The opening chapter of the book of Job describes a gathering of the divine council. Present at this gathering is a being called haśśāṭān: this is the common noun śāṭān preceded by the definite article. The definite article makes it virtually certain that śāṭān is not a proper name. Most scholars translate haśśāṭān as 'the Accuser,' which they understand to be a title that describes a specific role or office. When Yahweh asks the śāṭān whether he has given any thought to the exemplary and indeed perfect piety of Job, the śāṭān links Job's piety with the prosperity he enjoys as a result. If the pious inevitably prosper, how do we know that their piety is not motivated by sheer greed? Given that God is responsible for the creation and maintenance of a world order in which the righteous reap reward, what the śāṭān is in fact challenging is God's blueprint for divine-human relations. In other words, the śāṭān is questioning the validity of a moral order in which the pious unfailingly prosper. The test of true righteousness would be worship without the promise of reward. Yahweh accepts the śāṭān's challenge: he permits the śāṭān to sever the link between righteousness and reward. Although Job is blameless, he is made to suffer, losing first his wealth and his children, and eventually his own good health. In the end, a suffering and impoverished Job nevertheless bends his knee to a god whose world order is devoid of retributive justice, thus proving the śāṭān wrong.