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Chapter 5

Call now! Will anyone respond to you?
    To which of the holy ones[a] will you turn?
Surely impatience kills the fool
    and indignation slays the simpleton.
I have seen a fool spreading his roots,(A)
    but I cursed his household suddenly:
May his children be far from safety;
    may they be crushed at the gate[b] without a rescuer.
What they have reaped may the hungry eat up,
    or God take away by blight,
    or the thirsty swallow their substance.
For not from dust does mischief come,
    nor from the soil does trouble sprout.
Human beings beget mischief
    as sparks[c] fly upward.
In your place, I would appeal to God,
    and to God I would state my plea.
[d]He does things great and unsearchable,
    things marvelous and innumerable.
10 He gives rain upon the earth
    and sends water upon the fields;
11 (B)He sets up the lowly on high,
    and those who mourn are raised to safety.
12 He frustrates the plans of the cunning,
    so that their hands achieve no success;
13 He catches the wise in their own ruses,(C)
    and the designs of the crafty are routed.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
    at noonday they grope as though it were night.
15 But he saves the poor from the sword of their mouth,[e]
    from the hand of the mighty.
16 Thus the needy have hope,
    and iniquity closes its mouth.
17 Happy the one whom God reproves!
    The Almighty’s[f] discipline do not reject.
18 For he wounds, but he binds up;(D)
    he strikes, but his hands give healing.
19 Out of six troubles he will deliver you,
    and at the seventh[g] no evil shall touch you.
20 In famine he will deliver you from death,
    and in war from the power of the sword;
21 From the scourge of the tongue you shall be hidden,
    and you shall not fear approaching ruin.
22 At ruin and want you shall laugh;
    the beasts of the earth, do not fear.
23 With the stones of the field shall your covenant be,
    and the wild beasts shall be at peace with you.
24 And you shall know that your tent is secure;
    taking stock of your household, you shall miss nothing.
25 You shall know that your descendants are many,
    and your offspring like the grass of the earth.
26 You shall approach the grave in full vigor,
    as a shock of grain comes in at its season.
27 See, this we have searched out; so it is!
    This we have heard, and you should know.

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Holy ones: members of the heavenly court; cf. 1:6 and note. They were viewed as heavenly intercessors.
  2. 5:4 At the gate: of the city, where justice was administered.
  3. 5:7 Sparks: in Hebrew, “sons of resheph,” which the ancient versions took as the name of a bird. Resheph was an underworld deity of plague, but the word also means “flames” in Sg 8:6.
  4. 5:9 Perhaps to be omitted here; it is a duplicate of 9:10.
  5. 5:15 From the sword of their mouth: the Hebrew is obscure.
  6. 5:17 Almighty: standard translation of Heb. Shaddai.
  7. 5:19 Six…the seventh: proverbial expression for any large number; cf. Prv 24:16; Lk 17:4.

“Call if you will, but who will answer you?(A)
    To which of the holy ones(B) will you turn?
Resentment(C) kills a fool,
    and envy slays the simple.(D)
I myself have seen(E) a fool taking root,(F)
    but suddenly(G) his house was cursed.(H)
His children(I) are far from safety,(J)
    crushed in court(K) without a defender.(L)
The hungry consume his harvest,(M)
    taking it even from among thorns,
    and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
For hardship does not spring from the soil,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground.(N)
Yet man is born to trouble(O)
    as surely as sparks fly upward.

“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.(P)
He performs wonders(Q) that cannot be fathomed,(R)
    miracles that cannot be counted.(S)
10 He provides rain for the earth;(T)
    he sends water on the countryside.(U)
11 The lowly he sets on high,(V)
    and those who mourn(W) are lifted(X) to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans(Y) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.(Z)
13 He catches the wise(AA) in their craftiness,(AB)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.(AC)
14 Darkness(AD) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.(AE)
15 He saves the needy(AF) from the sword in their mouth;
    he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.(AG)
16 So the poor(AH) have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.(AI)

17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects;(AJ)
    so do not despise the discipline(AK) of the Almighty.[a](AL)
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;(AM)
    he injures, but his hands also heal.(AN)
19 From six calamities he will rescue(AO) you;
    in seven no harm will touch you.(AP)
20 In famine(AQ) he will deliver you from death,
    and in battle from the stroke of the sword.(AR)
21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,(AS)
    and need not fear(AT) when destruction comes.(AU)
22 You will laugh(AV) at destruction and famine,(AW)
    and need not fear the wild animals.(AX)
23 For you will have a covenant(AY) with the stones(AZ) of the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(BA)
24 You will know that your tent is secure;(BB)
    you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.(BC)
25 You will know that your children will be many,(BD)
    and your descendants like the grass of the earth.(BE)
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,(BF)
    like sheaves gathered in season.(BG)

27 “We have examined this, and it is true.
    So hear it(BH) and apply it to yourself.”(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:17 Hebrew Shaddai; here and throughout Job