It is not known who wrote the Book of Job or when it was written. It is written poetically and is considered wisdom literature.

The book starts with a dialogue between God and Satan. God first brings up Job and how noble and pious he is, then Satan contends that it is so because of the wealth and comfort which God has bestowed upon him.

God allows Satan to inflict suffering upon Job. As a consequence, Job loses all his wealth, his children die, and he contracts disease. Downtrodden, he then gets into a dialogue with his friends. Job questions whether God is just for the condition that he is in, while his friends are adamant that he must have done something terrible to deserve it.

Dismayed by the sentiments of his friends, Job takes up the argument directly with God. He blames God for being unjust. At this point, a friend of Job, named Elihu, appears. He says to Job that God is just, but He may inflict suffering as a means to warn the world to avoid sin.

God responds to Job in great detail with the explanation to mean that He has an infinitely wider perspective on how He runs the universe and that Job is not qualified to accuse Him. In order words, God asked Job to trust His wisdom, which Job did.

Job apologizes to God in humility. Thereafter, his wealth and health are restored, and he is blessed with more children. He is given more than he previously possessed.

The message of this book is to have faith, trust in the wisdom of God, and remain steadfast in praying and doing good deeds.