Job 5
1 Call, I pray thee—is there one to answer thee? Or, to which of the holy ones, wilt thou turn?
Call if you want, but who is going to answer you? Which angel are you going to turn to?
2 For, to the foolish man, death is caused by vexation, and, the simple one, is slain by jealousy.
Surely anger slays the fool and jealousy kills the simple.
3 I, have seen the foolish taking root, and then hath his home decayed, in a moment:
I have seen a fool growing strong, but I immediately cursed his house.
4 His children are far removed from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is none to deliver:
His sons are never safe; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
5 Whose harvest, the hungry, eateth up, and, even out of thorn hedges, he taketh it, and the snare gapeth for their substance.
The hungry eat everything he has harvested, taking even that protected by a thorn hedge, while others look to steal his wealth.
6 For sorrow, cometh not forth out of the dust, —nor, out of the ground, sprouteth trouble.
For evil doesn't come from the dust; neither does trouble grow from the earth.
7 Though, man, to trouble, were born, as, sparks, on high, do soar,
But human beings are born for trouble just as certainly as sparks from a fire fly upwards.
8 Yet indeed, I, would seek unto El, and, unto Elohim, would I set forth any cause: —
If it were me, I would go to God and put my case before him.
9 Who doeth great things, beyond all search, —Wondrous things, till they cannot be recounted;
He is the one who does amazing, incredible things; miracles that can't be counted!
10 Who giveth rain, upon the face of the earth, and sendeth forth waters, over the face of the open fields;
He gives rain to the earth and sends water to the fields.
11 Setting the lowly on high, and, mourners, are uplifted to safety;
He exalts the humble, and rescues those who mourn.
12 Who doth frustrate the schemes of the crafty, that their hands cannot achieve abiding success;
He frustrates the plans of the cunning so that they are unsuccessful.
13 Who captureth the wise in their own craftiness, yea the headlong counsel of the crooked:
He traps the wise in their own clever thinking, and the schemes of twisted people are cut short.
14 By day, they encounter darkness, and, as though it were night, they grope at high noon.
In the daytime they're in the dark, and they stumble around at noon like it's night.
15 But he saveth from the sword, out of their mouth, and, out of the hand of the strong, the needy.
But God is the one who saves from their cutting remarks, and the poor from the actions of the powerful.
16 Thus to the poor hath come hope, and, perversity, hath shut her mouth.
As a result those who are helpless have hope, and the wicked have to shut their mouths!
17 Lo! how happy is the man whom God correcteth! Therefore, the chastening of the Almighty, do not thou refuse;
See how happy is the person God corrects—so don't despise the Almighty's discipline.
18 For, he, woundeth that he may bind up, He smiteth through, that, his own hands, may heal.
For he causes pain but he provides relief; he wounds but his hands heal.
19 In six troubles, he will rescue thee, and, in seven, there shall smite thee no misfortune:
He will save you from many disasters; a multitude of evils will not affect you.
20 In famine, he will ransom thee from death, and in battle from the power of the sword;
In times of famine he will rescue you from death, and in times of war he will save you from the power of the sword.
21 During the scourge of the tongue, shalt thou be hid, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh;
You will be protected from sharp-tongued slander; and when violence comes you will not be afraid.
22 At destruction and at hunger, shalt thou laugh, and, of the wild beast of the earth, be not thou afraid;
You will laugh at violence and famine; you won't be afraid of wild animals—
23 For, with the stones of the field, shall be thy covenant, and, the wild beast of the field, hath been made thy friend;
for you will be at peace with the stones of the field and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 And thou shalt know that, at peace, is thy tent, and shalt visit thy fold, and miss nothing;
You will be certain that your home is safe, for you will go to where you live and find nothing missing.
25 And thou shalt know, that numerous is thy seed, and, thine offspring, like the young shoots of the field.
You will also be sure that you will have many children; your descendants will be like the grass of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come, yet robust, to the grave, as a stack of sheaves mounteth up in its season.
You will live to a ripe old age like a sheaf of grain when it is harvested.
27 Lo! as for this, we have searched it out—so, it is, Hear it, and know, thou, for thyself.
Look, we've examined it, and it's true! Listen to what I'm saying and apply it to yourself!”
