Job 2 – Job's Health Is Struck

Job's trial deepens from lost possessions to physical suffering.

Job 2: Job's Body Is Afflicted

Returning to the heavenly scene of Job 1, Satan argues that Job only held firm because his own body was untouched, so the LORD allows him to strike Job with painful boils from head to foot. Job's wife urges him to curse God and die, but he refuses, insisting they must accept evil from God's hand as readily as good.


And on a day the children of God came and stood before the Lord, and Satan came also among them, and stoode before the Lord.

Then the Lord sayde vnto Satan, Whence commest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and sayd, From compassing the earth to and from, and from walking in it.

And the Lord sayd vnto Satan, Hast thou not considered my seruant Iob, how none is like him in the earth? an vpright and iust man, one that feareth God, and escheweth euill? for yet he continueth in his vprightnesse, although thou mouedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

And Satan answered the Lord, and sayde, Skin for skin, and all that euer a man hath, will he giue for his life.

But stretch now out thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh, to see if he will not blaspheme thee to thy face.

Then the Lord said vnto Satan, Lo, he is in thine hand, but saue his life.

So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord, and smote Iob with sore boyles, from the sole of his foote vnto his crowne.

And he tooke a potsharde to scrape him, and he sate downe among the ashes.

Then said his wife vnto him, Doest thou continue yet in thine vprightnes? Blaspheme God, and dye.

But he said vnto her, Thou speakest like a foolish woman: what? shall we receiue good at the hande of God, and not receiue euill? In all this did not Iob sinne with his lippes.

Nowe when Iobs three friends heard of all this euill that was come vpon him, they came euery one from his owne place, to wit, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they were agreed together to come to lament with him, and to comfort him.

So when they lift vp their eyes a farre off, they knewe him not: therefore they lift vp their voyces and wept, and euery one of them rent his garment, and sprinkled dust vpon their heads toward the heauen.

So they sate by him vpon the ground seuen dayes, and seuen nights, and none spake a worde vnto him: for they sawe, that the griefe was very great.

Word of Job's suffering reaches three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who travel to comfort him but are so struck by his condition that they simply sit with him on the ground for seven silent days and nights. That patient suffering anticipates the endurance praised in <a href="/bible/geneva1599/james/chapter-1/12">James 1:12</a>, before Job finally breaks his silence in <a href="/bible/geneva1599/job/chapter-3">Job 3</a>.