< Job 5 >

1 “Pray, call, is there any to answer you? And to which of the holy ones do you turn?
Therefore call, if there are any who will respond to you, and turn to one or another of the saints.
2 For provocation slays the perverse, And envy puts to death the simple,
Truly, anger condemns the foolish to death, and envy kills the petty.
3 I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straight away,
I have seen a fool with a strong root, and I have cursed his excellence without hesitation.
4 His sons are far from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
His sons will be far from prosperity and will be crushed at the gate, and there will be none who can rescue them.
5 Whose harvest the hungry eat, And even take it from the thorns, And the designing swallowed their wealth.
Their harvest, the starving will eat. The armed man will rob him, and the thirsty will drink his resources.
6 For sorrow does not come forth from the dust, Nor does misery spring up from the ground.
Nothing on earth occurs without a reason, and sorrow does not rise from the earth.
7 For man is born to misery, And the sparks go high to fly.
Man is born to labor, and the bird to fly.
8 Yet I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,
Therefore, because of this, I will beg the Lord, and place my eloquence before God.
9 Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, until there is no numbering.
He does great and unfathomable and miraculous things without number.
10 Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.
He gives rain over the face of the earth and irrigates all things with the waters.
11 To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high [in] safety.
He places the humble on high and encourages the grieving towards health.
12 Making void thoughts of the cunning, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
He dispels the thoughts of the spiteful, lest their hands be able to complete what they had begun.
13 Capturing the wise in their subtlety, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hurried,
He catches the wise in their cleverness and dissipates the counsel of the perverse.
14 By day they meet darkness, And as night—they grope at noon.
They will encounter darkness in the daytime, and they will grope at midday just as in the night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth, And from a strong hand,
Thereafter, he will act to save the needy from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the violent.
16 And there is hope for the poor, And perverseness has shut her mouth.
And there will be hope for those in need, for iniquity will diminish its speech.
17 Behold, the blessedness of mortal man, God reproves him: And do not despise the discipline of the Mighty,
Blessed is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not reject the chastisement of the Lord.
18 For He pains, and He binds up, He strikes, and His hands heal.
For he wounds and he cures; he strikes and his hands will heal.
19 In six distresses He delivers you, And in seven evil does not strike on you.
He will deliver you into six tribulations, and in the seventh, evil will not touch you.
20 In famine He has redeemed you from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.
During famine, he will rescue you from death, and during war, from the hand of the sword.
21 When the tongue scourges you are hid, And you are not afraid of destruction, When it comes.
You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not fear calamity when it arrives.
22 At destruction and at hunger you mock, And of the beast of the earth, You are not afraid.
In desolation and in famine, you will laugh, and you will not dread the beasts of the earth.
23 (For with sons of the field [is] your covenant, And the beast of the field Has been at peace with you.)
For you are in harmony with the stones of the land, and the beasts of the earth will make peace with you.
24 And you have known that your tent [is] peace, And inspected your habitation, and do not err,
And you will know that your home has peace, and, concerning your appearance, you will not sin.
25 And have known that your seed [is] numerous, And your offspring as the herb of the earth;
Likewise, you will know that your offspring will be manifold and your progeny will be like the grass of the earth.
26 You come in full age to the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.
You will enter the grave with abundance, just as a crop of wheat is gathered in its time.
27 Behold, this—we searched it out—it [is] right, listen; And you, know for yourself!”
Behold, this is just as we have found it, which you have heard; walk it through your mind.

< Job 5 >