Job

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

1Another day came when the heavenly beings came to stand before the LORD. Satan came with them to stand before the LORD too.

2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

2The LORD asked Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered, "From wandering around the earth, walking here and there on it."

3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

3The LORD said to Satan, "Have you thought about my servant Job? No one on earth is like him. He does what is right, he honors God, and he stays away from evil. He still holds on to doing right, even though you pushed me to ruin him for no reason."

Note"Perfect" here does not mean flawless. It means honest and whole in character, with nothing false about him.

4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

4Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he owns to save his own life.

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

5But reach out your hand and harm his body, his bones and his flesh. Then he will curse you to your face."

6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

6The LORD said to Satan, "All right, he is in your power. But you must let him live."

7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

7So Satan left the LORD's presence. He struck Job with painful sores, from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.

8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

8Job picked up a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores. He sat down in the ashes.

NoteA potsherd is a piece of broken clay pot. Sitting in ashes was a public sign of deep grief in that time.

9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

9Then his wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to doing what is right? Curse God and die!"

10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

10But he said to her, "You talk like a foolish woman. Should we take only good things from God and not bad ones?" Through all of this, Job did not sin in what he said.

11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

11Job's three friends heard about all the trouble that had come to him. They were Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah. Each one left his own home. They agreed to meet and go together to grieve with Job and comfort him.

12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

12When they looked up from far off, they could hardly tell it was Job. They cried out loud and wept. Each one tore his robe and threw dust into the air over his head.

NoteTearing your clothes and putting dust on your head were ways people showed sorrow openly, so everyone could see it.

13So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

13Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how terrible his pain was.