< Job 2 >
1 And on a day the children of God came and stood before the Lord, and Satan came also among them, and stoode before 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 Then the Lord sayde vnto Satan, Whence commest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and sayd, From compassing the earth to and from, and from walking in it.
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 And the Lord sayd vnto Satan, Hast thou not considered my seruant Iob, how none is like him in the earth? an vpright and iust man, one that feareth God, and escheweth euill? for yet he continueth in his vprightnesse, although thou mouedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
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 And Satan answered the Lord, and sayde, Skin for skin, and all that euer a man hath, will he giue for 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 stretch now out thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh, to see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face.
Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to [thy] face.
6 Then the Lord said vnto Satan, Lo, he is in thine hand, but saue his life.
And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.
7 So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord, and smote Iob with sore boyles, from the sole of his foote vnto his crowne.
So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.
8 And he tooke a potsharde to scrape him, and he sate downe among the ashes.
And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.
9 Then said his wife vnto him, Doest thou continue yet in thine vprightnes? Blaspheme God, and dye.
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said vnto her, Thou speakest like a foolish woman: what? shall we receiue good at the hande of God, and not receiue euill? In all this did not Iob sinne with his lippes.
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 Nowe when Iobs three friends heard of all this euill that was come vpon him, they came euery one from his owne place, to wit, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they were agreed together to come to lament with him, and to comfort 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 So when they lift vp their eyes a farre off, they knewe him not: therefore they lift vp their voyces and wept, and euery one of them rent his garment, and sprinkled dust vpon their heads toward the heauen.
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 So they sate by him vpon the ground seuen dayes, and seuen nights, and none spake a worde vnto him: for they sawe, that the griefe was very great.
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.