Job 5
1 “Call out if you please, but who will answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
Call if you want, but who is going to answer you? Which angel are you going to turn to?
2 For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
Surely anger slays the fool and jealousy kills the simple.
3 I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
I have seen a fool growing strong, but I immediately cursed his house.
4 His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
His sons are never safe; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
5 The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
The hungry eat everything he has harvested, taking even that protected by a thorn hedge, while others look to steal his wealth.
6 For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground.
For evil doesn't come from the dust; neither does trouble grow from the earth.
7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
But human beings are born for trouble just as certainly as sparks from a fire fly upwards.
8 However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him—
If it were me, I would go to God and put my case before him.
9 the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
He is the one who does amazing, incredible things; miracles that can't be counted!
10 He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields.
He gives rain to the earth and sends water to the fields.
11 He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.
He exalts the humble, and rescues those who mourn.
12 He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.
He frustrates the plans of the cunning so that they are unsuccessful.
13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
He traps the wise in their own clever thinking, and the schemes of twisted people are cut short.
14 They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.
In the daytime they're in the dark, and they stumble around at noon like it's night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.
But God is the one who saves from their cutting remarks, and the poor from the actions of the powerful.
16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.
As a result those who are helpless have hope, and the wicked have to shut their mouths!
17 Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
See how happy is the person God corrects—so don't despise the Almighty's discipline.
18 For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.
For he causes pain but he provides relief; he wounds but his hands heal.
19 He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven.
He will save you from many disasters; a multitude of evils will not affect you.
20 In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.
In times of famine he will rescue you from death, and in times of war he will save you from the power of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and will not fear havoc when it comes.
You will be protected from sharp-tongued slander; and when violence comes you will not be afraid.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
You will laugh at violence and famine; you won't be afraid of wild animals—
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
for you will be at peace with the stones of the field and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure, and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home.
You will be certain that your home is safe, for you will go to where you live and find nothing missing.
25 You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth.
You will also be sure that you will have many children; your descendants will be like the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
You will live to a ripe old age like a sheaf of grain when it is harvested.
27 Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.”
Look, we've examined it, and it's true! Listen to what I'm saying and apply it to yourself!”
