Job 2
1 One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves to the Lord, and Satan came with them to present himself to the Lord.
And it came to pass on a certain day, that the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord.
2 The Lord asked Satan, “What have you been doing?” “Traveling around on earth, going here and there,” Satan replied.
And the Lord, said to the devil, Whence comest thou? Then the devil said before the Lord, I am come from going through the world, and walking about the whole earth.
3 “Have you noticed my servant Job?” asked the Lord. “There's no one like him on earth, a man of integrity who does what is right, who respects God and avoids evil. And he has kept his integrity, even though you wanted me to harm him for no reason.”
And the Lord said to the devil, Hast thou then observed my servant Job, that there is none of [men] upon the earth like him, a harmless, true, blameless, godly man, abstaining from all evil? and he yet cleaves to innocence, whereas thou has told [me] to destroy his substance without cause?
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up everything to save his life.
And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life.
5 But reach out and hurt his bones and his flesh, and he will definitely curse you to your face.”
Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to [thy] face.
6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Very well, you have the power to do whatever you want to him, but don't kill him.”
And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.
7 Then Satan left the Lord's presence and inflicted Job with horrible skin sores from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.
So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.
8 Job picked up a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself as he sat in ashes.
And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he told her, “You're talking just like any foolish woman would! Should we receive only good from God, and not evil?” Despite all this, Job said nothing sinful.
But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.
11 When three of Job's friends heard of all the trouble that had happened to him, they each left their homes: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together and went to comfort and console him.
Now his three friends having heard of all the evil that was come upon him, came to him each from his own country: Eliphaz the king of the Thaemans, Baldad sovereign of the Saucheans, Sophar king of he Minaeans: and they came to him with one accord, to comfort and to visit him.
12 When they saw Job from a distance they hardly recognized him. They broke out into loud wailing, tore their robes, and threw dust into the air over their heads.
And when they saw him from a distance they did not know him; and they cried with a loud voice, and wept, and rent every one his garment, and sprinkled dust upon [their heads],
13 They sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. None of them said anything to him because they saw how badly he was suffering.
and they sat down beside him seven days and seven nights, and no one of them spoke; for they saw that his affliction was dreadful and very great.
