Chapter II.
Now it happened one day that the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them and stood before Him. And the Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.' Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil, and he still maintains his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.' But you have stirred me up against him, so that I would afflict him in vain. And in response, Satan said: Skin for skin, and all that a man has he will give for his life. Otherwise, stretch out your hand and touch his bone and flesh, and then you will see that he curses you to your face. So the Lord said to Satan: Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself while sitting among the ashes. But his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had considered that they would come to visit him together, and console him. And when they had lifted their eyes from afar, they did not recognize him. Not that God is unaware; but to teach us what Satan, who is interpreted as adversary, responded.
And they cried out and wept, and they tore their clothes and threw dust on their heads towards 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 pain was severe. For all the enemies of Christ claim to be his friends, boasting that they have been redeemed by his blood. And afterward, they become his enemies, attacking his Church. And when they saw his affliction, they tore their garments and threw dust on their heads, representing those heretics who believe that Christ is God in heavenly glory but do not believe in his incarnation and passion. Instead, they are offended by his reproaches and humiliations, bursting into blasphemy and breaking away from the unity of the body of Christ. And they, throwing dust upon their heads, cover and bury their hearts with earthly and dead understanding. And throughout all the time of their life, which is contained in seven days and nights; their unworthy mouth condemns divine confession with mute unfaithfulness and their speaking mouth is obstructed by unjust words.