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.
Then it was the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh. Satan also came with them to present himself before Yahweh.
2 The Lord asked Satan, “What have you been doing?” “Traveling around on earth, going here and there,” Satan replied.
Yahweh said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, “From wandering on the earth, from going back and forth on it.”
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.”
Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. He still holds fast to his integrity, although you misled me against him, to destroy him without cause.”
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up everything to save his life.
Satan answered Yahweh and said, “Skin for skin, indeed; a man will give all he has for his life.
5 But reach out and hurt his bones and his flesh, and he will definitely curse you to your face.”
But stretch out your hand now and touch his bones and his flesh, and see if he does not curse you to your 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.”
Yahweh said to Satan, “See, he is in your hand; it is only his life that you must spare.”
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.
Then Satan went away from the presence of Yahweh. He struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his feet to his head.
8 Job picked up a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself as he sat in ashes.
Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with, and he sat down in the middle of ashes.
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your 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 said to her, “You talk as a foolish woman talks. Should we receive the good from God and not receive the bad?” In all this matter, Job did not sin with his lips.
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 when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, each of them came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They set a time to come to mourn with him and to comfort 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.
When they lifted up their eyes at a distance, they did not recognize him. They raised their voices and wept; each tore his robe and threw dust into the air and upon his own head.
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.
Then they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights. No one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
