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¹ It happened also apon a tyme, that when the seruauntes of God came & stode before the LORDE, Sathan came also amonge them, and stode before him.² And the LORDE sayde vnto Sathan: From whence commest thou? Sathan answered and sayde: I haue gone aboute the lode, and walked thorow it.³ Then sayde the LORDE vnto Sathan: Hast thou not considered my seruaunt Iob, how that he is an innocent & vertuous man soch one as feareth God, and eschueth euell, and that there is none like him in the londe? But thou mouedest me agaynst him, to punysh him: yet is it in vayne, for he contynueth still in his godlynesse.⁴ Sathan answered the LORDE, and sayde: Skynne for skynne? yee a man will geue all yt euer he hath, for his life.⁵ But laye thine honde vpon him, touch him once vpon the bone and flesh, and (I holde) he shall curse the to thy face.⁶ Then sayde the LORDE vnto Satha: lo, there hast thou him in thy power, but spare his life.

⁷ So wente Sathan forth from the LORDE, and smote Iob with maruelous sore byles, from the sole off the fote vnto his crowne:⁸ so that he sat vpon the grounde in the asshes, and scraped of the etter off his sores with a potsherde.⁹ Then sayde his wife vnto him: Dost thou yet cotynue in thy perfectnesse? curse God, & dye.¹⁰ But Iob sayde vnto her: Thou speakest like a foolish woma. Seinge we haue receaued prosperite at the honde of God, wherfore shulde we not be content with aduersite also? In all these thinges, dyd not Iob synne with his lippes.

¹¹ Now when Iobs frendes herde of all ye trouble, that happened vnto him, there came thre off them, euery one from his owne place: namely, Eliphas the Themanite, Baldad the Suhite, and Sophar the Naamathite. For they were agreed together to come, to shewe their compassion vpon him, and to comforte him.¹² So when they lifte vp their eyes a farre off, they knewe him not. Then they cried, and wepte: then euery one off them rente his clothes, and sprynckled dust vpon their heades in the ayre.¹³ They sat them downe by him also vpon the grounde, vij. dayes and vij. nightes. Nether was there eny of them that spake one worde vnto him, for they sawe that his payne was very greate.