Job 5 New American Standard Bible

God Is Just

5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the ^(A)holy ones will you turn?
²For ^(B)irritation kills the fool,
And jealousy brings death to the simple.
³I have seen the ^(C)fool taking root,
And I ^(D)cursed his home immediately.
⁴His ^(E)sons are far from safety,
They are also ^[a]oppressed at the gate,
And there is no one to save them.
⁵^[b]The hungry devour his harvest
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the ^[c]^(F)schemer is eager for their wealth.
⁶For ^(G)disaster does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
⁷For ^(H)man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.

⁸“But as for me, I would ^(I)seek God,
And I would make my plea before God,
⁹Who ^(J)does great and unsearchable things,
^[d]Wonders without number.
¹⁰He ^(K)gives rain on the earth,
And sends water on the fields,
¹¹So that ^(L)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹²He ^(M)frustrates the schemes of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
¹³He ^(N)captures the wise by their own cleverness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
¹⁴By day they ^(O)meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
¹⁵But He saves from ^(P)the sword of their mouth,
And ^(Q)the poor from the hand of the strong.
¹⁶So the helpless has hope,
And ^(R)injustice has shut its mouth.

¹⁷“Behold, ^(S)happy is the person whom God disciplines,
So do not reject the ^(T)discipline of ^[e]the Almighty.
¹⁸For ^(U)He inflicts pain, and ^[f]gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.
¹⁹In six troubles ^(V)He will save you;
Even in seven, ^(W)evil will not touch you.
²⁰In ^(X)famine He will redeem you from death,
And ^(Y)in war, from the power of the sword.
²¹You will be ^(Z)hidden ^[g]from the scourge of the tongue,
^(AA)And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
²²You will ^(AB)laugh at violence and hunger,
^(AC)And you will not be afraid of ^[h]wild animals.
²³For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And ^(AD)the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
²⁴You will know that your ^(AE)tent is secure,
For you will visit your home and ^[i]have nothing missing.
²⁵You will also know that your ^[j]^(AF)descendants will be many,
And ^(AG)your offspring as the grass of the earth.
²⁶You will ^(AH)come to the grave at a ripe age,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
²⁷Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”