[Verse 1]
Job's sons and daughters gather for a feast in the eldest brother's house.
Sabean raiders fall upon the workers and seize the animals.
Before the first messenger finishes, a second messenger enters.
The flocks and servants are consumed, with one man escaping to tell Job.
[Pre-Chorus]
The warning stood where no one wished to see,
And every hidden root became a tree.
[Chorus]
The LORD Gave, and the LORD Hath Taken Away, let the warning remain,
Hidden sin still flowers into pain.
The word of the LORD exposed what men concealed,
And judgment stood where every heart was revealed.
[Verse 2]
A fourth messenger arrives while the previous report is still being spoken.
He describes all Job's children eating and drinking together.
A great wind comes suddenly from the wilderness.
The building collapses upon the sons and daughters, killing them all.
[Bridge]
Job rises and tears his mantle in mourning.
He shaves his head, falls upon the ground.
Job confesses that he entered life naked and will leave it the same way, blessing the LORD who gave and took.
Through all four calamities Job does not sin or attribute folly to God.
[Final Chorus]
The LORD Gave, and the LORD Hath Taken Away, let the warning remain,
Hidden sin still flowers into pain.
The word of the LORD exposed what men concealed,
And judgment stood where every heart stood revealed.
[Outro]
The warning did not vanish with the dust.
The final line remembered judgment, fear, and trust.
Job is introduced with the verdict that matters before the losses begin: he is upright, reverent, and careful to turn from evil. His prosperity follows that description but does not define it, and his repeated offerings show a father concerned even about possible inward failures among his children. The heavenly challenge then shifts the question from conduct to motive. Satan argues that Job's devotion has been purchased by protection, and permission is given to touch what he has while leaving his person untouched. The disasters arrive without pause, ending with the deaths of his children. Job's response holds mourning and worship together. He tears his clothing, shaves his head, falls down, and blesses the LORD. The chapter closes by expressly refusing to call that response sin.
