And the Lord said unto Satan, "Whence comest thou?" Then 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? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil."

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, "Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face."

And the Lord said unto Satan, "Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand."

So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, that there came a messenger unto Job, and said:

The oxen were plowing,

and the asses feeding beside them;

and the Sabeans fell upon them.

and took them away;

yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I only am escaped alone to tell thee!

While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said:

The fire of God is fallen from heaven,
and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants,
and consumed them;

and I only am escaped alone to tell thee!

While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said :

The Chaldeans made three bands,

and fell upon the camels,

and have taken them away,

yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee!

While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said:

Thy sons and thy daughters

were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house; and behold,

there came a great wind from the wilderness,

and smote the four corners of the house,
and it fell upon the young men,
and they are dead;

and I only am escaped alone to tell thee!

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; and he said:

Naked came I out of my mother's womb,

And naked shall I return thither!

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away:
Blessed be the name of the Lord!

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God with foolishness.

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.

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? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God,

and escheweth evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst 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 thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face."

And the Lord said unto Satan, "Behold, he is in thine 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 unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat among the ashes.

Then said his wife unto him, "Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die."

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.

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 sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 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.

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.