2 6 Satan hath permission to afflict Job. 9 His wife tempteth him to forsake God. 11 His three friends visit him.
1 And on a day the [a]children of God came and stood before the Lord, and [b]Satan came also among them, and stood before the Lord.
2 Then the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From compassing the earth to and fro, and from walking in it.
3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou not considered my servant Job, how none is like him in the earth? (A)an upright and just man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? for yet he continueth in his uprightness, [c]although thou movedst me against him, to destroy [d]him without cause.
4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, [e]Skin for skin, and all that ever a man hath, will he give for his life.
5 But stretch now out thine hand, and touch his [f]bones and his flesh, to see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face.
6 Then the Lord said unto Satan, Lo, he is in thine hand, but save [g]his life.
7 ¶ So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore [h]boils, from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he took a [i]potsherd to scrape him, and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his [j]wife unto him, Dost thou [k]continue yet in thine uprightness? [l]Blaspheme God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest like a foolish woman: what? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and not [m]receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his [n]lips.
11 Now when Job’s three [o]friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place, to wit, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they were agreed together to come to lament with him, and to comfort him.
12 So when they lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not: therefore they lifted up their voices and wept, and every one of them rent his garment and sprinkled [p]dust upon their heads toward the heaven.
13 So they sat by him upon the ground seven days, and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that the grief was very [q]great.
Footnotes
- Job 2:1 That is, the Angels, as Job 1:6.
- Job 2:1 Read Job 1:6.
- Job 2:3 He proveth Job’s integrity by this that he ceased not to fear God when his plagues were grievously upon him.
- Job 2:3 That is, when thou hadst nought against him, or when thou wast not able to bring thy purpose to pass.
- Job 2:4 Hereby he meant, that a man’s own skin is dearer unto him than another man’s.
- Job 2:5 Meaning, his own person.
- Job 2:6 Thus Satan can go no further in punishing, than God hath limited him.
- Job 2:7 This sore was most vehement, wherewith also God plagued the Egyptians, Exod. 9:9, and threateneth to punish the rebellious people, Deut. 28:27, so that this tentation was most grievous: for if Job had measured God’s favor by the vehemency of his disease, he might have thought that God had cast him off.
- Job 2:8 As destitute of all other help and means, and wonderfully afflicted with the sorrow of his disease.
- Job 2:9 Satan useth the same instrument against Job, as he did against Adam.
- Job 2:9 Meaning, what gainest thou to serve God, seeing he thus plagueth thee, as though he were thine enemy? This is the most grievous temptation of the faithful, when their faith is assailed, and when Satan goeth about to persuade them that they trust in God in vain.
- Job 2:9 For death was appointed to the blasphemer, and so she meant that he should soon be rid out of his pain.
- Job 2:10 That is, to be patient in adversity, as we rejoice when he sendeth prosperity, and so to acknowledge him to be both merciful and just.
- Job 2:10 He so bridled his affections, that his tongue through impatience did not murmur against God.
- Job 2:11 Which were men of authority, wise and learned, and as the Septuagint writes, Kings, and came to comfort him, but when they saw how he was visited, they conceived an evil opinion of him, as though he had been but an hypocrite, and so justly plagued of God for his sins.
- Job 2:12 This was also a ceremony, which they used in those countries, as the renting of their clothes in sign of sorrow, etc.
- Job 2:13 And therefore thought that he would not have hearkened unto their counsel.