The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction to the Life and Work of William Blake.
• Illustrations of the Book of Job.
• Plate I. “ Thus Did Job Continually. ”
• Plate II. “ When the Almighty Was Yet With Me, When My Children Were About Me. ”
• Plate III. “ the Fire of God Is Fallen From Heaven. ”
• Plate IV. “ and I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee. ”
• Plate V. “ Then Went Satan Forth From the Presence of the Lord. ”
• Plate VI. “ and Smote Job With Sore Boils From the Sole of His Foot to the Crown of His Head….”
• Plate VII. “ They Lifted Up Their Eyes Afar Off, and Knew Him Not. ”
• Plate VIII. “ Let the Day Perish Wherein I Was Born ”
• Plate IX. “ Then a Spirit Passed Before My Face. ”
• Plate X. “ the Just, Upright Man Is Laughed to Scorn. ”
• Plate XI. “ With Dreams Upon My Bed Thou Scarest Me, and Affrightest Me With Visions. ”
• Plate XII. “ I Am Young, and Ye Are Very Old, Wherefore I Was Afraid. ”
• Plate XIII. “ Then the Lord Answered Job Out of the Whirlwind. ”
• Plate XIV. “ When the Morning Stars Sang Together, and All the Sons of God Shouted For Joy….”
• Plate XV. “ Behold Now Behemoth, Which I Made With Thee. ”
• Plate XVI. “ Thou Hast Fulfilled the Judgment of the Wicked. ”
• Plate XVII. “ and My Servant Job Shall Pray For You. ”
• Plate XVIII. “ and My Servant Job Shall Pray For You. ”
• Plate XIX. “ Every One Also Gave Him a Piece of Money. ”
• Plate XX. “ There Were Not Found Women Fair As the Daughters of Job In All the Land. ”
• Plate XXI. “ So the Lord Blessed the Latter End of Job More Than the Beginning. ”

PLATE XVIII.

Job, once more accepted of the Lord, stands with outstretched arms praying for his friends, against whom the wrath of the Lord was kindled, before an altar of hewn stones, by which they humbly kneel. The broad sun, high in the heavens, fills the scene with his radiance; the smoke of the sacrifice passes off on either side, not obscuring the light, while the point of a heart-shaped body of flame rises upward across the face of the sun. To the left a low light, between trunks of trees, seems to be the bright sea, which, but a while since, was dark as night. The figure of Job is very grand, and the engraving masterly in its execution. It seems as if Blake himself were satisfied both with composition and execution; for in the border, devoted usually to symbolic illustration of his design, he has set a painter’s palette and brushes, and an engraver’s graving-tool, and between them has inscribed the usual “W. Blake inv. & sculpt.”