With Friends Like These . . . Job’s Friends and Religious Foolishness (√An Overall Outline of the Book)

Friends: As we dive into this incredible book, it might be helpful to get a kind of bird’s-eye view of the book of Job as a whole. Here’s a basic outline which we will follow:

I. The Prologue: Job’s Suffering (Chs 1-3)

II. The Exhortations of Eliphaz: Round One (Chs. 4-5)

III. Job’s Response to Eliphaz (Chs. 6-7)

IV. The Badgering of Bildad: Round One (Ch. 8)

V. Job’s Response to Bildad (Chs. 9-10)

VI. The Zingers of Zophar: Round One (Ch. 11)

VII. Job’s Response to Zophar (Chs. 12-14)

VIII. The Exhortations of Eliphaz: Round Two (Ch. 15)

IX. Job’s Response to Eliphaz (Chs. 16-17)

X. The Badgering of Bildad: Round Two (Ch. 18)

XI. Job’s Response to Bildad (Ch. 19)

XII. The Zingers of Zophar: Round Two (Ch. 20)

XIII. Job’s Response to Zophar (Ch. 21)

Zophar only has two rounds!

XIV. The Exhortations of Eliphaz: Round Three (Ch. 22)

XV. Job’s Response to Eliphaz (Chs. 23-24)

XVI. The Badgering of Bildad: Round Three (Ch. 25)

XVII. Job’s Response to Bildad (Chs. 26-27)

XVIII. Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found (Ch. 28)

XIX. Job’s Final Defense (Chs. 29-31)

XX. The Exasperation of Elihu (Chs. 32-37)

XXI. The Lord Speaks (Chs. 38-40:2)

XXII. Job’s Response to the Lord (Ch. 40:4-5)

XXIII. The Lord Continues to Speak (Ch. 40:6-41)

XXIV. Job’s Response to the Lord (Ch. 42)

XXV. Epilogue (Ch. 42:7-17)