1On another day the angels[1] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them 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 to and fro on it.’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. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.’4‘Skin for skin!’ Satan replied. ‘A man will give all he has for his own life.5But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.’6The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.’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.8Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.9His wife said to him, ‘Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!’10He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish[2] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.11When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathise with him and comfort him.12When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognise him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.13Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No-one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job 2
English Standard Version
Satan Attacks Job’s Health
1Again 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. (Job 1:6)2And 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.”3And 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 holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” (Job 2:9; Job 9:17; Job 27:5)4Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.5But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job 1:5; Job 1:11)6And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (Ex 9:9; Le 13:18; De 28:27; De 28:35; Isa 1:6)8And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. (Job 41:30; Job 42:6; Eze 27:30; Jon 3:6; Mt 11:21)9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” (Job 2:3; Job 2:5)10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”[1] In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 1:22; Ps 39:1; Ps 74:18; Ps 74:22; Jas 5:10)
Job’s Three Friends
11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. (Ge 25:2; 1Ch 1:32; 1Ch 1:45; Job 42:11; Pr 17:17; Ro 12:15)12And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. (Ge 37:29; Jos 7:6; Ne 9:1; La 2:10; Eze 27:30)13And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. (Ge 50:10; Eze 3:15)