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, see if any will answer thee! And to which of the holy ones wilt thou look?

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

Verily grief destroyeth the fool, And wrath consumeth the weak man.

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

I have seen an impious man taking root, But soon 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 oppressed at the gate, and there is none 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.

His harvest the hungry devour, Carrying it even through the thorns; And a snare gapeth after his substance.

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

For affliction cometh not from the dust, Nor doth trouble spring up from the ground;

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

Behold, 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: —

I would look to God, And to God would I commit my cause,

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

Who doeth great things and unsearchable; Yea, 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 upon the earth, And sendeth water upon the fields;

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

Who placeth the lowly in high places, And restoreth the afflicted to prosperity;

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

Who disappointeth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprises;

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

Who taketh the wise in their own craftiness, And bringeth to nought the counsel of the artful.

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

They meet with darkness in the daytime; They grope at noon as if it were night.

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

So he saveth the persecuted from their mouth; The oppressed from the hand of the mighty.

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

So the poor hath hope, And iniquity 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 thou 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 bruiseth, 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:

In six troubles will he deliver thee; Yea, in seven 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 safe from the scourge of the tongue, And 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 wild beasts of the land shalt thou 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; Yea, the beasts of the forest 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;

Thou shalt find that thy tent is in peace; Thou shalt visit thy dwelling, and not be disappointed.

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

Thou shalt see thy descendants numerous, And thine 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.

Thou shalt come to thy grave in full age, As a shock of corn gathered in its season.

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

Lo! this we have searched out; so it is: Hear it, and lay it up in thy mind!