Job 5
1 “Pray, call, is there any to answer you? And to which of the holy ones do you turn?
Call now, see if any will answer thee! And to which of the holy ones wilt thou look?
2 For provocation slays the perverse, And envy puts to death the simple,
Verily grief destroyeth the fool, And wrath consumeth the weak man.
3 I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straight away,
I have seen an impious man taking root, But soon I cursed his habitation.
4 His sons are far from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
His children are far from safety; They are oppressed at the gate, and there is none to deliver them.
5 Whose harvest the hungry eat, And even take it from the thorns, And the designing swallowed their wealth.
His harvest the hungry devour, Carrying it even through the thorns; And a snare gapeth after his substance.
6 For sorrow does not come forth from the dust, Nor does misery spring up from the ground.
For affliction cometh not from the dust, Nor doth trouble spring up from the ground;
7 For man is born to misery, And the sparks go high to fly.
Behold, man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
8 Yet I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,
I would look to God, And to God would I commit my cause,
9 Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, until there is no numbering.
Who doeth great things and unsearchable; Yea, marvellous things without number;
10 Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.
Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth water upon the fields;
11 To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high [in] safety.
Who placeth the lowly in high places, And restoreth the afflicted to prosperity;
12 Making void thoughts of the cunning, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
Who disappointeth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprises;
13 Capturing the wise in their subtlety, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hurried,
Who taketh the wise in their own craftiness, And bringeth to nought the counsel of the artful.
14 By day they meet darkness, And as night—they grope at noon.
They meet with darkness in the daytime; They grope at noon as if it were night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth, And from a strong hand,
So he saveth the persecuted from their mouth; The oppressed from the hand of the mighty.
16 And there is hope for the poor, And perverseness has shut her mouth.
So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17 Behold, the blessedness of mortal man, God reproves him: And do not despise the discipline of the Mighty,
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For He pains, and He binds up, He strikes, and His hands heal.
For he bruiseth, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 In six distresses He delivers you, And in seven evil does not strike on you.
In six troubles will he deliver thee; Yea, in seven shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine He has redeemed you from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.
In famine he will redeem thee from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
21 When the tongue scourges you are hid, And you are not afraid of destruction, When it comes.
Thou shalt be safe from the scourge of the tongue, And shalt not be afraid of destruction, when it cometh.
22 At destruction and at hunger you mock, And of the beast of the earth, You are not afraid.
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, And of the wild beasts of the land shalt thou not be afraid.
23 (For with sons of the field [is] your covenant, And the beast of the field Has been at peace with you.)
For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; Yea, the beasts of the forest shall be at peace with thee.
24 And you have known that your tent [is] peace, And inspected your habitation, and do not err,
Thou shalt find that thy tent is in peace; Thou shalt visit thy dwelling, and not be disappointed.
25 And have known that your seed [is] numerous, And your offspring as the herb of the earth;
Thou shalt see thy descendants numerous, And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 You come in full age to the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.
Thou shalt come to thy grave in full age, As a shock of corn gathered in its season.
27 Behold, this—we searched it out—it [is] right, listen; And you, know for yourself!”
Lo! this we have searched out; so it is: Hear it, and lay it up in thy mind!
