Job 5

1 Call, I pray thee—is there one to answer thee? Or, to which of the holy ones, wilt thou turn?

“Call now; is there any who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 For, to the foolish man, death is caused by vexation, and, the simple one, is slain by jealousy.

For resentment kills the foolish man, 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 the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

4 His children are far removed from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is none to deliver:

His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,

5 Whose harvest, the hungry, eateth up, and, even out of thorn hedges, he taketh it, and the snare gapeth for their substance.

whose harvest the hungry eat up, and take it even out of the thorns. The snare gapes for their substance.

6 For sorrow, cometh not forth out of the dust, —nor, out of the ground, sprouteth trouble.

For affliction does not come out of the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;

7 Though, man, to trouble, were born, as, sparks, on high, do soar,

but man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

8 Yet indeed, I, would seek unto El, and, unto Elohim, would I set forth any cause: —

“But as for me, I would seek God. I would commit my cause to God,

9 Who doeth great things, beyond all search, —Wondrous things, till they cannot be recounted;

who does great things that cannot be fathomed, marvelous things without number;

10 Who giveth rain, upon the face of the earth, and sendeth forth waters, over the face of the open fields;

who gives rain on the earth, and sends waters on the fields;

11 Setting the lowly on high, and, mourners, are uplifted to safety;

so that he sets up on high those who are low, those who mourn are exalted to safety.

12 Who doth frustrate the schemes of the crafty, that their hands cannot achieve abiding success;

He frustrates the plans of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13 Who captureth the wise in their own craftiness, yea the headlong counsel of the crooked:

He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

14 By day, they encounter darkness, and, as though it were night, they grope at high noon.

They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noonday as in the night.

15 But he saveth from the sword, out of their mouth, and, out of the hand of the strong, the needy.

But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty.

16 Thus to the poor hath come hope, and, perversity, hath shut her mouth.

So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.

17 Lo! how happy is the man whom God correcteth! Therefore, the chastening of the Almighty, do not thou refuse;

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

18 For, he, woundeth that he may bind up, He smiteth through, that, his own hands, may heal.

For he wounds and binds up. He injures and his hands make whole.

19 In six troubles, he will rescue thee, and, in seven, there shall smite thee no misfortune:

He will deliver you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil will touch you.

20 In famine, he will ransom thee from death, and in battle from the power of the sword;

In famine he will redeem you from death; in war, 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 hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither will you be afraid of destruction when it comes.

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 destruction and famine, neither will you be afraid of the animals of the earth.

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 allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field 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 know that your tent is in peace. You will visit your fold, and will miss nothing.

25 And thou shalt know, that numerous is thy seed, and, thine offspring, like the young shoots of the field.

You will know also that your offspring will be great, your offspring as 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 come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season.

27 Lo! as for this, we have searched it out—so, it is, Hear it, and know, thou, for thyself.

Behold, we have researched it. It is so. Hear it, and know it for your good.”