< Job 5 >

1 Pray, call, is there any to answer thee? And unto which of the holy ones dost thou turn?
Call now; is there any that will answer thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2 For provocation slayeth the perverse, And envy putteth to death the simple,
For vexation killeth the foolish man, and jealousy slayeth the silly one.
3 I — I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straightway,
I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 Far are his sons from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
5 Whose harvest the hungry doth eat, And even from the thorns taketh it, And the designing swallowed their wealth.
Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the snare gapeth for their substance.
6 For sorrow cometh not forth from the dust, Nor from the ground springeth up misery.
For affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.
But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8 Yet I — I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,
But as for me, I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9 Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.
Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous 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 waters upon the fields:
11 To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high [in] safety.
So that he setteth up on high those that be low; and those which mourn are exalted to safety.
12 Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13 Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,
He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14 By day they meet darkness, And as night — they grope at noon.
They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday as in the night.
15 And He saveth the wasted from their mouth, And from a strong hand the needy,
But he saveth from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16 And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.
So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17 Lo, the happiness of mortal man, God doth reprove him: And the chastisement of the Mighty despise not,
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For He doth pain, and He bindeth up, He smiteth, and His hands heal.
For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 In six distresses He delivereth thee, And in seven evil striketh not on thee.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles; yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine He hath redeemed thee from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.
In famine he shall redeem thee from death; and in war from the power of the sword.
21 When the tongue scourgeth thou art hid, And thou art not afraid of destruction, When it cometh.
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and at hunger thou mockest, And of the beast of the earth, Thou art not afraid.
At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 (For with sons of the field [is] thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)
For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou hast known that thy tent [is] peace, And inspected thy habitation, and errest not,
And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.
25 And hast known that numerous [is] Thy seed, And thine offspring as the herb of the earth;
Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 Thou comest in full age unto the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.
Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in its season.
27 Lo, this — we searched it out — it [is] right, hearken; And thou, know for thyself!
Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

< Job 5 >