Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you?
Which of the holy ones(A) will you turn to?
For anger kills a fool,
and jealousy slays the gullible.(B)
I have seen a fool taking root,
but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home.
His children are far from safety.
They are crushed at the city gate,(C)
with no one to rescue them.
The hungry consume his harvest,
even taking it out of the thorns.[a]
The thirsty[b] pant for his children’s wealth.
For distress does not grow out of the soil,
and trouble does not sprout from the ground.
But mankind is born for trouble(D)
as surely as sparks fly upward.

However, if I were you, I would appeal to God
and would present my case to Him.(E)
He does great(F) and unsearchable things,
wonders without number.(G)
10 He gives rain to the earth
and sends water to the fields.(H)
11 He sets the lowly on high,
and mourners are lifted to safety.(I)
12 He frustrates the schemes of the crafty
so that they[c] achieve no success.
13 He traps the wise in their craftiness
so that the plans of the deceptive
are quickly brought to an end.(J)
14 They encounter darkness by day,
and they grope at noon
as if it were night.(K)
15 He saves the needy from their sharp words[d](L)
and from the clutches of the powerful.
16 So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.(M)
17 See how happy the man is God corrects;
so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18 For He crushes but also binds up;
He strikes, but His hands also heal.(N)
19 He will rescue you from six calamities;
no harm will touch you in seven.
20 In famine He will redeem you from death,
and in battle, from the power of the sword.(O)
21 You will be safe from slander[e]
and not fear destruction when it comes.(P)
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger
and not fear the animals of the earth.
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(Q)
24 You will know that your tent is secure,(R)
and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home.
25 You will also know that your offspring will be many
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
26 You will approach the grave(S) in full vigor,(T)
as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season.

27 We have investigated this, and it is true!
Hear it and understand it for yourself.

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:5 Hb obscure
  2. Job 5:5 Aq, Sym, Syr, Vg; MT reads snares
  3. Job 5:12 Lit their hands
  4. Job 5:15 Lit from the sword of their mouth; Ps 55:21; 59:7
  5. Job 5:21 Lit be hidden from the whip of the tongue

“Call if you want to, Job, ·but no one [L is there anyone who…?] will answer you.
    ·You can’t [L Can you…?] turn to any of the holy ones [C angels].
·Anger [Irritation] kills the fool,
    and jealousy slays the ·stupid [or naïve; simpleminded; C these emotions can lead to death; Prov. 14:30; 27:4].
I have seen a fool ·succeed [L taking root],
    but I cursed his ·home [household; pasturage] ·immediately [suddenly].
His children are far from safety
    and are crushed in court with no ·defense [or rescuer].
The hungry eat his harvest,
    even taking what grew among the thorns,
    and thirsty people ·want [L pant after] his wealth.
·Hard times do [Misery does] not come up from the ·ground [dust],
    and trouble does not ·grow [sprout] from the earth [C they come from anger and jealousy].
People ·produce [L are born for] trouble
    as surely as sparks fly upward.

“But if I were you, I would ·call on [L seek] God
    and ·bring my problem [L commit my thoughts/cause] before him [C argues that Job needs to repent].
God does wonders that cannot be understood;
    he does so many ·miracles [marvelous acts] they cannot be counted.
10 He gives rain to the earth
    and sends water on the fields.
11 He makes the ·humble [lowly] person important [Ps. 113]
    and lifts ·the sad [mourners] to places of safety.
12 He ruins the ·plans [pretensions; strategies] of those who ·trick others [are crafty]
    so ·they [L their hands] have no success.
13 He catches the ·wise [crafty; clever] in their own ·clever traps [craftiness]
    and ·sweeps away [ends; finishes off] the ·plans [advice; schemes] of those who ·try to trick others [are wily].
14 Darkness ·covers them up [or encounters them] in the daytime;
    even at noon they ·feel [grope] around in the dark.
15 God saves the needy from their lies
    and from the harm done by powerful people.
16 So the poor have hope,
    while those who are ·unfair [unjust] ·are silenced [L shut their mouth].

17 “The one whom God ·corrects [reproves] is ·happy [blessed],
    so do not ·hate being corrected by [L reject/despise the instruction of] the Almighty [Prov. 3:11–12].
18 God ·hurts [wounds], but he also bandages up;
    he ·injures [strikes], but his hands also heal.
19 He will ·save [rescue] you from six ·troubles [dangers];
    even seven ·troubles [or evils] will not ·harm [L touch] you [C “six…seven” is a poetic way of saying “all troubles”].
20 God will ·buy you back [redeem/ransom you] from death in times of ·hunger [famine],
    and in ·battle [war] he will save you from the sword.
21 You will be ·protected [hidden] from the ·tongue that strikes like a whip [lash of the tongue],
    and you will not be afraid when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger [Ps. 112:7],
    and you will not fear the wild animals,
23 because you will have an ·agreement [treaty; alliance; covenant] with the stones in the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you [C describes a peaceful relationship with all nature].
24 You will know that your tent is safe,
    because you will ·check [visit] ·the things you own [your pasturage/home] and find nothing missing.
25 You will know that you will have many ·children [descendants],
    and your ·descendants [offspring] will be like the grass on the earth.
26 You will come to the grave ·with all your strength [or at a ripe old age],
    like bundles of grain gathered at the right time.

27 “We have ·checked [examined] this, and it is true,
so hear it and ·decide what it means to you [know it 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