Job, 2

1. Another day, the sons of God came to attend on Yahweh and Satan came with them too.

1. Again 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.

2. So Yahweh said to Satan, 'Where have you been?' 'Prowling about on earth,' he answered, 'roaming around there.'

2. And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence have you come?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it."

3. So Yahweh asked him, 'Did you pay any attention to my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth: a sound and honest man who fears God and shuns evil. He persists in his integrity still; you achieved nothing by provoking me to ruin him.'

3. And 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 moved me against him, to destroy him without cause."

4. 'Skin after skin!' Satan replied. 'Someone will give away all he has to save his life.

4. Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.

5. But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his bone and flesh; I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.'

5. But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face."

6. 'Very well,' Yahweh said to Satan, 'he is in your power. But spare his life.'

6. And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life."

7. So Satan left the presence of Yahweh. He struck Job down with malignant ulcers from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.

7. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

8. Job took a piece of pot to scrape himself, and went and sat among the ashes.

8. And he took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

9. Then his wife said to him, 'Why persist in this integrity of yours? Curse God and die.'

9. Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God, and die."

10. 'That is how a fool of a woman talks,' Job replied. 'If we take happiness from God's hand, must we not take sorrow too?' And in all this misfortune Job uttered no sinful word.

10. But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

11. The news of all the disasters that had fallen on Job came to the ears of three of his friends. Each of them set out from home -- Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah and Zophar of Naamath -- and by common consent they decided to go and offer him sympathy and consolation.

11. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eli'phaz the Te'manite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Na'amathite. They made an appointment together to come to condole with him and comfort him.

12. Looking at him from a distance, they could not recognise him; they wept aloud and tore their robes and threw dust over their heads.

12. And when they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him; and they raised their voices and wept; and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13. They sat there on the ground beside him for seven days and seven nights. To Job they spoke never a word, for they saw how much he was suffering.

13. And 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.