Satan's Second Challenge
Study note
The heavenly scene repeats itself. God again points out Job's faithfulness, noting that Job held on to his integrity even after losing everything. Satan responds with a proverb: a person will give anything to save their own life. He challenges God to strike Job's body, predicting Job will then curse God. God permits this but requires that Job's life be spared.
1 On a different day, the angels came once again to stand before the Lord, and Satan appeared right along with them. 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.
2 The Lord asked Satan, 'Where have you been?' Satan answered, 'I have been roaming all around the earth, going back and forth across it.' And 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.
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you thought about my servant Job? Nobody on earth is like him. He is a good and honest man who respects me and stays away from evil. And he still holds on to his goodness, even though you talked me into letting you ruin him for no reason at all.' And 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.
4 Satan answered, 'A person will hand over anything they have just to stay alive.' And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 'But go ahead and reach out to hurt his own body and bones, and then watch -- he will curse you right to your face.' But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6 The Lord said to Satan, 'Fine. He is in your hands now. But you must not kill him.' And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
Job Is Struck with Sores
Study note
Satan strikes Job with painful boils from head to toe. Job sits among the ashes, scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery -- a picture of total misery. His wife, seeing his suffering, urges him to curse God and die. But Job refuses, saying that if we accept good things from God, we should also accept the hard things. Even in this, Job does not sin.
7 So Satan left the Lord's presence. He covered Job's whole body with terrible, painful sores, from his feet to his head. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 Job grabbed a broken piece of pottery to scratch at his sores while he sat in a pile of ashes. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9 His wife said to him, 'Are you truly still trying to hold on to your goodness? Curse God and get it over with!' Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But Job told her, 'You are talking like someone who does not think things through. Are we going to accept all the good things from God but refuse to accept anything hard?' Even through all of this, Job did not say anything wrong about God. But 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.
Job's Three Friends Arrive
Study note
Three of Job's friends -- Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah -- hear about his troubles and come together to comfort him. When they see Job from a distance, they barely recognize him. They weep loudly, tear their robes, and throw dust on their heads as signs of mourning. Then they sit on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word, because they can see how terrible his suffering is.
11 Three of Job's friends heard about everything terrible that had happened to him, and they each traveled from their own homes to see him. Their names were Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah. They all agreed to go together to show their sympathy and comfort him. Now 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.
12 When they spotted him from a distance, they almost could not tell it was him. They started crying out loud. Each of them ripped his robe and tossed dust up over his head. And 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.
13 They sat on the ground with him for a full week. Seven days and seven nights passed. No one said a word. They could see how awful his pain was. So 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.