The Adversary’s Attack on Job’s Person
1 And thenone day the sons of Godcame to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satanalso came into their midst to present himself before Yahweh.
2 SoYahweh askedSatan,“From where have you come?”
And Satananswered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”
3 SoYahweh askedSatan,“Have you consideredmy servant Job? Indeed,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 thoughyou incited me against him to destroy him for nothing.”
4 ThenSatananswered him and said, “Skin for skin! All that thatman has he will give for his life.
5 But stretch outyour hand and touch his bones and his flesh, and see whetherhe will curseyou to your face.”
6 SoYahweh said to Satan,“All right,he is in your power.Only spare his life.”
Job’s Blameless Behavior
7 SoSatanwent out from Yahweh’s presence,and he inflicted Job with loathsome skin sores from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head.
8 Sohe took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and he sat in the midst of the ashes.
9 Thenhis wife said to him, “Are you still persisting in your blamelessness? CurseGod and die.”
10 Sohe said to her, “You speak like one of the foolish women speaks. Indeed, should we receive the good from God, butnot receive the evil?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.
11 ThusJob’s three friends heard of this calamity that had come upon him. Soeach set out from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite. And they mettogether to come to console him and to comfort him.
12 Thusthey lifted up their eyesfrom afar, butthey did not recognize him, sothey raised their voice, and they wept, and each man tore his outer garmentand threw dust on their heads toward the sky.
13 Thenthey sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, butno one spokea word to him because they saw that hissuffering was very great.