朋友的陪伴能让我们在患难中得安慰。

No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. Job 2:13

一个人也不向他说句话，因为他极其痛苦。-约伯记2章13节

I read about a mom who was surprised to see her daughter muddy from the waist down when she walked in the door after school. Her daughter explained that a friend had slipped and fallen into a mud puddle. While another classmate ran to get help, the little girl felt sorry for her friend sitting by herself and holding her hurt leg. So, the daughter went over and sat in the mud puddle with her friend until a teacher arrived.

有一位母亲写道：有一天，她年幼的女儿放学回家时，下半身沾满了烂泥巴，把她吓了一大跳。她女儿解释说，她朋友不小心滑倒掉进泥坑里。当另外一位同学去找人来帮忙的时候，她女儿不忍心看到朋友抱着受伤的腿独自坐在那里，于是就走过去和朋友一起坐在泥坑里，等老师过来。

When Job experienced the devastating loss of his children and became afflicted with painful sores on his entire body, his suffering was overwhelming. The Bible tells us that three of his friends wanted to comfort him. When they found Job, “they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was” (Job 2:12–13).

约伯经历丧子之痛后，又饱受全身满是毒疮之苦，他遭受到莫大的打击。圣经告诉我们，约伯的三个朋友前来安慰他。当他们看到约伯时，“就放声大哭。各人撕裂外袍，把尘土向天扬起来，落在自己的头上。他们就同他七天七夜坐在地上，一个人也不向他说句话，因为他极其痛苦”（约伯记2章12-13节）。

Job’s friends initially showed remarkable understanding. They sensed that Job simply needed someone to sit and mourn with him. The three men will begin to speak in the next few chapters. The irony is that when the friends do begin to speak, they end up giving Job poor advice (16:1–4).

起初，约伯的朋友们展现了高度的同理心，他们察觉到约伯仅需有人陪着他同坐、同哀伤。然而，可惜的是，约伯的三位朋友随后开始高谈阔论。讽刺的是，当这些朋友开始发言时，他们却给了约伯不合宜的劝告（16章1-4节）。

Often the best thing we can do when comforting a hurting friend is to sit with them in their suffering.

当我们要让伤心难过的朋友得着安慰时，最好的方式往往是与他们同坐、同哀伤。

亲爱的天父，求祢帮助我们能成为哀伤者的朋友。感谢祢，因祢应许必亲近那些受苦的人，并藉着圣灵让他们得着鼓励。

Job 2:7-13   NIV

2 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. 11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

约伯记 2:7-13 

2 于是撒旦从耶和华面前退去，击打约伯，使他从脚掌到头顶长毒疮。 8 约伯就坐在炉灰中，拿瓦片刮身体。 9 他的妻子对他说：“你仍然持守你的纯正吗？你弃掉神，死了吧！” 10 约伯却对她说：“你说话像愚顽的妇人一样。哎！难道我们从神手里得福，不也受祸吗？”在这一切的事上，约伯并不以口犯罪。11 约伯的三个朋友提幔人以利法、书亚人比勒达、拿玛人琐法，听说有这一切的灾祸临到他身上，各人就从本处约会同来，为他悲伤，安慰他。 12 他们远远地举目观看，认不出他来，就放声大哭。各人撕裂外袍，把尘土向天扬起来，落在自己的头上。 13 他们就同他七天七夜坐在地上，一个人也不向他说句话，因为他极其痛苦。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Job’s wife’s suffering (except for the painful sores) was just as keen as Job’s. She had lost just as much, and her angry advice to Job is completely understandable: “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). Yet even in Job’s response, he “did not sin in what he said” (v. 10). He merely noted that she spoke “like a foolish woman,” implying that he knew her character to be noble. The text also highlights the fact that Job’s friends truly did sympathize with his situation and were there to provide genuine comfort (v. 11). But Job’s wife and his friends couldn’t fathom that he was part of a cosmic battle they didn’t comprehend.

约伯妻子的痛苦（除了未染毒疮外）与约伯一样深重，因她也同样失去了孩子和家产，所以不难理解她会愤怒地建议约伯：“你弃掉上帝，死了吧！”（约伯记2章9节）但即使这样，约伯在回应的过程中，“并不以口犯罪”（10节），只是指出他妻子说话就像“愚顽的妇人一样”，意味着他知道妻子的品格一向高尚。经文还强调另一个事实，即约伯的朋友确实同情他的处境，真诚地安慰他（11节）。不过，约伯的妻子和朋友们并不知道，约伯乃置身于他们无法理解的属灵战争中。

In this life, certain things will remain beyond our understanding. Perhaps someone close to you faces some unanswerable questions. Who might need your quiet presence today?

我们在世上会遇到一些事情，超过我们的理解力。也许你身边有人正面对无解的难题，想想看，今天有谁需要你默默陪伴呢？

整理：于姊妹