「你只管呼救吧,
誰會回應你呢?
你向哪位聖者求助呢?
憤恨害死愚昧人,
嫉妒殺死無知者。
我見愚昧人扎了根,
突然咒詛臨到他家。
他的兒女毫無安寧,
在城門口受欺壓也無人搭救。
饑餓的人吞掉他的莊稼,
連荊棘裡的也不放過;
乾渴的人吞盡他的財富。
苦難並非從土裡長出,
患難並非從地裡生出。
人生來必遇患難,
正如火花必向上飛。

「若是我,
就向上帝求助,
向祂陳明苦衷。
祂行的奇事不可測度,
祂行的神蹟不可勝數。
10 祂降下雨水澆灌大地,
賜下甘霖滋潤田園。
11 祂提拔卑微的人,
庇護哀痛的人。
12 祂挫敗狡猾人的陰謀,
使他們無法得逞。
13 祂使智者中了自己的詭計,
使奸徒的計謀迅速落空。
14 他們白天遇到黑暗,
午間摸索如在夜晚。
15 上帝拯救窮苦人脫離惡人的中傷,
脫離殘暴之徒的轄制,
16 好使貧寒之人有盼望,
使不義之徒啞口無言。

17 「被上帝責備的人有福了,
不可輕視全能者的管教。
18 因為祂打傷,祂也包紮;
祂擊傷,祂也醫治。
19 六次遭難,祂都救你;
第七次,災禍也傷不到你。
20 饑荒時,祂必救你脫離死亡;
戰爭中,祂必救你脫離刀劍。
21 你必免受惡毒的譭謗,
災難來臨也不懼怕。
22 你必笑對災殃和饑荒,
毫不懼怕地上的野獸。
23 你必與田間的石頭立約,
野獸必與你和平相處。
24 你的家必安然無恙,
察看羊圈,一隻不少。
25 你必看見子孫昌盛,
後代如遍地的青草。
26 你必壽終正寢才歸墳墓,
如同莊稼熟後才被收割。
27 看啊,我們已經查驗了,
這一切真實可靠,
你當聆聽、接受。」

Eliphaz’s Response Continues

“Call now, is there anyone answering you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
For vexation will slay the fool,
and jealousy will kill the simple.
I have seen a fool taking root,
but[a] suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
His children are far from deliverance,
and they are crushed in the gate,
and there is no deliverer—
whose harvest the hungry eats,
and he takes it from behind[b] the thorns;
and the thirsty pants after their wealth.
Indeed,[c] mischief does not come from the dust,
and trouble does not sprout from the earth.
But a human being is born to trouble,
and they soar aloft[d] like sparks.[e]
“But I myself[f] will seek God,
and to God I would commit my cause.
He is doing great and unsearchable[g] things,
marvelous things without number[h]
10 the one who is giving rain on the surface of[i] the earth
and is sending water on the surface of[j] the fields,
11 to set the lowly on high,
and those mourning are lifted to safety.
12 He is frustrating the devices of the crafty,
and their hands do not achieve success.
13 He is capturing the wise in their craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are rushed.
14 In the daytime they meet with darkness,
and they grope at noon[k] as in the night.
15 And[l] he saves from the sword of[m] their mouth,
even[n] the poor from the hand of the strong.
16 So[o] there is hope[p] for the powerless,
and wickedness shuts its mouth.
17 “Look, happy is the human being whom God reproves;
and you must not despise the discipline of Shaddai,
18 for he himself[q] wounds, but[r] he binds up;
he strikes, but[s] his hands heal.
19 From[t] six troubles he will deliver you,
and in seven evil shall not touch you.
20 In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of[u] the sword.
21 From the scourge of the tongue you shall be hidden,
and you shall not be afraid of[v] destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine[w] you shall laugh,
and you shall not fear the wild animals of the earth.
23 For your covenant will be with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals[x] of the field will be at peace with you.
24 And you shall know that your tent is safe,
and you will inspect your fold, and you shall not be missing anything.
25 And you shall know that your offspring are many,
and your descendants like the vegetation of the earth.
26 You shall come in maturity to the grave,
as the raising up of a stack of sheaves in its season.
27 “Look, we have searched this out—it is true;
hear it and know it yourself.”[y]

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:3 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 5:5 Literally “to from”
  3. Job 5:6 Or “For”
  4. Job 5:7 Literally “they make high to fly”
  5. Job 5:7 Literally “children of flame”
  6. Job 5:8 Emphatic personal pronoun
  7. Job 5:9 Literally “there is no searching”
  8. Job 5:9 Literally “until there is no number”
  9. Job 5:10 Literally “faces of”
  10. Job 5:10 Literally “faces of”
  11. Job 5:14 Or “the noon”
  12. Job 5:15 Or “Thus,” or “So”
  13. Job 5:15 Literally “from”
  14. Job 5:15 Literally “and”; the entire verse could be translated “So he saves the poor from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the strong”
  15. Job 5:16 Or “And”
  16. Job 5:16 Or “hope exists”
  17. Job 5:18 Emphatic personal pronoun
  18. Job 5:18 Hebrew “and”
  19. Job 5:18 Hebrew “and”
  20. Job 5:19 Literally “In,” or “By”
  21. Job 5:20 Literally “hand of”
  22. Job 5:21 Hebrew “from”
  23. Job 5:22 Hebrew “at famine”
  24. Job 5:23 Collective singular
  25. Job 5:27 Literally “you for yourself”

“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