diff --git a/google-cloud-bigquery/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/BigQueryException.java b/google-cloud-bigquery/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/BigQueryException.java
index 4f93c42bb..8d6da0b4e 100644
--- a/google-cloud-bigquery/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/BigQueryException.java
+++ b/google-cloud-bigquery/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/BigQueryException.java
@@ -58,7 +58,12 @@ public BigQueryException(int code, String message, BigQueryError error) {
   }
 
   public BigQueryException(List<BigQueryError> errors) {
-    super(0, null, null, false, RETRYABLE_ERRORS, null);
+    super(
+        0,
+        errors != null ? errors.get(0).getMessage() : null,
+        errors != null ? errors.get(0).getReason() : null,
+        true,
+        RETRYABLE_ERRORS);
     this.errors = errors;
   }
 
diff --git a/google-cloud-bigquery/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/it/ITBigQueryTest.java b/google-cloud-bigquery/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/it/ITBigQueryTest.java
index 14b4f7a88..82be88617 100644
--- a/google-cloud-bigquery/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/it/ITBigQueryTest.java
+++ b/google-cloud-bigquery/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/bigquery/it/ITBigQueryTest.java
@@ -1475,9 +1475,10 @@ public void testSingleStatementsQueryException() throws InterruptedException {
     try {
       bigquery.create(JobInfo.of(QueryJobConfiguration.of(invalidQuery))).waitFor();
       fail("BigQueryException was expected");
-    } catch (BigQueryException e) {
-      BigQueryError error = e.getError();
-      assertNotNull(error);
+    } catch (BigQueryException ex) {
+      assertEquals("invalidQuery", ex.getReason());
+      assertNotNull(ex.getMessage());
+      BigQueryError error = ex.getError();
       assertEquals("invalidQuery", error.getReason());
       assertNotNull(error.getMessage());
     }
@@ -1491,10 +1492,11 @@ public void testMultipleStatementsQueryException() throws InterruptedException {
             DATASET, TABLE_ID.getTable(), DATASET, TABLE_ID.getTable());
     try {
       bigquery.create(JobInfo.of(QueryJobConfiguration.of(invalidQuery))).waitFor();
-      fail("JobException was expected");
-    } catch (BigQueryException e) {
-      BigQueryError error = e.getError();
-      assertNotNull(error);
+      fail("BigQueryException was expected");
+    } catch (BigQueryException ex) {
+      assertEquals("invalidQuery", ex.getReason());
+      assertNotNull(ex.getMessage());
+      BigQueryError error = ex.getError();
       assertEquals("invalidQuery", error.getReason());
       assertNotNull(error.getMessage());
     }