Job’s friends break the silence.
Eliphaz: “Suffering proves guilt—repent and God will restore you.”
Bildad: “Tradition says the wicked perish, the righteous endure. Seek God.”
Zophar: “Your words are empty. Hidden sin explains your pain. Turn back.”
But Job refuses their easy answers. He cries out in anguish: “I am innocent. My suffering is not proof of sin.” He challenges their wisdom, points out that the wicked often prosper, and longs for a voice to plead his case before God.
Hope flickers: “I know my Redeemer lives.” Yet defiance holds: “Till I die, I will not deny my integrity.”