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Call out, Job. See if anyone answers.

    Is there any angel to whom you can turn?
To worry yourself to death with resentment
    would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.
I have seen fools who looked secure,
    but I called down a sudden curse on their homes.
Their children can never find safety;
    no one stands up to defend them in court.
Hungry people will eat the fool's crops—
    even the grain growing among thorns[a]
    and thirsty people will envy his wealth.
Evil does not grow in the soil,
    nor does trouble grow out of the ground.
No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves,
    as surely as sparks fly up from a fire.[b]

If I were you, I would turn to God
    and present my case to him.
(A)We cannot understand the great things he does,
    and to his miracles there is no end.
10 He sends rain on the land
    and he waters the fields.
11 Yes, it is God who raises the humble
    and gives joy to all who mourn.
12-13 (B)He upsets the plans of cunning people,
    and traps the wise in their own schemes,
    so that nothing they do succeeds;
14     even at noon they grope in darkness.
15 But God saves the poor[c] from death;
    he saves the needy from oppression.
16 He gives hope to the poor and silences the wicked.

17 (C)Happy is the person whom God corrects!
    Do not resent it when he rebukes you.
18 (D)God bandages the wounds he makes;
    his hand hurts you, and his hand heals.
19 Time after time he will save you from harm;
20     when famine comes, he will keep you alive,
    and in war protect you from death.
21 God will rescue you from slander;
    he will save you when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at violence and hunger
    and not be afraid of wild animals.
23 The fields you plow will be free of rocks;
    wild animals will never attack you.
24 Then you will live at peace in your tent;
    when you look at your sheep, you will find them safe.
25 You will have as many children
    as there are blades of grass in a pasture.
26 Like wheat that ripens till harvest time,
    you will live to a ripe old age.
27 Job, we have learned this by long study.
    It is true, so now accept it.

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:5 Probable text even … thorns; Hebrew unclear.
  2. Job 5:7 sparks fly up from a fire; or birds fly up to the sky.
  3. Job 5:15 Probable text poor; Hebrew unclear.

“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