The Oldest Drama in the World; The Book of Job (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PROLOGUE TO ACT III. MOW when Job's three friends heard of all this evii That was come upon him, They came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: And they made an appointment together To come to bemoan him and to comfort him. ACT III. Scene I. Open Country. Highway Stretching into the Distance. Enter Job, carrying his potsherd; himself the incarnation of woe. The Three Friends appear on the highway. (And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, And knew him not, They lifted up their voice, and wept; And they rent every one his mantle, And sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.) [Exit Job, followed by the Three. Scene II. A More Secluded Spot. Job sitting in ashes: the Friends seated at some distance.1 Day and night come and go seven2 times during this melancholy scene. Then the afflicted speaks? Job. Let the day perish wherein I was born, And the night which said, " There is a man child conceived." Let that day be darkness; Let not God from above seek for it, Neither let the light shine upon it. i " So they sat down with him upon the ground " 3 " Seven days and seven nights, And none spake a word unto him: For they saw that his grief was very great." 8" After this Job opened his mouth And cursed his day. And Job answered and said," etc. Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that maketh black the day terrify it. As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it: Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be barren; Let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up lev...