< Job 2 >

1 On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
2 “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”
And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life.
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.
6 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; only spare his life.
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat among the ashes.
9 Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die.
10 “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him.
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.
12 When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head.
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw how intense his suffering was.
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

< Job 2 >