spirit glided past
my face; the hair of my flesh stood
up. It stood still, but I could not
discern its appearance. A form was
before my eyes; there was silence,
then I heard a voice: ‘Can mortal
man be in the right before God?
Can a man be pure before his
Maker?
Job: When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my
complaint,’
then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
so that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones.
Eliphaz:. . .you are
doing away with the
fear of God and
hindering
meditation before
God. For your
iniquity teaches your
mouth, and you
choose the tongue of
the crafty. Your own
mouth condemns
you, and not I; your
own lips testify
against you. Are you
the first man who
was born? Or were
you brought forth
before the hills?
Have you listened in
the council of God?
Elihu: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and
afraid to declare my opinion to you.
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this
that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Where were you when I laid
the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have
understanding. Who
determined its measurements
—surely you know! Or who
stretched the line upon it? On
what were its bases sunk, or
who laid its cornerstone, when
the morning stars sang
together and all the sons of
God shouted for joy?
Adorn yourself with majesty
and dignity; clothe yourself
with glory and splendor. Pour
out the overflowings of your
anger, and look on everyone
who is proud and abase him.
Look on everyone who is proud
and bring him low and tread
down the wicked where they
stand.Hide them all in the dust
together; bind their faces in the
world below. Then will I also
acknowledge to you that your
own right hand can save you.
Behold, Behemoth, which I
made as I made you; he eats
grass like an ox. Behold, his
strength in his loins, and his
power in the muscles of his
belly.( . . . )
Can you draw out Leviathan
with a fishhook or press down
his tongue with a cord? Can
you put a rope in his nose or
pierce his jaw with a hook?
Will he make many pleas to
you? Will he speak to you soft
words? Will he make a
covenant with you to take him
for your servant forever?
Job: I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but
now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and
repent in dust and ashes.”
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.”
Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him
before ... And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. ... He
had also seven sons and three daughters.
And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah (dove),
and the name of the second Keziah (cassia), and the name of the third
Keren-happuch (eye liner). And in all the land there were no women so
beautiful as Job’s daughters.

NOTE:
This is not part of the same set, and is done in tempera, not watercolours.
 The Artist:
William Blake
1757 - 1827
The End

Produced by
André De Winne