Satan’s Additional Charge

1Again the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also arrived among them to present himself before the Lord. 2And the Lord said to Satan, “Where do you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across it.” 3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you stirred me up to destroy him without reason.”

4But Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Indeed, a man will give up all that he has to save his life! 5But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!”

6So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, he is in your power; only preserve his life.”

Job’s Integrity in Suffering

7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with a malignant ulcer from the sole of his feet to the top of his head. 8Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting among the ashes.

9Then his wife said to him, “Are you still holding firmly to your integrity? Curse God, and die!” 10But he replied, “You’re talking like one of the godless women would do! Should we receive what is good from God, and not also receive what is evil?” In all this Job did not sin by what he said.

The Visit of Job’s Friends

11When Job’s three friends heard about all this calamity that had happened to him, each of them came from his own country – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to come to show sympathy for him and to console him. 12But when they gazed intently from a distance but did not recognize him, they began to weep loudly. Each of them tore his robes, and they threw dust into the air over their heads. 13Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, yet no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.