Job 2

New International Version

2 On another day the angels^[a]^(A) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them^(B) to present himself before him. ²And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”^(C)

³Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.^(D) And he still maintains his integrity,^(E) though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”^(F)

⁴“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has^(G) for his own life. ⁵But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones,^(H) and he will surely curse you to your face.”^(I)

⁶The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands;^(J) but you must spare his life.”^(K)

⁷So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.^(L) ⁸Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.^(M)

⁹His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?^(N) Curse God and die!”^(O)

¹⁰He replied, “You are talking like a foolish^[b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”^(P)

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.^(Q)

¹¹When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite,^(R) Bildad the Shuhite^(S) and Zophar the Naamathite,^(T) heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.^(U) ¹²When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him;^(V) they began to weep aloud,^(W) and they tore their robes^(X) and sprinkled dust on their heads.^(Y) ¹³Then they sat on the ground^(Z) with him for seven days and seven nights.^(AA) No one said a word to him,^(AB) because they saw how great his suffering was.

Footnotes

Job 2:1 Hebrew the sons of God
Job 2:10 The Hebrew word rendered foolish denotes moral deficiency.

Job 8

New International Version

Bildad

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite^(A) replied:

²“How long will you say such things?^(B)
    Your words are a blustering wind.^(C)
³Does God pervert justice?^(D)
    Does the Almighty pervert what is right?^(E)
⁴When your children sinned against him,
    he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.^(F)
⁵But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead^(G) with the Almighty,^(H)
⁶if you are pure and upright,
    even now he will rouse himself on your behalf^(I)
    and restore you to your prosperous state.^(J)
⁷Your beginnings will seem humble,
    so prosperous^(K) will your future be.^(L)

⁸“Ask the former generation^(M)
    and find out what their ancestors learned,
⁹for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,^(N)
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.^(O)
¹⁰Will they not instruct^(P) you and tell you?
    Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?^(Q)
¹¹Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?^(R)
    Can reeds^(S) thrive without water?
¹²While still growing and uncut,
    they wither more quickly than grass.^(T)
¹³Such is the destiny^(U) of all who forget God;^(V)
    so perishes the hope of the godless.^(W)
¹⁴What they trust in is fragile^[a];
    what they rely on is a spider’s web.^(X)
¹⁵They lean on the web,^(Y) but it gives way;
    they cling to it, but it does not hold.^(Z)
¹⁶They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
    spreading its shoots^(AA) over the garden;^(AB)
¹⁷it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
    and looks for a place among the stones.
¹⁸But when it is torn from its spot,
    that place disowns^(AC) it and says, ‘I never saw you.’^(AD)
¹⁹Surely its life withers^(AE) away,
    and^[b] from the soil other plants grow.^(AF)

²⁰“Surely God does not reject one who is blameless^(AG)
    or strengthen the hands of evildoers.^(AH)
²¹He will yet fill your mouth with laughter^(AI)
    and your lips with shouts of joy.^(AJ)
²²Your enemies will be clothed in shame,^(AK)
    and the tents^(AL) of the wicked will be no more.”^(AM)