The Book of Job

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- Kapitel 2 -

Satan attacks Job's health

But it happened that, on a certain day, when the sons of God had arrived and they stood before the Lord, Satan likewise arrived among them, and he stood in his sight.

So the Lord said to Satan, “Where do you come from?” Answering, he said, “I have circled the land, and walked around in it.”

And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you not considered my servant, Job, that there is no one like him in the land, a simple and honest man, fearing God and withdrawing from evil, and still retaining his innocence? Yet you have stirred me against him, so that I would afflict him to no purpose.”

Answering him, Satan said, “Skin for skin; and everything that a man has, he will give for his life.

Yet send your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and then you will see whether or not he blesses you to your face.”

Therefore, the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but even so, spare his life.”

And so, Satan departed from the face of the Lord and he struck Job with a very serious ulcer from the sole of the foot all the way to the crown of his head.

So he took a shard of earthenware and scraped the discharge, while sitting on a heap of refuse.

But his wife said to him, “Do you still continue in your simplicity? Bless God and die.”(a)

He said to her, “You have spoken like one of the foolish wives. If we accepted good things from the hand of God, why should we not accept bad things?” In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.

Job's three friends

And so, three friends of Job, hearing about all the evil that had befallen him, arrived, each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had agreed to come together to visit and console him.

And when they had raised up their eyes from a distance, they did not recognize him, and, crying out, they wept, and, tearing their garments, they scattered dust over their heads into the sky.

And they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his sorrow was very great.

Fußnoten

(a)2:9 Job’s wife says, ‘Bless God,’ but she means, ‘Curse God.’ The expression ‘Curse God’ is so reprehensible to the devout that they would express this idea by saying ‘Bless God,’ not wanting to even speak the word.(Conte)

Satan attacks Job's health

Again, on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”

Satan answered the LORD, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.

But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”

The LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head.

He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips.

Job's three friends

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and didn’t recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky.

So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.