Job 2
1 On another day, the angels came again and gathered together in front of Yahweh, and Satan came too.
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.
2 Yahweh asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan replied, “I have come from the earth, where I have been traveling back and forth, seeing what is happening.”
And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From wandering over the earth, and walking up and down in it.
3 Yahweh asked Satan, “Have you (noticed/thought about) my [faithful] servant Job? He is very godly/righteous [DOU], he greatly respects/reveres me, and he [always] avoids doing evil things. And he still acts in a very godly/righteous manner, even though you persuaded me to [let you] cause disastrous things to happen to him for no reason.”
Then said Jehovah to Satan, Hast thou observed my servant Job, that there is none like him upon the earth, an upright and good man, fearing God and departing from evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou didst excite me against him to destroy him without a cause.
4 Satan replied to Yahweh, “He praises you only because you bless him [IDM]. People will give up everything they have to save their own lives.
And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 But if you harm his body [MTY], he will surely curse you openly [IDM]!”
But put forth now thy hand, and touch his bone and his flesh, and to thy face will he renounce thee.
6 Yahweh replied to Satan, “(All right/Okay), you may do to him whatever you want to do, but do not cause him to die.”
And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; but spare his life.
7 So Satan left, and he caused Job to be afflicted with very painful boils, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
Then Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown.
8 Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped the boils on his skin, and he sat in ashes [as people did when they were mourning for those who had died].
And he took a potsherd to scrape himself withal, and sat down among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to (be loyal to/faithfully trust in) God? You should curse God, and then you will die.”
Then said his wife to him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Renounce God, and die.
10 But Job replied, “You talk like people who do not know God talk. (Should we accept only the good things that God [does for us]?/We should not accept only the good things that God [does for us].) [RHQ] We should also accept bad things.” So in spite of all these [things that happened to] Job, [he] did not say anything against God.
But he said to her, Thou talkest like one of the foolish women. What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this, Job sinned not with his lips.
11 Among Job’s friends were Eliphaz from Teman [town], Bildad from Shuah [land] and Zophar from Naamah [land]. When they heard about all the terrible things that had happened to Job, they left their home areas and went together to Job to console/comfort him [DOU].
Now three friends of Job heard of all this evil that had come upon him, and came each one from his home; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had agreed to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him.
12 When they saw Job from a distance, they almost did not recognize him. They wailed loudly, they tore their robes, and they threw dust over their heads [to show how sorry they were because of what had happened to Job].
And they lifted up their eyes at a distance, and knew him not; then they raised their voices and wept, and rent each one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13 Then they sat on the ground with Job for seven days. None of them said anything to Job, because they saw that he was suffering greatly, [and they did not think that anything that they said would lessen his pain].
And they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word to him; for they saw that his grief was very great.
