1 Once again, on a certain day, the sons of God{bene haElohim: divine court members} came to stand before the LORD{YHWH, Heavenly Judge}, and the Accuser also came with them to stand before the LORD.
2 The LORD {YHWH, Questioning Judge} said to the adversary {hasatan: legal challenger}, “Where are you coming from?” And the adversary answered the LORD, “From ranging over the earth and from walking around in it.”
3 And the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Evaluator} said to the Adversary {ha-satan: accusing challenger}, “Have you paid attention to My servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth—a blameless and upright man who fears God {Elohim, Moral Judge} and turns away from evil. Even now he holds fast to his integrity {betumato: unwavering innocence}, though you provoked Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
4 The Accuser answered the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Tester} and said, “Skin for skin! A man will give up all he has for his soul {nefesh: life and being}.”
5 But now, stretch out Your hand {yadkha: divine action} and touch his bone and his flesh; surely he will curse You {yevarakhecha: euphemistic flourish} to Your face.
6 And the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Preserver} said to the Accuser, “See, he is in Your hand; only spare his life {nephesh: threatened life}.”
7 So the adversary {hasatan: accusing opponent} went out from the presence of the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Tester} and struck Job with evil boils from the bottoms of his feet up to the top of his head.
8 And he took for himself a potsherd {cheres: broken clay shard} to scrape himself with it, and he was sitting in the midst of the ashes {efer: mourning dust heap}.
9 His wife said to Job, “Will you persist in your integrity {tumah: moral wholeness}? Curse God {Elohim, Sovereign Over Affliction} and die.”
10 But he said to her, “You speak like one of the foolish women speaks. Should we receive good from God {Elohim, Sovereign Ruler over Circumstances}, and not also receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips {saphah: spoken expressions}.”
11 And the three friends of Job heard of all this evil {ra'ah: severe hardship} that had come upon him, and each one came from his place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—and they met together {vayiva'adu: arranged meeting} to go and mourn with him and to comfort him.
12 And when they lifted their eyes from a distance{merachok: far away viewpoint} and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept, and each man tore his robe{meil: outer mourning garment} and threw dust toward the heavens upon their heads.
13 And they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and not one spoke {dover: active, ongoing speech} a word to him, because they saw that the pain {keev: intense inward suffering} was very great.