The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Iob is plaged with sore byles, and afterwarde is mocked of his wyfe. His frendes vysyte him, and haue compassion on hym.

CAPI. II.

IT happened also vpon a tyme, that when [ A] the seruauntes of God came and stode be∣fore the Lorde, Satan came amonge them and stode before him. And the Lorde sayde vn∣to Satan: whence commest thou? Satan an¦swered and sayde: I haue circuyted the lande and walked thorow it. Then sayde the Lord vnto Satan: hast thou not consydered my ser¦uaunt Iob, howe that he is an innocent and vertuous man suche one as feareth God, and eschueth euyl, and that there is none lyke him in the lande? But thou mouedest me againste him, to punysshe him: yet is it in vayne, for [ B] be contynueth still in his godlynesse. Satā an¦swered the Lorde, & sayd: Skynne for skynne and all that euer a man hath, he wil gyue for his lyfe. But lay thyne hand vpon him, touch him ones vpon the bone and flesshe, and then thou shalt se he shall curse the to thy face. Then sayde the Lorde vnto Satan: lo, he is in thy power, but spare his lyfe. So went Sa¦tan forth frome the Lorde, and smote Iob w^t maruelous sore byles, frō the sole of the face vnto his crowne: so that he sat vpon y^e groūd in the asshes, and scraped of the fylthe of his sores with a potsherde. Then sayde his wyfe [ C] vnto him: Doest thou continue in thy perfect¦nes? curse God and dye. But Iob sayde vnto her: Thou speakest lyke a folysh woman. Se∣ynge we haue receyued prosperitie at the hand of God, wherfore shoulde we not be content with aduersitie also? In all these thinges dyd not Iob synne with his lyppes. Nowe when Iobs frendes hearde of all the trouble, that happened vnto him, there came thre of them, euery one frome his owne place: Eliphas the Thamanite, Baldad the Suhite, and Zo∣phar the Naamathite.

[ D] For they were agreed togyther to come to shewe theyr compassion vpon hym, and to cō∣fort hym. So when they lyft vp theyr eyes a farre of, they knewe hym not. Then they cry¦ed, and wept: then euery one of them rent his clothes, & sprynkled dust vpon theyr headdes in the ayre. They sat them downe by hym al∣so vpon the grounde seuen dayes and seuen nightes. Neyther was there any of them that spake one worde vnto him, for they sawe that his payne was very great.