Job 5
1 Call now, see if any will answer thee! And to which of the holy ones wilt thou look?
Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer?
2 Verily grief destroyeth the fool, And wrath consumeth the weak man.
For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion.
3 I have seen an impious man taking root, But soon I cursed his habitation.
I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly the curse came on his house.
4 His children are far from safety; They are oppressed at the gate, and there is none to deliver them.
Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause.
5 His harvest the hungry devour, Carrying it even through the thorns; And a snare gapeth after his substance.
Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.
6 For affliction cometh not from the dust, Nor doth trouble spring up from the ground;
For evil does not come out of the dust, or trouble out of the earth;
7 Behold, man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.
8 I would look to God, And to God would I commit my cause,
But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him:
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable; Yea, marvellous things without number;
Who does great things outside our knowledge, wonders without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth water upon the fields;
Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields:
11 Who placeth the lowly in high places, And restoreth the afflicted to prosperity;
Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place;
12 Who disappointeth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprises;
Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.
13 Who taketh the wise in their own craftiness, And bringeth to nought the counsel of the artful.
He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime; They grope at noon as if it were night.
In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.
15 So he saveth the persecuted from their mouth; The oppressed from the hand of the mighty.
But he keeps safe from their sword those who have no father, and the poor from the power of the strong.
16 So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.
18 For he bruiseth, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well.
19 In six troubles will he deliver thee; Yea, in seven shall no evil touch thee.
He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be safe from the scourge of the tongue, And shalt not be afraid of destruction, when it cometh.
He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, And of the wild beasts of the land shalt thou not be afraid.
You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; Yea, the beasts of the forest shall be at peace with thee.
For you will be in agreement with the stones of the earth, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 Thou shalt find that thy tent is in peace; Thou shalt visit thy dwelling, and not be disappointed.
And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.
25 Thou shalt see thy descendants numerous, And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in full age, As a shock of corn gathered in its season.
You will come to your last resting-place in full strength, as the grain is taken up to the crushing-floor in its time.
27 Lo! this we have searched out; so it is: Hear it, and lay it up in thy mind!
See, we have made search with care, and it is so; it has come to our ears; see that you take note of it for yourself.
