< Job 2 >
1 Again it fell upon a day, that the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
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.
2 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.'
“Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”
3 And the LORD said unto Satan: 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou didst move Me against him, to destroy him without cause.'
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.”
4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said: 'Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life.
5 But put forth Thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, surely he will blaspheme Thee to Thy face.'
But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
6 And the LORD said unto Satan: 'Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.'
“Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”
7 So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot even unto his crown.
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.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.
And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him: 'Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? blaspheme God, and die.'
Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 But he said unto her: 'Thou speakest as one of the impious women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?' For all this did not Job sin with his lips.
“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.
11 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.
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.
12 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 threw dust upon their heads toward heaven.
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.
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word unto him; for they saw that his grief was very great.
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.