Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Chapter Two: Job's Further Afflictions

Now it so happened, on another day, the sons of God met with YAHWEH. Satan was at the meeting.

YAHWEH said to Satan, “Where are you coming from?”

Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

YAHWEH said to Satan, “Have you taken a look at my servant Job? There is no one else like him on the earth. He is perfect and righteous; he worships God and eschews evil. He holds to his integrity, even though you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

Satan answered YAHWEH, “Skin for skin, I do declare: all that a man has he will give for his own life. But I suspect that if you put forth your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, he will curse you to your face.”

YAHWEH said, “Look, he is in your power. All I ask is that you leave him alive.”

So Satan left the meeting with YAHWEH. And he afflicted Job with sore boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Job took a piece of a broken pot and scraped himself with it. He sat down among the ashes.

Job’s wife said to him: “You are still keeping your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Job said to his wife, “What a foolish thing to say. Are we supposed to take the good from the hand of God but not the evil?”

Despite his misfortunes, Job would not speak blasphemy.


Now, Job had three friends, and when they heard of all the evil that had come upon Job, they agreed that they should go comfort him. His three friends were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

While they were still far off, the three friends thought they saw Job, then realized how much he had changed. They wept for him, tore their clothing, and poured dust over their heads.

When they came into Job’s presence, they sat down on the ground near him, but they did not speak for seven days and seven nights, knowing Job was in grief.

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