“Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.  Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.  They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.  They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.  Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.”

And here we seem to have a description (chap. xvi, Douay ver.) of Job’s contact with the comet: 

“9.  A false speaker riseth up against my face, contradicting me.”

That is, Job had always proclaimed the goodness of God, and here comes something altogether evil.

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“10.  He hath gathered together his fury against me; and threatening me he hath gnashed with his teeth upon me: my enemy hath beheld me with terrible eyes.”

“14.  He has compassed me round about with his lances, he hath wounded my loins, he hath not spared, he hath poured out my bowels on the earth.

“15.  He hath torn me with wound upon wound, he hath rushed in upon me like a giant.”

“20.  For behold my witness is in heaven, and he that knoweth my conscience is on high.”

It is impossible to understand this as referring to a skin-disease, or even to the contradictions of Job’s companions, Zophar, Bildad, etc.

Something rose up against Job that comes upon him with fury, gnashes his teeth on him, glares at him with terrible eyes, surrounds him with lances, wounds him in every part, and rushes upon him like a giant; and the witness of the truth of Job’s statement is there in the heavens.

Eliphaz returns to the charge.  He rebukes Job and charges him with many sins and oppressions (chap. xxii): 

“10.  Therefore snares are around about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

“11. Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.”

“13.  And thou sayest, How doth God know?  Can he judge through the dark cloud?

“14. Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

15.  Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?

“16.  Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood?”

“20.  Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.”

“24.  He shall give for earth flint, and for flint torrents of gold.” (Douay ver.)

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What is the meaning of all this?  And why this association of the flint-stones, referred to in so many legends; and the gold believed to have fallen from heaven in torrents, is it not all wonderful and inexplicable upon any other theory than that which I suggest?

“30.  He shall deliver the island of the innocent:  and it is delivered by the pureness of thine “(Job’s) “hands.”