Job 1

Job 1 introduces the righteous man Job and the heavenly scene that frames his suffering. Stripped of wealth and children in a single day, Job worships rather than curses — a startling response to catastrophe.

The Book of Job · Old Testament · chapter 1 of 42.

Where this chapter sits

Prose narration frames the book's opening and closing, holding between them the long poetic arguments Job and his three friends will exchange later. A conversation in the heavenly court sets a test in motion, information Job himself never receives at any point in the story. Those friends have not yet arrived; that happens at the end of chapter two, once a second test has stripped away his health as well.

Key verses (KJV)

“The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” — Job 1:21 (KJV)

What to notice as you read

Messengers arrive one after another, each speaking when the next bursts in, a relay built to compress catastrophe into a single day. Job's response comes as a line of formal poetry set inside the prose, the LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away, apart from the surrounding report.

Read Job 1 on your iPhone

Read the full text of Job 1 in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.

Other chapters worth reading

• Psalm 1
• Psalm 23
• Psalm 27
• Psalm 34

Explore more

• Full overview of Job
• Read the whole Bible offline
• Today's verse of the day

Frequently asked questions

Where does Job 1 come in Job?

It is chapter 1 of 42 in Job, a book of Wisdom in the Old Testament. The other widely-read chapters of Job are linked further down this page.

Where can I read Job 1?

Read the full text of Job 1 — and the whole Bible, offline, in your preferred translation — free in the Quiethaven app for iPhone.