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Again, on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan came also among them to present himself before Yahweh. Yahweh said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”

Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”

Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of Yahweh, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head. He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”

10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”

In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips. 11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. 12 When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and didn’t recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky. 13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Satan’s Second Attack on Job

Some time later, divine beings again[a] presented themselves to the Lord, and Satan accompanied them to present himself to the Lord. The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”

In response, Satan told the Lord, “From wandering all over the earth and walking back and forth throughout it.”

The Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered[b] my servant Job? There is no one like him on earth. The man is blameless as well as upright. He fears God and keeps away from evil. He remains firm in his integrity, even though you have been urging me to overwhelm him without cause.”

Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! The man will give up everything that he owns in exchange for his health.[c] However, stretch out your hand[d] and strike his bones and flesh, and he’ll curse you to your face, won’t he?”

Then the Lord told Satan, “Very well then, he is under your control.[e] Just preserve his life.”[f]

So Satan left the Lord’s presence and struck Job with terrible boils from the sole of his feet to the top of his head. Job[g] took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself while sitting among the ashes.

Job Refuses to Curse God

Then his wife told him, “Do you remain firm in your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10 But he replied to her, “You’re talking like foolish women do. Are we to accept[h] what is good from God but not tragedy?”

Throughout all of this, Job did not sin by what he said.[i]

Job’s Friends Visit

11 When Job’s three friends heard all these tragedies that happened to him, they each traveled from their home towns[j] to visit him. Eliphaz came from Teman,[k] Bildad came from Shuah,[l] and Zophar came from Naamath.[m] They met together and went to console and comfort him. 12 Observing him from a distance, at first they didn’t even recognize him, so they raised their voices and burst into tears. They each ripped their robes, threw ashes into the air on their heads, 13 and sat with Job[n] on the ground for a full week[o] without saying a word, since they could see the great extent of his anguish.

Footnotes

  1. Job 2:1 Lit. later, the sons of God
  2. Job 2:3 Lit. you set your heart over
  3. Job 2:4 Lit. his soul
  4. Job 2:5 Or send judgment
  5. Job 2:6 Lit. hand
  6. Job 2:6 Lit. his soul
  7. Job 2:8 Lit. He
  8. Job 2:10 Or receive
  9. Job 2:10 Lit. by his lips
  10. Job 2:11 Lit. from his place
  11. Job 2:11 Lit. Eliphaz the Temanite; i.e. from Teman in Edom, and so throughout the book
  12. Job 2:11 Lit. Bildad the Shuhite; i.e. from Shuah, and so throughout the book
  13. Job 2:11 Lit. Zophar the Naamathite; i.e. from Naamath in Arabia, and so throughout the book
  14. Job 2:13 Lit. him
  15. Job 2:13 Lit. for seven days and seven nights