וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל־ה' וַיָּבוֹא גַם־הַשָּׂטָן בְּתֹכָם לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל־ה'

It was one day, after Job had already lost his possessions and most of his family, and the children of the great, the angels, came to stand before the Lord. They regularly gathered to stand before Him, like in a military roll call. And the accuser too came to stand before the Lord.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־הַשָּׂטָן אֵי מִזֶּה תָּבֹא וַיַּעַן הַשָּׂטָן אֶת־ה' וַיֹּאמַר מִשֻּׁט בָּאָרֶץ וּמֵהִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּהּ

The Lord said to the accuser: From where have you come? The accuser answered the Lord and said: From wandering the earth, and from walking around it.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־הַשָּׂטָן הֲשַׂמְתָּ לִבְּךָ אֶל־עַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב כִּי אֵין כָּמֹהוּ בָּאָרֶץ אִישׁ תָּם וְיָשָׁר יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים וְסָר מֵרָע וְעֹדֶנּוּ מַחֲזִיק בְּתֻמָּתוֹ וַתְּסִיתֵנִי בוֹ לְבַלְּעוֹ חִנָּם

The Lord said to the accuser: Did you notice My servant Job? Observe him, for there is no one like him on the earth, a virtuous and upright man, revering God and shunning evil. Despite all the calamities that have befallen him, he still maintains his virtuousness, and you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause, as it has become evident that he did not deserve any of this. What do you say about him now?

וַיַּעַן הַשָּׂטָן אֶת־ה' וַיֹּאמַר עוֹר בְּעַד־עוֹר וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לָאִישׁ יִתֵּן בְּעַד נַפְשׁוֹ

The accuser answered the Lord and said: Skin for skin. A person is always prepared to sacrifice the skin of another instead of his own. Alternatively, someone in danger will use the skin of his hands to protect the skin of his head or some other critical limb of the body. Everything that a man has he will give for his life. If someone feels threatened, he will focus on defending himself. In his struggle to survive, he will agree to give up everything else in exchange for his life. Up to this point, only Job’s children and his possessions had been harmed; his body remained intact, and Satan argued that that is why he blessed God.

אוּלָם שְׁלַח־נָא יָדְךָ וְגַע אֶל־עַצְמוֹ וְאֶל־בְּשָׂרוֹ אִם־לֹא אֶל־פָּנֶיךָ ‘יְבָרְכֶךָּ'

However, extend Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh. If his very body is harmed, won’t he blaspheme You to Your face? Again this is a euphemism, as the word used in the text, yevarkheka, literally means that he will bless You.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל־הַשָּׂטָן הִנּוֹ בְיָדֶךָ אַךְ אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ שְׁמֹר

The Lord said to the accuser: Behold, he is in your hand. You have permission to afflict him as much as you wish. Only spare his life. Ensure that he remains alive.

וַיֵּצֵא הַשָּׂטָן מֵאֵת פְּנֵי ה' וַיַּךְ אֶת־אִיּוֹב בִּשְׁחִין רָע מִכַּף רַגְלוֹ וְעַד קָדְקֳדוֹ

The accuser emerged from the presence of the Lord, and he struck Job with a terrible rash from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Not only is the afflicted individual greatly tormented by such a disease, but it also forces him to maintain a distance from others, as it is contagious. Therefore, not only did Job suffer from the physical symptom of the disease, the itching all over his body, but he was also rendered miserable, lonely, and contemptible because of it.

וַיִּקַּח־לוֹ חֶרֶשׂ לְהִתְגָּרֵד בּוֹ וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵפֶר

Therefore, he took for himself a potsherd to scratch with it and sat in the ashes. The itching caused by the boils and the resulting lesions were aggravated by the woolen garments customarily worn in the days of Job. Thin ash is a soft and gentle surface that is soothing for one whose skin is inflamed, and it would have eased the pain of the boils and the severe itching.

וַתֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ עֹדְךָ מַחֲזִיק בְּתֻמָּתֶךָ ‘בָּרֵךְ' אֱלֹהִים וָמֻת

His wife said to him: Do you still maintain your wholeheartedness and remain God-fearing after all this suffering? Blaspheme God and die. God will punish you with death for blaspheming Him, and then you will be free of pain and thus find peace. Job’s wife argued that there is no way to evade suffering brought by God Himself other than by bringing about one’s own death.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ כְּדַבֵּר אַחַת הַנְּבָלוֹת תְּדַבֵּרִי גַּם אֶת־הַטּוֹב נְקַבֵּל מֵאֵת הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֶת־הָרָע לֹא נְקַבֵּל בְּכָל־זֹאת לֹא־חָטָא אִיּוֹב בִּשְׂפָתָיו

He said to her: You are speaking like one of the disgraceful women speak, and yet you are a decent woman. Shall we accept the good from God, and not accept the evil? Do we stipulate that we will worship God only if He provides for us from His goodness? With all this, despite everything that had happened to him, Job did not sin with his lips. His life was not worth living, he was broken, tormented, and ill, but still he would not utter anything negative about God.

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת רֵעֵי אִיּוֹב אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת הַבָּאָה עָלָיו וַיָּבֹאוּ אִישׁ מִמְּקֹמוֹ אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי וּבִלְדַּד הַשּׁוּחִי וְצוֹפַר הַנַּעֲמָתִי וַיִּוָּעֲדוּ יַחְדָּו לָבוֹא לָנוּד־לוֹ וּלְנַחֲמוֹ

Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, and each came from his place, Elifaz the Temanite, from the city of Teman in Edom, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Tzofar the Naamatite. They met together to come to commiserate with him, to share in his sorrow, and to comfort him to the best of their ability.

וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶם מֵרָחוֹק וְלֹא הִכִּירֻהוּ וַיִּשְׂאוּ קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ וַיִּקְרְעוּ אִישׁ מְעִלוֹ וַיִּזְרְקוּ עָפָר עַל־רָאשֵׁיהֶם הַשָּׁמָיְמָה

They lifted their eyes from afar, in his direction, but they did not recognize him. They saw that his surroundings were all in ruins, he had been struck with boils, and was presumably naked or at least partially unclothed, due to the pain of the boils. They raised their voice and wept. Each rent his robe, and they threw dust on their heads heavenward, which are various gestures of mourning over this troubling scene.

וַיֵּשְׁבוּ אִתּוֹ לָאָרֶץ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְשִׁבְעַת לֵילוֹת וְאֵין־דֹּבֵר אֵלָיו דָּבָר כִּי רָאוּ כִּי־גָדַל הַכְּאֵב מְאֹד

They sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, as they saw that the pain was very great. They realized that in his great pain, anything they said would only cause additional suffering and distress. So they sat, waiting for him to make the first move, and participated in his sorrow as friends.