Job, 5

¹ “Call, please! Is there anyone answering you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

² For resentment will kill the foolish one, And envy will put the simpleminded to death.

³ I have seen the foolish one taking root, But suddenly his dwelling place is cursed.

⁴ His sons are far from safety, And they are crushed at the city gate, with no one to save them.

⁵ The hungry one eats what he harvests, Taking it even from among the thorns, And their possessions are ensnared.

⁶ For harmful things do not sprout from the dust, And trouble does not spring from the ground.

⁷ For man is born for trouble, As surely as sparks fly upward.

⁸ But I would appeal to God, And to God I would submit my case,

⁹ To the One doing great and unsearchable things, Wonderful things without number.

¹⁰ He gives rain to the earth And sends waters upon the fields.

¹¹ He raises the lowly up high, And he raises up the dejected one to salvation.

¹² He frustrates the schemes of the crafty, So that the work of their hands does not succeed.

¹³ He catches the wise in their own cunning, So that the plans of the shrewd are thwarted.

¹⁴ They meet with darkness during the day, And they grope about at midday as if it were night.

¹⁵ He saves from the sword of their mouth, Saving the poor from the hand of the strong,

¹⁶ So that there is hope for the lowly, But the mouth of unrighteousness is shut.

¹⁷ Look! Happy is the man whom God reproves; So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty!

¹⁸ For he causes pain, but binds up the wound; He breaks apart, but heals with his own hands.

¹⁹ He will save you from six calamities, Even the seventh will not harm you.

²⁰ During famine he will redeem you from death, And from the power of a sword during war.

²¹ You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, And you will not fear devastation when it comes.

²² You will laugh at destruction and hunger, And you will not fear the wild beasts of the earth.

²³ For the stones of the field will not harm you,^*1 And the wild beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

²⁴ You will know that your tent is secure,^*1 And nothing will be missing when you inspect your pasture.

²⁵ You will enjoy many children, And your descendants will be as plentiful as the vegetation of the earth.

²⁶ You will still be strong when you go to the grave, Like sheaves of grain gathered in their season.

²⁷ Look! We have investigated this, and it is so. Listen and accept it.”