Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

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

15 But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

16 So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

23 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 thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.

25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.

26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.

27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

1, 2 Eliphaz showeth the difference between the children of God and the wicked. 3 The fall of the wicked. 9 God’s power who destroyeth the wicked, and delivereth his.

Call now, if any will [a]answer thee, and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn?

Doubtless [b]anger killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the idiot.

I have seen the [c]foolish well rooted, and suddenly I [d]cursed his habitation, saying,

His [e]children shall be far from salvation, and they shall be destroyed in the [f]gate, and none shall deliver them.

The hungry shall eat up his harvest: yea, they shall take it from among the [g]thorns, and the thirsty shall drink up their substance.

For misery cometh not forth of the dust, [h]neither doeth affliction spring out of the earth.

But man is born unto [i]travail, as the sparks fly upward.

But I would inquire at [j]God, and turn my talk unto God:

Which [k]doeth great things, and unsearchable, and marvelous things without number.

10 He [l]giveth rain upon the earth, and poureth water upon the streets,

11 And setteth up on high them that be low, that the sorrowful may be exalted to salvation.

12 He scattereth the devices of the crafty: so that their hands cannot accomplish that which they do enterprise.

13 (A)He taketh the wise in their craftiness, and the counsel of the wicked is made foolish.

14 They meet with [m]darkness in the daytime, and [n]grope at noonday, as in the night.

15 But he saveth the [o]poor from the sword, from their [p]mouth, and from the hand of the violent man,

16 So that the poor hath his hope, but iniquity shall [q]stop her mouth.

17 Behold, blessed is the man whom God correcteth: therefore refuse not thou the chastising of the Almighty.

18 For he maketh the wound, and bindeth it up: he smiteth, and his hands make whole.

19 He shall deliver thee in [r]six troubles, and in the seventh the evil shall not touch thee.

20 In famine he shall deliver thee from death: and in battle from the power of the sword.

21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue, and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

22 But thou shalt [s]laugh at destruction and dearth, and shalt not be afraid of the beast of the earth.

23 For the stones of the field [t]shall be in league with thee, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.

24 And thou shalt know, that peace shall be in thy tabernacle, and thou shalt visit thine habitation, and shalt not [u]sin.

25 Thou shalt perceive also that thy seed shall be great, and thy posterity as the grass of the earth.

26 Thou shalt go to thy grave in [v]a full age, as a rick of corn cometh in due season into the barn.

27 Lo, [w]thus have we inquired of it, and so it is: hear this and know it for thyself.

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:1 He willeth Job to consider the example of all them that have lived or do live godly, whether any of them be like unto him in raging against God as he doth.
  2. Job 5:2 Murmuring against God in afflictions increaseth the pain, and uttered man’s folly.
  3. Job 5:3 That is, the sinner that hath not the fear of God.
  4. Job 5:3 I was not moved with his prosperity, but knew that God had cursed him and his.
  5. Job 5:4 Though God sometimes suffer the fathers to pass in this world, yet his judgments will light upon their wicked children.
  6. Job 5:4 By public judgment they shall be condemned, and none shall pity them.
  7. Job 5:5 Though there be but two or three ears left in the hedges, yet these shall be taken from him.
  8. Job 5:6 That is, the earth is not the cause of barrenness and man’s misery, but his own sin.
  9. Job 5:7 Which declareth that sin is ever in our corrupt nature: for before sin it was not subject to pain and affliction.
  10. Job 5:8 If I suffered as thou doest, I would seek unto God.
  11. Job 5:9 He counselleth Job to humble himself unto God to whom all creatures are subject and whose works declare that man is inexcusable except he glorify God in all his works.
  12. Job 5:10 He showeth by particular examples, what the works of God are.
  13. Job 5:14 In things plain and evident they show themselves fools instead of wise men.
  14. Job 5:14 This declareth that God punisheth the worldly wise, as he threatened, Deut. 28:29.
  15. Job 5:15 That is, he that humbleth himself before God.
  16. Job 5:15 He compareth the slander of the wicked to sharp swords.
  17. Job 5:16 If the wicked be compelled at God’s works to stop their mouths, much more they that profess God.
  18. Job 5:19 He will send trouble after trouble that his children may not for one time, but continually trust in him: but they shall have a comfortable issue, even in the greatest and the last, which is here called the seventh.
  19. Job 5:22 Whereas the wicked lament in their troubles, thou shalt have occasion to rejoice.
  20. Job 5:23 When we are in God’s favor, all creatures shall serve us.
  21. Job 5:24 God shall so bless thee, that thou shalt have occasion to rejoice in all things, and not to be offended.
  22. Job 5:26 Though the children of God have not always this promise performed, yet God doth recompense it otherwise to their advantage.
  23. Job 5:27 We have learned these points by experience, that God punisheth not the innocent, that man cannot compare in justice with him, that the hypocrites shall not long prosper, and that the affliction which man sustaineth, cometh for his own sin.