While this one was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in their oldest brother's house when a great wind came from across the wilderness, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men and killed them. I alone have escaped to tell you." Then Job rose, tore his robe, shaved his head, threw himself on the ground and worshipped, saying: "Jehovah gave, Jehovah has taken away; Blessed be the name of Jehovah!" In all this Job did not sin nor blame God. On another day when the sons of God came before Jehovah, Satan came with them. And Jehovah said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Satan answered, "From going back and forth on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." Jehovah said to Satan, "Have you seen my servant Job? For there is no man like him on the earth, blameless and upright, one who reveres God and avoids evil; he still is faithful, although you led me to ruin him without cause." Satan answered Jehovah, "Skin for skin, yes, a man will give all that he has for his life. But just put out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he certainly will curse you to your face." Jehovah said to Satan, "See, he is in your power; only spare his life." So Satan left the presence of Jehovah, and afflicted Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head with leprosy so terrible that Job took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself. As he sat among the ashes, his wife said to him, "Are you still holding to your piety? Curse God and die." But he said to her, "You speak like a senseless woman. We accept prosperity from God, shall we not also accept misfortune?" In all this Job said nothing that was wrong. When Job's three friends heard of all this trouble that had befallen him, they came each from his own home: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, for they had arranged to go together and show their sympathy for him and comfort him. But when they saw him in the distance, they did not at first know him. Then they all wept aloud and tore their robes and threw dust upon their heads. And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights without any one saying a word to him, for they saw that he was in great trouble. Then Job began to speak and said: "Why did I not die at birth, Breathe my last when I was born? I should then have lain down in quiet, Should have slept and been at rest With kings and counsellors of earth, Who built themselves great pyramids; With princes rich in gold, Who filled their houses with silver. "There the wicked cease from troubling, There the weary are at rest; Captives too at ease together, Hearing not the voice of masters. There the small and great are gathered, There the slave is free at last."