< Job 2 >

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
And it came to pass on a certain day, that the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord.
2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence come you? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And the Lord, said to the devil, Whence comest thou? Then the devil said before the Lord, I am come from going through the world, and walking about the whole earth.
3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and turns away from evil? and still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.
And the Lord said to the devil, Hast thou then observed my servant Job, that there is none of [men] upon the earth like him, a harmless, true, blameless, godly man, abstaining from all evil? and he yet cleaves to innocence, whereas thou has told [me] to destroy his substance without cause?
4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man has will he give for his life.
And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life.
5 But put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.
Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to [thy] face.
6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; but save his life.
And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.
7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and stroke Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself likewise; and he sat down among the ashes.
And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Do you still retain your integrity? curse God, and die.
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.
11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
Now his three friends having heard of all the evil that was come upon him, came to him each from his own country: Eliphaz the king of the Thaemans, Baldad sovereign of the Saucheans, Sophar king of he Minaeans: and they came to him with one accord, to comfort and to visit him.
12 And when they lifted up their eyes far off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
And when they saw him from a distance they did not know him; and they cried with a loud voice, and wept, and rent every one his garment, and sprinkled dust upon [their heads],
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
and they sat down beside him seven days and seven nights, and no one of them spoke; for they saw that his affliction was dreadful and very great.

< Job 2 >