< Job 2 >
1 Again, on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
And it came to pass, when on a certain day the sons of God came, and stood before the Lord, and Satan came among them, and stood in his sight,
2 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
That the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answered and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
3 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man simple, and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil, and still keeping his innocence? But thou hast moved me against him, that I should afflict him without cause.
4 Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
And Satan answered, and said: Skin for skin, and all that a man hath he will give for his life:
5 But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”
But put forth thy hand, and touch his bone and his flesh, and then thou shalt gee that he will bless thee to thy face.
6 The LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”
And the Lord said to Satan: Behold be is in thy hand, but yet save his life.
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head.
So Satan went forth from the presence Of the Lord, and struck Job with a very grievous ulcer, from the sole of the foot even to the top of his head:
8 He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.
And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”
And his wife said to him: Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? bless God and die.
10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
And he said to her: Thou hast; spoken like one of the foolish women: if we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.
Now when Job’s three friends heard all the evil that had befallen him, they came every one from his own place, Alphas the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment to come together and visit him, and comfort him.
12 When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and did not recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky.
And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not, and crying out they wept, and rending their garments they sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven.
13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great.