Jon Huer writes

THE SEDUCTION OF JOB:  Twenty Years Later   

A Dramatic Poem

CHAPTER SEVEN

One year later, Satan instructs Bashana to accuse Job of seduction.

SATAN TO SELF: 

For a year now Job is true to his pledge, 

Staying on the straight and narrow path 

That he promised to God and himself. 

His piety is without hypocrisy or pride, 

His action unaffected by public adulation‑‑ 

A man reborn and renewed, inwardly and out, 

Repenting daily and being at peace in his soul.   

Still, Job has suffered no great loss to himself, 

For what has he lost to set his soul on fire, 

To curse the day he took his first breath 

And the Creator who gave him mind and heart to suffer, 

And to count every hour in wretched sorrow?   

God is merciful and kind, but not Satan: 

When the Almighty rests and sleeps in peace 

I twist and turn to bring destruction to man; 

While miracles and charity hatch under His wings, 

Wickedness and evil are my gifts to earth; 

While the angels and saints sing His praise, 

Sighs and laments become my chorus and ode. 

O you stupid and weak creatures on earth, 

Tearing asunder the purity of God's love, 

Sighing and lamenting under your own burden, 

And crying in agony when your flesh disobeys you. 

With God's bounties, you devour each other; 

For His justice, you defile it with corruption; 

And the soul in you? You cast it to me.   

It is my duty never to rest or sleep, 

Until your own death overtakes you, 

To push, scheme, and spread the trial of fire 

To all men, women, and children on earth. 

So it is with Job, God's favored servant.   

SATAN TO BASHANA: 

Bashana, my angel, welcome back to heaven; 

You carried out your duty faithfully, 

For profoundly has Job changed since that time.  

BASHANA: 

My Lord Satan, my memory has faded 

As to why you commend me so profusely. 

Whatever it is, I merely followed your instruction. 

My sojourn on earth and all its wickedness 

Has left no imprint on my mind, short or long. 

I know men are tried and women tempted, 

And children neglected in all seasons on earth. 

But my Lord Satan, my own remembrance‑‑none.  

SATAN: 

Just as well, my angel, as it should be. 

You obey your orders as I do mine, 

For you and I are part of God's legion 

To keep the heavens and earth in balance 

In His mysterious ways of joys and sorrows.   

Here is the new instruction for you, Bashana: 

Go back to earth and file charges against Job 

At the office of the king's chief counsel. 

Charge him thusly to the king's man Elihu: 

"Master Job put his hands on me 

And forced himself onto me. 

By using his great wealth and power 

On a poor maid of no consequence, 

Master Job seduced and violated me 

Time and again, and against my wishes."   

This time, do not adorn yourself too fair, 

For plain looks and sincerity enhance effectiveness. 

Spare no details, the more elaborate the better. 

Remember that you are the victim 

Of the man's authority and power over you. 

Give a full account of the humiliation you endured, 

The shame and pains you suffered in the light of day, 

And the sighs and laments you uttered in the night. 

Provoke pity in the chief counsel's heart 

By describing your desolate grief and loneliness, 

And the depth of misery that was your lot. 

Nothing evokes greater sympathy in Uz now 

Than women abused by men of power, 

Pleading their cause to the seat of government 

And with a redress for justice's balance.   

There is also a strict law in Uz enacted 

To protect servants and maids from evil masters. 

Elihu will take full advantage of the law, 

For no love is lost between Job and the counsel. 

Once the matter is in the hands of Elihu 

We shall see the nature of Job's soul 

And the full extent of his renewed piety.

Is he God's true servant, in great pain and despair,  

Or is he to curse his birth and its Creator?   

Bashana, my angel, be on your way.

 

 Satan, Woman &  the Bible -- William Blake