Satan Attacks Job's Health

Again (A)there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still (B)holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him (C)without reason.” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But (D)stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will (E)curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome (F)sores from (G)the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took (H)a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in (I)the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still (J)hold fast your integrity? (K)Curse God and die.”

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Job’s Second Test

One day the members of the heavenly court[a] came again to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan,[b] came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.”

Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

“All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.

Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2:1a Hebrew the sons of God.
  2. 2:1b Hebrew and the satan; similarly throughout this chapter.