Job 5

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

Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

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

For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple.

3 I, have seen the foolish taking root, and then hath his home decayed, in a moment:

I myself saw 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, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer:

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 eateth up, and taketh even out of the thorns; and the snare gapeth for his substance.

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

For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

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

For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards.

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

But as for me I will seek unto God, and unto God commit my cause;

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

Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous 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 giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields;

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

Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity.

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

He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.

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

He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily 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 daytime, and grope at midday 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.

And he saveth the needy from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

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

So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth 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 correcteth; therefore despise not 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 maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, 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 thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

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

In famine he will redeem thee from death, and 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;

Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

22 At destruction and at hunger, shalt thou laugh, and, of the wild beast of the earth, be not thou afraid;

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid.

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 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 shalt know that, at peace, is thy tent, and shalt visit thy fold, and miss nothing;

And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing.

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

And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thine offspring as the herb of the earth.

26 Thou shalt come, yet robust, to the grave, as a stack of sheaves mounteth up in its season.

Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season.

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

Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thyself.