< Job 5 >
1 Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
“Pray, call, is there any to answer you? And to which of the holy ones do you turn?
2 For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple.
For provocation slays the perverse, And envy puts to death the simple,
3 I myself saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straight away,
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, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh even out of the thorns; and the snare gapeth for his substance.
Whose harvest the hungry eat, And even take it from the thorns, And the designing swallowed their wealth.
6 For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
For sorrow does not come forth from the dust, Nor does misery spring up from the ground.
7 For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards.
For man is born to misery, And the sparks go high to fly.
8 But as for me I will seek unto God, and unto God commit my cause;
Yet I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number;
Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, until there is no numbering.
10 Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields;
Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.
11 Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity.
To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high [in] safety.
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.
Making void thoughts of the cunning, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong:
Capturing the wise in their subtlety, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hurried,
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at midday as in the night.
By day they meet darkness, And as night—they grope at noon.
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 a strong hand,
16 So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth.
And there is hope for the poor, And perverseness has shut her mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty.
Behold, the blessedness of mortal man, God reproves him: And do not despise the discipline of the Mighty,
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
For He pains, and He binds up, He strikes, and His hands heal.
19 He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
In six distresses He delivers you, And in seven evil does not strike on you.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
In famine He has redeemed you from death, And in battle from the hands 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.
When the tongue scourges you are hid, And you are not afraid of destruction, When it comes.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid.
At destruction and at hunger you mock, And of the beast of the earth, You are not afraid.
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 with sons of the field [is] your covenant, And the beast of the field Has been at peace with you.)
24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing.
And you have known that your tent [is] peace, And inspected your habitation, and do not err,
25 And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thine offspring as the herb of the earth.
And have known that your seed [is] numerous, And your offspring as the herb 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 come in full age to the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.
27 Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thyself.
Behold, this—we searched it out—it [is] right, listen; And you, know for yourself!”