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Satan Appears Before the Lord Again

·On another day [or One day] the ·angels [L the sons of God] came to ·show themselves [L stand] before the Lord, and Satan [1:6] was with them again. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been ·wandering around [roaming] the earth, ·going back and forth in [patrolling] it.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job [1:8]? No one else on earth is like him. He is an honest and innocent man, honoring God and staying away from evil [1:1]. You ·caused [or enticed] me to ·ruin [injure] him for no good reason, but he ·continues to be without blame [or maintains his innocence].”

“One skin for another [L Skin for skin; C a proverb meaning that people only react if they are affected directly]!” Satan [1:6] answered. “A man will give all he has to save his own life. But reach out your hand and ·destroy [afflict; L touch] his bones and flesh, and he will ·curse [L bless; C a euphemism for “curse”; 1:5] you to your face.”

The Lord said to Satan [1:6], “All right, then. Job is in your ·power [L hand], but you ·may not take [L must preserve] his life.”

So Satan [1:6] left the Lord’s presence. He put ·painful sores [horrible boils] on Job’s body, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Job took a ·piece of broken [shard of] pottery to scrape himself, and he sat in ashes in misery.

Job’s wife said to him, “Why are you ·trying to stay innocent [maintaining your innocence]? Curse [2:5] God and die!”

10 Job answered, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Should we take only good things from God and not ·trouble [or evil]?” In spite of all this Job did not sin ·in what he said [L with his lips].

Job’s Three Friends Come to Help

11 Now Job had three friends: Eliphaz the Temanite [C from Tema, a town in Edom (1:1)], Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When these friends heard about Job’s troubles, they agreed to meet and visit him. They wanted to ·show their concern [mourn] and to comfort him. 12 They ·saw Job [L lifted their eyes] from far away, but he looked so different they almost didn’t recognize him. They began to cry loudly and tore their robes and put ·dirt [dust] on their heads [C ancient mourning customs]. 13 Then they sat on the ground with Job seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw how much he was ·suffering [in pain].

Job Loses His Health

(A)Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and [a]Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The Lord said to Satan, “Have you [b]considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man [c]fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still (B)holds firm to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to [d]ruin him without cause.” Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life. (C)However, reach out with Your hand now, and (D)touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face!” So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your [e]power, only spare his life.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with (E)severe boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. And Job took a piece of pottery to scrape himself while (F)he was sitting in the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. (G)Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?” (H)Despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job’s three friends heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, they came, each one from his own place—Eliphaz the (I)Temanite, Bildad the (J)Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to (K)sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they [f]looked from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them (L)tore his robe, and they (M)threw dust over their heads toward the sky. 13 (N)Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Footnotes

  1. Job 2:1 Heb ha-satan; i.e., the adversary, and so throughout the ch
  2. Job 2:3 Lit set your heart to
  3. Job 2:3 Or revering
  4. Job 2:3 Lit swallow him up
  5. Job 2:6 Lit hand
  6. Job 2:12 Lit raised their eyes