1 Once there was a man called Iyyov (Job) who lived in the Uz region. He was blameless and righteous—both obeying God and avoiding evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 cattle, and 500 donkeys, as well as many slaves. Iyyov was richer than anyone else who lived in the area east of the Jordan River. 4 Iyyov’s sons regularly held feasts in their homes, and whenever any of them held a feast, he would invite all his brothers and sisters to share the meal with him. 5 Then once a feast was over, Iyyov would send for his children and consecrate them—he got up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings for each of them, because Iyyov said, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed[fn] God in their hearts.” It was Job’s regular habit to intercede for his children.