Job 5
1 Call out now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
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 For anger kills the foolish man; jealousy kills the silly one.
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 a foolish person taking root, but suddenly I cursed his home.
I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly the curse came on his house.
4 His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the city gate. There is no one to rescue them.
Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause.
5 The hungry eat up their harvest; they even take it from among the thorns. The thirsty pant for their wealth.
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 difficulties do not come out from the soil; neither does trouble sprout from the ground.
For evil does not come out of the dust, or trouble out of the earth;
7 Instead, mankind is born for trouble, just as sparks fly upward.
But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.
8 But as for me, I would turn to God himself; to him I would commit my cause—
But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him:
9 he who does great and unsearchable things, marvelous things without number.
Who does great things outside our knowledge, wonders without number:
10 He gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields.
Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields:
11 He does this in order to set up on high those who are low; to raise to safety those who mourn.
Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place;
12 He breaks the plans of the crafty people, so that their hands cannot achieve success.
Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.
13 He traps wise people in their own crafty actions; the plans of twisted people are hurried to their end.
He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.
14 They encounter darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday 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 But he saves the poor person from the sword in their mouths and the needy person from the hand of mighty people.
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 person has hope, and injustice shuts her own mouth.
So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.
17 See, blessed is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not despise 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 wounds and then binds up; he wounds and then his hands heal.
For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well.
19 He will rescue you out of six troubles; indeed, in seven troubles, no evil will touch you.
He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.
20 In famine he will ransom you from death, and in war from the hands 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 You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine, and you will not be afraid of beasts of the earth.
You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones in your field, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
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 You will know that your tent is in safety; you will visit your sheepfold and you will not miss anything.
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 You will also know that your seed will be great, that your offspring will be like the grass on the ground.
You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.
26 You will come to your grave at a full age, like a stack of grain bundles that goes up at its time.
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 See, we have examined this matter; it is like this; listen to it, and know it for yourself.”
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.
