< Job 2 >

1 Again it happened on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, that 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 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, and said, "From going back and forth on the earth, and from walking up and down on 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 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin 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 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, "Skin for skin. Indeed, all that a man has he will 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 The LORD said to Satan, "Look, he is in your power. Only preserve his life."
And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.
7 So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.
So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.
8 And he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with while he sat among the ashes.
And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.
9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold firmly to 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 to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we indeed accept good at the hand of God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not 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 adversity that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize 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 When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and did not recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and threw dust in the air over their heads.
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 on the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain 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 >