וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב אֶת־ה' וַיֹּאמַר׃

Job answered the Lord and said:

יָדַעְתִּ כִּי־כֹל תּוּכָל וְלֹא־יִבָּצֵר מִמְּךָ מְזִמָּה

I know now what I knew before as well, that You are able to do anything and that no purpose, thought, is precluded for You.

מִי זֶה מַעְלִים עֵצָה בְּלִי דָעַת לָכֵן הִגַּדְתִּי וְלֹא אָבִין נִפְלָאוֹת מִמֶּנִּי וְלֹא אֵדָע

All that is true, and yet my consciousness has undergone such a great transformation that I wonder: Who is this who obscures counsel, is ignorant? How was this knowledge concealed from me before? Consequently, I apologize, as I have stated until now but did not understand; I spoke of matters that were beyond me, and I did not know.

שְׁמַע־נָא וְאָנֹכִי אֲדַבֵּר אֶשְׁאָלְךָ וְהוֹדִיעֵנִי

In my lack of knowledge, I said to You: Please, hear what I have to say, and I will speak; I will ask You and You will inform me, respond to me.

לְשֵׁמַע־אֹזֶן שְׁמַעְתִּיךָ וְעַתָּה עֵינִי רָאָתְךָ

In the past, I had heard You with the hearing of the ear. What I knew of You was from secondhand reports, but now my eye has seen You. Due to the direct revelation of Your glory before my eyes, my entire worldview has changed;

עַל־כֵּן אֶמְאַס וְנִחַמְתִּי עַל עָפָר וָאֵפֶר

therefore, I recant everything I previously said and feel regret over the statements I, dust and ashes, a lowly mortal, have uttered. Alternatively, the power of my encounter with You led me to reject things that I previously considered valuable in my life. By Your turning to me, I have found comfort for the pain I felt while sitting in dust and ashes in lament over my sufferings.

וַיְהִי אַחַר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶל־אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי חָרָה אַפִּי בְךָ וּבִשְׁנֵי רֵעֶיךָ כִּי לֹא דִבַּרְתֶּם אֵלַי נְכוֹנָה כְּעַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב

It was after the Lord had spoken these matters to Job, and the Lord said to Elifaz the Temanite: My wrath is enflamed against you and against your two friends, as you have not spoken rightly of Me, or for My sake, like My servant Job. Job’s statements, which were uttered out of pain and anguish, were justified. Job knew that there were limits he must not cross even when he was protesting. He adamantly rejected his wife’s suggestion to blaspheme God (see 2:9). By contrast, his friends spoke improperly: In their efforts to justify God, they blamed Job for what had happened to him, and when they were faced with the real suffering of their friend, they reacted by turning to abstract philosophical and theological debates.

וְעַתָּה קְחוּ־לָכֶם שִׁבְעָה־פָרִים וְשִׁבְעָה אֵילִים וּלְכוּ אֶל־עַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב וְהַעֲלִיתֶם עוֹלָה בַּעַדְכֶם וְאִיּוֹב עַבְדִּי יִתְפַּלֵּל עֲלֵיכֶם כִּי אִם פָּנָיו אֶשָּׂא לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת עִמָּכֶם נְבָלָה כִּי לֹא דִבַּרְתֶּם אֵלַי נְכוֹנָה כְּעַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב

Now, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves to atone for your sins. My servant Job will pray for you, both because you sinned toward him and because he is a good, upright man, for I will favor only him, so as not to treat you degradingly, a great evil. Only his merit can protect you from the punishment you deserve, for you have not spoken rightly of Me, like My servant Job.

וַיֵּלְכוּ אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי וּבִלְדַּד הַשּׁוּחִי צֹפַר הַנַּעֲמָתִי וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֲלֵיהֶם ה' וַיִּשָּׂא ה' אֶת־פְּנֵי אִיּוֹב

Elifaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Tzofar the Naamatite went, and they did as the Lord had spoken to them. They offered sacrifices, sought Job’s forgiveness, and he prayed for them, and the Lord favored Job.

וַה' שָׁב אֶת־שְׁבוּת אִיּוֹב בְּהִתְפַּלְלוֹ בְּעַד רֵעֵהוּ וַיֹּסֶף ה' אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר לְאִיּוֹב לְמִשְׁנֶה

The Lord restored the loss of Job when he prayed for his friends. Job did not bear a grudge against his friends, but prayed for them. And the Lord added to Job double of all that he had before.

וַיָּבֹאוּ אֵלָיו כָּל־אֶחָיו וְכָל־אַחְיֹתָיו וְכָל־יֹדְעָיו לְפָנִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ עִמּוֹ לֶחֶם בְּבֵיתוֹ וַיָּנֻדוּ לוֹ וַיְנַחֲמוּ אֹתוֹ כָּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִיא ה' עָלָיו וַיִּתְּנוּ־לו קְשִׂיטָה אֶחָת וְאִישׁ נֶזֶם זָהָב

All his brothers, all his sisters, and all his previous acquaintances, who had abandoned him in his hour of distress (19:13–19), came and ate bread with him in his house; and they commiserated with him, they shared in his sorrow, and consoled him over all the harm that the Lord had brought upon him. Each gave him one kesita, a coin or a small sheep, and each, one gold nose ring.

וַה' בֵּרַךְ אֶת־אַחֲרִית אִיּוֹב מרֵאשִׁתו וַיְהִי־לו אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר אֶלֶף צֹאן וְשֵׁשֶׁת אֲלָפִים גְּמַלִּים וְאֶלֶף־צֶמֶד בָּקָר וְאֶלֶף אֲתוֹנוֹת

The Lord blessed the latter period of Job more than all he possessed at his beginning, and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yokes of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.

וַיְהִי־לו שִׁבְעָנָה בָנִים וְשָׁלוֹשׁ בָּנוֹת

He had twice seven sons, or two sets of seven sons, and three daughters. He had double the number of sons, while the number of his daughters remained the same. However, as his daughters were special, the chapter proceeds to list them by their names, which perhaps alludes to their beauty.

וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם־הָאַחַת יְמִימָה וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִית קְצִיעָה וְשֵׁם הַשְּׁלִישִׁית קֶרֶן הַפּוּךְ

He called the name of the first Yemima, as bright as the day [yom]; the name of the second, Ketzia, the name of a perfume; and the name of the third, Keren Hapukh, a cosmetic implement.

וְלֹא נִמְצָא נָשִׁים יָפוֹת כִּבְנוֹת אִיּוֹב בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲבִיהֶם נַחֲלָה בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵיהֶם

There were not found women as beautiful as the daughters of Job in all the land, and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. They were of distinguished lineage and beauty, and they were also wealthy.

וַיְחִי אִיּוֹב אַחֲרֵי־זֹאת מֵאָה וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וַיִּרְאֶ אֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בְּנֵי בָנָיו אַרְבָּעָה דֹּרוֹת

After this, Job lived for one hundred and forty years. Whatever his age was when the catastrophes befell him, his former life was entirely ruined. The new life with which he was blessed was twice as long as man’s standard seventy years. He saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations.

וַיָּמָת אִיּוֹב זָקֵן וּשְׂבַע יָמִים

Job died, old and full of days.