Job
Chapter 2

1

Once again the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.

2

And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence do you come?" And Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming the earth and patrolling it."

3

And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, faultless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil? He still holds fast to his innocence although you incited me against him to ruin him without cause."

4

¹ And Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has will he give for his life.

5

But now put forth your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face."

6

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

7

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with severe boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

8

And he took a potsherd to scrape himself, as he sat among the ashes.

9

² Then his wife said to him, "Are you still holding to your innocence? Curse God and die."

10

But he said to her, "Are even you going to speak as senseless women do? We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?" Through all this, Job said nothing sinful.

11

³ Now when three of Job's friends heard of all the misfortune that had come upon him, they set out each one from his own place: Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuh, and Zophar from Naamath. They met and journeyed together to give him sympathy and comfort.

12

But when, at a distance, they lifted up their eyes and did not recognize him, they began to weep aloud; they tore their cloaks and threw dust upon their heads.

13

Then they sat down upon the ground with him seven days and seven nights, but none of them spoke a word to him; for they saw how great was his suffering.

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Footnotes

¹ [4] Skin for skin: an expression which, as applied to Job, means that he has borne his suffering patiently thus far only because he seeks to avoid greater suffering and to receive greater favors from God.

² [9] Curse God and die: you have nothing to hope for from God and therefore nothing to live for.

³ [11] The names of Job's friends suggest Edomite origin. The Edomites (Obadiah 1:8-9) and more specifically the Temanites (Jeremiah 49:7) enjoyed a reputation for wisdom.

New American Bible Copyright © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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