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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”

Life’s problems

Call out. Will anyone answer you?
    To which holy one will you turn?
Surely anger can kill the foolish;
    fury can kill the simple.
I’ve seen the foolish take root
    and promptly curse their house.
Their children are far[a] from safety,
    crushed in the gate without a deliverer.
The hungry devour[b] their crops;
    it’s taken even from the thorns,[c]
    and the thirsty pant after their yield.
Surely trouble doesn’t come from dust,
    nor does distress sprout from the ground.
Surely humans are born to distress,
    just as sparks rise up.

The answer is God

But I would seek God,
        put my case to God,
    who does great things beyond comprehension,
    wonderful things without number;
10     who provides rain over the earth’s surface,
    sends water to the open country,
11     exalts the lowly,
        raises mourners to victory;
12     who frustrates the schemes of the clever
        so that their hands achieve no success,
13     trapping the wise in their cleverness
            so that the plans of the devious don’t succeed.
14 They encounter darkness during the day,
    and at noon they fumble about as at night.
15 Yet he rescues the orphan[d] from the sword of their mouth,
    the needy from the grip of the strong;
16         so the poor have hope
        and violence shuts its mouth.

Divine favor

17 Look, happy is the person whom God corrects;
    so don’t reject the Almighty’s instruction.
18 He injures, but he binds up;
    he strikes, but his hands heal.
19 From six adversities he will deliver you;
    from seven harm won’t touch you.
20 In famine he will ransom you from death;
    in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the tongue’s sting,
    and you won’t fear destruction when it comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger;
    you won’t be afraid of wild beasts;
23         for you will make an agreement with the stones of the field;
        and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure.
    You will examine your home and miss nothing.
25 You will know that you’ll have many children.
    Your offspring will be like the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to your grave in old age
    as bundles of grain stacked up at harvesttime.
27 Look, we’ve searched this out, and so it is;
    listen and find out for yourself.

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:4 Or May their children be far from safety.
  2. Job 5:5 or May the hungry devour their crops.
  3. Job 5:5 Heb uncertain
  4. Job 5:15 Heb lacks orphan.