-=< O >=-
In 1799,
Thomas Butts,
the chief patron
of artist and poet
William Blake
commissioned a
tempura painting
of Job and His
Daughters
:
Job and His Daughters
1799-1800
-=< O >=-
About six years later,
he commissioned a series
of nineteen watercolor prints
to illustrate the book of Job,
which was later expanded
to twenty-one
.
Here is the full set,
with bible references
for each one
:
-=< O >=-
In the
land of Uz
there lived a man
whose name was Job
.
This man was blameless
and upright; he feared God
and shunned evil. He had
seven sons and three
daughters
…
Job 1:1-2
Job and His Family
-=< O >=-
One day
the angels came
to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan
also came with them. The LORD
said to Satan, “Where have you
come from?” Satan answered
the LORD, “From roaming
throughout the earth,
going back and
forth on it”
.
Job 1:6-7
Satan Before the Throne of God
-=< O >=-
TLDR;
The book of Job
is 42 chapters of text.
In summary, Satan claims
that Job is only loyal to God
because he has been blessed
with good fortune, so God
agrees to let Satan test
him with suffering
.
SPOILER ALERT:
Job never turns
his back on
God
!!!
-=< O >=-
One day when Job’s
sons and daughters were
feasting and drinking wine
at the oldest brother’s house,
Job 1:13
…
another messenger came and said,
“Your sons and daughters were feasting
and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s
house, when suddenly a mighty wind
swept in from the desert and struck
the four corners of the house. It
collapsed on them and they
are dead, and I am the
only one who has
escaped to
tell you”
!
Job 1:18-19
Job’s Sons and Daughters Overwhelmed by Satan
-=< O >=-
While he was still speaking,
another messenger came and said,
“The fire of God fell from the heavens,
and burned up the sheep and the
servants, and I am the only one
who has escaped to tell you”
!
Job 1:16
The Messengers Tell Job of His Misfortune
-=< O >=-
The LORD said to Satan,
“Very well, then, he is in your
hands; but you must spare his
life.” So Satan went out from
the presence of the LORD
…
Job 2:6-7
Satan Going Forth from the Presence of the Lord
-=< O >=-
So Satan
went out from the
presence of the LORD and
afflicted Job with painful sores
from the soles of his feet to
the crown of his head
.
Job 2:7
Satan Smiting Job With Boils
-=< O >=-
When Job’s three
friends, Eliphaz the Temanite,
Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the
Naamathite, heard about all the troubles
that had come upon him, they set out from
their homes and met together by agreement
to go and sympathize with him and comfort
him. When they saw him from a distance,
they could hardly recognize him; they
began to weep aloud, and they tore
their robes and sprinkled
dust on their heads
.
Job 2:11-12
Job’s Comforters
-=< O >=-
Then
they sat on
the ground with
him for seven days and
seven nights. No one said
a word to him, because
they saw how great
his suffering
was
.
Job 2:13
Job’s Despair
-=< O >=-
Amid disquieting dreams
in the night, when deep sleep
falls on people, fear and trembling
seized me and made all my bones
shake. A spirit glided past my
face, and the hair on my
body stood on end
.
Job 4:13-15
The Vision of Eliphaz
-=< O >=-
“Mortals,
born of woman,
are of few days and full
of trouble. They spring up
like flowers and wither
away; like fleeting
shadows, they
do not endure
.
Job 14:1-2
Job Rebuked by His Friends
-=< O >=-
“Surely
you know how
it has been from of old,
ever since mankind was placed
on the earth, that the mirth of
the wicked is brief, the joy
of the godless lasts
but a moment
.
Job 20:4-5
Job’s Evil Dreams
-=< O >=-
God has delivered me
from going down to the pit,
and I shall live to enjoy
the light of life
.
Job 33:28
The Wrath of Elihu
-=< O >=-
Then
the LORD
spoke to Job out
of the storm. He said:
“Who is this that obscures
my plans with words
without knowledge
?
Job 38:1-2
The Lord Answering Job Out of the Whirlwind
-=< O >=-
“Where
were you when I laid
the earth’s foundation? Tell me,
if you understand. Who marked off
its dimensions? Surely you know! Who
stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set, or
who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars
sang together and
all the angels
shouted
for joy
???
Job 38:4-7
When the Morning Stars Sung Together
-=< O >=-
“Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with
you and which feeds on
grass like an ox
.
Job 40:15
“I will not fail to speak of
Leviathan’s limbs, its strength
and its graceful form
.
Job 41:12
Behemoth and Leviathan
-=< O >=-
Now
is the time for
judgment on this world;
now the prince of this world
will be driven out
.
John 12:31
And the devil,
who deceived them,
was thrown into the lake
of burning sulfur, where the
beast and the false prophet
had been thrown
.
Revelation 20:10
He replied,
“I saw Satan fall like
lightning from
heaven
.
Luke 10:18
The Fall of Satan
-=< O >=-
Dear friends,
now we are children
of God, and what we will
be has not yet been made
known. But we know that
when Christ appears, we
shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is
.
1 John 3:2
The Vision of Christ
-=< O >=-
…
My servant Job
will pray for you, and
I will accept his prayer and
not deal with you according
to your folly. You have not
spoken the truth about
me, as my servant
Job has
.
Job 42:8
Job’s Sacrifice
-=< O >=-
They comforted and consoled
him over all the trouble the LORD
had brought on him, and each
one gave him a piece of
silver and a gold ring
.
Job 42:11
Every Man Also Gave Him a Piece of Money
-=< O >=-
Nowhere in all the land
were there found women as
beautiful as Job’s daughters,
and their father granted
them an inheritance
along with their
brothers
.
Job 42:15
Job and His Daughters
-=< O >=-
After
Job had prayed
for his friends, the LORD
restored his fortunes and
gave him twice as much
as he had before
.
All his brothers and
sisters and everyone who
had known him before came
and ate with him in his house
.
Job 42:10
Job and His Family Restored to Prosperity
-=< O >=-
After this,
Job lived a hundred
and forty years; he saw his
children and their children
to the fourth generation
.
And so Job died, an
old man and full
of years
.
Job 42:16-17
-=< O >=-
To learn
more about how
Blake created these
images, try the ‘Tools of
Engraving’ exhibit at the
William Blake Archive
:
-=< O >=-
The same website
hosts a vast collection
of articles and images
related to Blake
:
-=< O >=-
The icon
for this exhibit
is a detail from
William Blake’s
‘Behemoth and
Leviathan’
:
-=< O >=-