Factum est autem, cum quadam die venissent filii Dei, et starent coram Domino, venisset quoque Satan inter eos, et staret in conspectu ejus,

And it came to pass, when on a certain day the sons of God came, and stood before the Lord, and Satan came among them, and stood in his sight,

Once again the heavenly powers came to wait upon the Lord’s presence; and there, waiting with the rest of them, was the Enemy of man.

ut diceret Dominus ad Satan: Unde venis? Qui respondens ait: Circuivi terram, et perambulavi eam.

That the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answered and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.

And of his travels he still said the same; he had been roaming about the earth, to and fro about the earth.

Et dixit Dominus ad Satan: Numquid considerasti servum meum Job, quod non sit ei similis in terra, vir simplex et rectus, ac timens Deum, et recedens a malo, et adhuc retinens innocentiam? tu autem commovisti me adversus eum, ut affligerem eum frustra.

And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man simple, and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil, and still keeping his innocence? But thou hast moved me against him, that I should afflict him without cause.

Why then, the Lord said, thou hast seen for thyself that this servant of mine, Job, has not his like on earth; a man so true and honest, ever fearing his God, and keeping far from wrong-doing. And still he maintains his innocence. Shame it is that thou hast set me on to do him a mischief, and all to no purpose.

Cui respondens Satan, ait: Pellem pro pelle, et cuncta quæ habet homo dabit pro anima sua;

And Satan answered, and said: Skin for skin, and all that a man hath he will give for his life:

Nay, answered the Enemy, skin must suffer before skin grieves. Nothing a man owns, but he will part with it to keep his skin whole.

alioquin mitte manum tuam, et tange os ejus et carnem, et tunc videbis quod in faciem benedicat tibi.

But put forth thy hand, and touch his bone and his flesh, and then thou shalt see that he will bless thee to thy face.

That hand of thine, let it fall on bone of his, flesh of his; see if he does not turn and blaspheme thee.

Dixit ergo Dominus ad Satan: Ecce in manu tua est: verumtamen animam illius serva.

And the Lord said to Satan: Behold he is in thy hand, but yet save his life.

And thereupon said the Lord to man’s Enemy, Have what power over him thou wilt, so his life be kept safe in him.

Egressus igitur Satan a facie Domini, percussit Job ulcere pessimo, a planta pedis usque ad verticem ejus;

So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with a very grievous ulcer, from the sole of the foot even to the top of his head:

And with that, the Enemy left the Lord’s presence, and withdrew.And cruelly he smote Job; smote him with the foul scab from head to foot,

qui testa saniem radebat, sedens in sterquilinio.

And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.

so that he was fain to sit him down on the dung-hill, and scratch himself with a shard where he itched.

Dixit autem illi uxor sua: Adhuc tu permanes in simplicitate tua? Benedic Deo, et morere.

And his wife said to him: Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? bless God, and die.

Little comfort his own wife gave him; What, she said, still maintaining thy innocence? Better thou shouldst renounce God, and have done with living.

Qui ait ad illam: Quasi una de stultis mulieribus locuta es: si bona suscepimus de manu Dei, mala quare non suscipiamus? In omnibus his non peccavit Job labiis suis.

And he said to her: Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women: if we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.

Spoken like a foolish wife, Job answered. What, should we accept the good fortune God sends us, and not the ill? So well, even now, did Job guard his lips.

Igitur audientes tres amici Job omne malum quod accidisset ei, venerunt singuli de loco suo, Eliphaz Themanites, et Baldad Suhites, et Sophar Naamathites. Condixerant enim ut pariter venientes visitarent eum, et consolarentur.

Now when Job’s three friends heard all the evil that had befallen him, they came every one from his own place, Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment to come together and visit him, and comfort him.

News of the calamity that had befallen him reached three of his friends, Eliphaz the Themanite, Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite. From their far homes all, by agreement made, came to visit him, and give him comfort.

Cumque elevassent procul oculos suos, non cognoverunt eum, et exclamantes ploraverunt, scissisque vestibus sparserunt pulverem super caput suum in cælum.

And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not, and crying out they wept, and rending their garments they sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

Scarcely, upon a distant view, could they recognize him; loud they cried out, and sore they wept, tore their garments about them and threw the dust over their heads heaven-high.

Et sederunt cum eo in terra septem diebus et septem noctibus: et nemo loquebatur ei verbum: videbant enim dolorem esse vehementem.

And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great.

And for seven days and seven nights they sat there on the ground beside him, and no word spoken; here, they saw plainly, was overmastering grief.