Thereafter, as I lay upon my bed, in the middle of the night, a bright light suddenly shone in my chamber, and I heard a voice calling me, “Jobab, Jobab!” (and I answered, “Here am I").  And the voice said, “Rise up, and I will tell thee that which I have to say.  Verily, this idol to whom offerings are brought, and wine poured out in libations, is not a god, but is a work of the evil power whereby he deceives the sons of men.”  Then I bowed myself down and said, “Lord, who hast come to enlighten my soul, I beseech thee, give me leave to go and cleanse this place that is polluted by the enemy, so that offerings shall no more be made to him; but, indeed, who is there that can withstand me, seeing that I am ruler over this country?”

The voice answered me out of the light, “Thou canst indeed destroy that place; but I must forewarn thee of that which will ensue, according as I have in hand to tell thee from the Lord.”  And I answered, “All that He commandeth thy servant will I hear and do.”  And the voice said again, “If thou takest upon thee to destroy this abode of Satan’s, he will rise up and fight against thee; he will bring upon thee many plagues; he will take away all thy gods; he will slay thy children.  Only he will not be able to take thy life.  And, if thou endurest to the end, thy name shall become famous among all generations for ever; and I will restore thee to thy former estate, and recompense thee double, and thou shalt rise up again in the resurrection of the just.  Be thou therefore like a fighter who giveth blows and endureth them, looking to win the crown of victory; and then shalt thou know that the Lord is righteous, and true, and mighty, giving strength to His chosen.”

And I, my children, answered him, “I will verily endure even unto death, and will not draw back.”  Then the angel set a mark upon my forehead, and departed from me; and in the same night I arose and gathered to me fifty of my servants, and went and destroyed the temple of the idol, laying it even with the ground.  Then I returned to my house, and commanded that the doors should be made fast.

Hearken now, my children, and wonder; for as soon as I had come into my house, and had commanded the doors to be shut, and had told the keepers of the doors to say to any that came that I was not at leisure to see them, Satan came, having put on the appearance of a beggar, and said to the maid that kept the door, “Tell Job that I desire to speak with him.”  She came to me, therefore, and I told her again, “Tell him that I have no leisure to see him.”

So Satan departed, and took on him another form, and put a wallet on his shoulder, and returned and said to the maid, “Say to Job, ’Give me bread from thine own hand, that I may eat.’” Then I took a loaf that was burnt black and gave it to the maid to give to him, saying, “Look to eat no more of my bread, for I am become a stranger to you.”  But the maid was ashamed to give him the burnt bread, for she knew not who he was;