Job 5
1 Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
“Call out if you please, but who will answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple.
For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
3 I myself saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer:
His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh even out of the thorns; and the snare gapeth for his substance.
The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
6 For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground.
7 For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards.
Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 But as for me I will seek unto God, and unto God commit my cause;
However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him—
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number;
the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
10 Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields;
He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields.
11 Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity.
He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.
He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong:
He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at midday as in the night.
They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.
15 And he saveth the needy from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.
16 So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth.
So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty.
Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.
19 He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and will not fear havoc when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid.
You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing.
You will know that your tent is secure, and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home.
25 And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thine offspring as the herb of the earth.
You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season.
You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
27 Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thyself.
Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.”
