Job 2

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. The sons of God came to stand before the LORD. Satan came with them to stand before God 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 said, "From roaming all over the earth, walking here and there."

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, "Have you thought about my servant Job? No one on earth is like him. He does what is right and does not do wrong. He respects God and stays away from evil. He still holds on to doing right. You pushed me to hurt him for no reason."

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 away everything he owns to stay alive.

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

5But reach out and hurt his body and his bones. Then he will curse you right 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. He covered Job with painful sores. They went from 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 pot. He used it to scrape his skin. He sat down in the ashes.

NotePeople sat in ashes to show they were deeply sad. A "potsherd" is a broken piece of clay pot.

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

9Then Job's wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to doing 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.

10Job said, "You talk like a foolish woman. We take good things from God. Should we not also take hard things?" In all this, Job said nothing wrong.

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 had three friends. They heard about all the trouble that had come to him. Their names were Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Each one came from his own home. They planned together to go and be sad 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.

12They looked up while they were still far away. They could hardly tell it was Job. They cried out loud. Each man tore his coat. They threw dust in the air over their heads.

NoteTearing your coat and putting dust on your head were ways people showed great sadness back then.

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.

13They sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him. They saw that his pain was very great.