The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Another day came when the sons of God came to serve ADONAI, and among them came the Adversary to serve ADONAI.
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And there was a day when the sons of the gods came together before the Lord, and the Satan came with them.
2 ADONAI asked the Adversary, "Where are you coming from?" The Adversary answered ADONAI, "From roaming through the earth, wandering here and there."
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And the Lord said to the Satan, Where do you come from? And the Satan said in answer, From wandering this way and that on the earth, and walking about on it.
3 ADONAI asked the Adversary, "Did you notice my servant Iyov, that there's no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil, and that he still holds on to his integrity, even though you provoked me against him to destroy him for no reason?"
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And the Lord said to the Satan, Have you taken note of my servant Job, for there is no one like him on the earth, a man without sin and upright, fearing God and keeping himself far from evil? and he still keeps his righteousness, though you have been moving me to send destruction on him without cause.
4 The Adversary answered ADONAI, "Skin for skin! A person will give up everything he has to save his life.
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And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Skin for skin, all a man has he will give for his life.
5 But if you reach out your hand and touch his flesh and bone, without doubt he'll curse you to your face!"
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But now, if you only put your hand on his bone and his flesh, he will certainly be cursing you to your face.
6 ADONAI said to the Adversary, "Here! He is in your hands, except that you are to spare his life."
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And the Lord said to the Satan, See, he is in your hands, only do not take his life.
7 Then the Adversary went out from the presence of ADONAI and struck Iyov down with horrible infected sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
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And the Satan went out from before the Lord, and sent on Job an evil disease covering his skin from his feet to the top of his head.
8 He took a piece of a broken pot to scratch himself and sat down in the pile of ashes.
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And he took a broken bit of a pot, and, seated in the dust, was rubbing himself with the sharp edge of it.
9 His wife asked him, "Why do you still hold on to your integrity? Curse God, and die!"
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And his wife said to him, Are you still keeping your righteousness? Say a curse against God, and put an end to yourself.
10 But he answered her, "You're talking like a low-class woman! Are we to receive the good at God's hands but reject the bad?" In all this Iyov did not say one sinful word.
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And he said to her, You are talking like one of the foolish women. If we take the good God sends us, are we not to take the evil when it comes? In all this Job kept his lips from sin.
11 Now when Iyov's three friends heard of all the calamities that had overwhelmed him, they all came. Each came from his own home - Elifaz from Teiman, Bildad from Shuach and Tzofar from Na'amah. They had agreed to meet together in order to come and offer him sympathy and comfort.
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And Job's three friends had word of all this evil which had come on him. And they came every one from his place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. So they came together to a meeting-place, in order that they might go and make clear to Job their grief for him, and give him comfort.
12 When they saw him from a distance, they couldn't even recognize him. They wept aloud, tore their coats and threw dust over their heads toward heaven.
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And lifting up their eyes when they were still far off, it did not seem that the man they saw was Job because of the change in him. And they gave way to bitter weeping, with signs of grief, and put dust on their heads.
13 Then they sat down with him on the ground. For seven days and seven nights, no one spoke a word to him; because they saw how much he was suffering.
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And they took their seats on the earth by his side for seven days and seven nights: but no one said a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.