Seven Days of Silence

Four men sit down for ground. Nobody talk. Sun go down, e come up, e go down again. Seven days. Seven nights. Not even one word. And e fit be say na di kindest thing wey dem ever do.

Di book of Job happen long time ago, for di land of Uz, somewhere for di east. Job na good man, na so di Bible talk, e no get blame and e dey upright, e honour God and e turn away from evil. Na im be di greatest man among all di people of di east, with big family and plenty plenty sheep and cattle. Then, for some terrible days wey follow each other, dem take almost everything from am. Dem thief or destroy im animals. Dem kill im servants. Im children die when big wind hit di house where dem gather. And then sores wey dey pain cover Job imself from head reach leg. Now e sit down among di ashes for outside di town, dey use one piece of broken pot scratch im skin.

News spread. Three of Job friends hear about everything wey happen. Eliphaz from Teman. Bildad di Shuhite. Zophar di Naamathite. Each one comot from im own house, and dem agree to meet, so dat dem go go together to share Job sorrow and comfort am. When dem see am from far, dem almost no recognise am. And dem begin cry loud. Dem tear dem clothes, and throw dust up for air over dem head, di signs of deep sorrow. Then dem sit down for ground with am, for seven days and seven nights. Nobody talk one word to am. Because dem fit see say im suffering big well well. Dem no try explain. Dem no try fix am. Dem just come, and dem stay.

Finally Job talk, e cry out with pain about di day wey dem born am. And then im friends begin talk. And talk. And talk. From one chapter to another, dem dey argue with am. Dem message, again and again, na dis: God dey always punish di wicked and bless di good. So if you dey suffer like dis, Job, you must don do something wey bad well well. Confess am, and God go restore you. Job insist say e no do wetin dem dey accuse am of. E pour out im pain and im questions to God. Di friends wey be good comforters when dem keep quiet, don become comforters wey dey make am miserable with dem words. Dem dey sure say dem understand God ways. Finally, God imself answer Job, from inside whirlwind, and show am di wonders of creation, things wey pass any human understanding. And Job bow for im front.

Then Di Lord turn to Eliphaz. I dey vex with you and your two friends, e talk, because una no talk di correct thing about me, as my servant Job talk. Now take seven bulls and seven rams, and go meet my servant Job, and offer burnt offering for unaself. My servant Job go pray for una, and I go accept im prayer, and I no go do una as una foolishness deserve. So Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar do wetin Di Lord tell dem. Imagine dat waka. Back to di man wey dem don lecture and accuse. And Job, di one wey dem hurt, pray for dem. Di Lord accept Job prayer. And when Job pray for im friends, Di Lord restore im fortune, and give am double of wetin e get before.

Seven days na di normal time of mourning for di old world of di Bible. When Jacob die, Genesis talk say Joseph mourn im papa for seven days. Di book of Sirach, wey dem write about two hundred years before Christ, talk say mourning for di dead dey last seven days. Jewish families still dey keep seven days of mourning wey dem dey call shiva, from di Hebrew word for seven, when friends dey come sit down with di people wey dey mourn.

Seven days of silence. You go find dis story for Job chapter two, verse eleven reach thirteen, and chapter forty-two, verse seven reach ten. Friends wey good well well when dem just stay, wey no help when dem talk too much, and one man wey still pray for dem. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When somebody wey you know dey hurt, how you fit just dey with am?