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The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s Person

And then[a] one day the sons of God[b] came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan[c] also came into their midst to present himself before Yahweh. So[d] Yahweh asked[e] Satan,[f] “From where have you come?”

And Satan[g] answered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”

So[h] Yahweh asked[i] Satan,[j] “Have you considered[k] my servant Job? Indeed,[l] there is no one like him on the earth—a blameless man and upright and God-fearing and turning away from evil. And still he persists in his blamelessness even though[m] you incited me against him to destroy him for nothing.”

Then[n] Satan[o] answered him and said, “Skin for skin! All that that[p] man has he will give for his life. But stretch out[q] your hand and touch his bones and his flesh, and see whether[r] he will curse[s] you to your face.”[t]

So[u] Yahweh said to Satan,[v]All right,[w] he is in your power.[x] Only spare his life.”

Job’s Blameless Behavior

So[y] Satan[z] went out from Yahweh’s presence,[aa] and he inflicted Job with loathsome skin sores from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head. So[ab] he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and he sat in the midst of the ashes.

Then[ac] his wife said to him, “Are you still persisting in your blamelessness? Curse[ad] God and die.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 2:1 Literally “And it came to be,” or “and it happened”
  2. Job 2:1 Or “the heavenly beings,” or “the angels”
  3. Job 2:1 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  4. Job 2:2 Hebrew “And”
  5. Job 2:2 Literally “said to”
  6. Job 2:2 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  7. Job 2:2 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  8. Job 2:3 Hebrew “And”
  9. Job 2:3 Literally “said to”
  10. Job 2:3 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  11. Job 2:3 Literally “set your heart”
  12. Job 2:3 Or “For” or “Because”
  13. Job 2:3 Hebrew “and”
  14. Job 2:4 Hebrew “And”
  15. Job 2:4 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  16. Job 2:4 Literally “the”
  17. Job 2:5 Or “please”
  18. Job 2:5 Literally “if not”
  19. Job 2:5 Literally “bless”—negative meaning by context
  20. Job 2:5 Hebrew “your faces”
  21. Job 2:6 Literally “And it happened the/one day”
  22. Job 2:6 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  23. Job 2:6 Literally “Look”
  24. Job 2:6 Literally “hand”
  25. Job 2:7 Hebrew “And”
  26. Job 2:7 Hebrew “the accuser,” or “the adversary”
  27. Job 2:7 Literally “the faces of Yahweh”
  28. Job 2:8 Hebrew “And”
  29. Job 2:9 Hebrew “And”
  30. Job 2:9 Literally “Bless”—negative meaning by context

Job’s Adversary refuses to give up

One day the divine beings came to present themselves before the Lord. The Adversary also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to the Adversary, “Where have you come from?”

The Adversary answered the Lord, “From wandering throughout the earth.”

The Lord said to the Adversary, “Have you thought about my servant Job, for there is no one like him on earth, a man who is honest, who is of absolute integrity, who reveres God and avoids evil? He still holds on to his integrity, even though you incited me to ruin him for no reason.”

The Adversary responded to the Lord, “Skin for skin—people will give up everything they have in exchange for their lives. But stretch out your hand and strike his bones and flesh. Then he will definitely curse[a] you to your face.”

The Lord answered the Adversary, “There he is—within your power; only preserve his life.”

The test intensifies

The Adversary departed from the Lord’s presence and struck Job with severe sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. Job took a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself and sat down on a mound of ashes. Job’s wife said to him, “Are you still clinging to your integrity? Curse[b] God, and die.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 2:5 Or bless
  2. Job 2:9 Or bless