Hebrew Bible

Again it fell upon a day, that the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

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.'

And the LORD said unto Satan: 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou didst move Me against him, to destroy him without cause.'

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

But put forth Thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, surely he will blaspheme Thee to Thy face.'

And the LORD said unto Satan: 'Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.'

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

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

Then said his wife unto him: 'Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? blaspheme God, and die.'

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

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; and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

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 threw dust upon their heads toward heaven.

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