Job 5
Living Bible
5 “They cry for help but no one listens; they turn to their gods, but none gives them aid. 2 They die in helpless frustration, overcome by their own anger. 3 Those who turn from God may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster. 4 Their children are cheated, with no one to defend them. 5 Their harvests are stolen, and their wealth slakes the thirst of many others, not themselves! 6 Misery comes upon them to punish them for sowing seeds of sin. 7 Mankind heads for sin and misery as predictably as flames shoot upwards from a fire.
8 “My advice to you is this: Go to God and confess your sins to him.[a] 9 For he does wonderful miracles, marvels without number. 10 He sends the rain upon the earth to water the fields, 11 and gives prosperity to the poor and humble, and takes sufferers to safety.
12 “He frustrates the plans of crafty men. 13 They are caught in their own traps; he thwarts their schemes. 14 They grope like blind men in the daylight; they see no better in the daytime than at night.
15 “God saves the fatherless and the poor from the grasp of these oppressors. 16 And so at last the poor have hope, and the fangs of the wicked are broken.
17 “How enviable the man whom God corrects! Oh, do not despise the chastening of the Lord when you sin. 18 For though he wounds, he binds and heals again. 19 He will deliver you again and again so that no evil can touch you.
20 “He will keep you from death in famine and from the power of the sword in time of war.
21 “You will be safe from slander; no need to fear the future.
22 “You shall laugh at war and famine; wild animals will leave you alone. 23 Dangerous animals will be at peace with you.
24 “You need not worry about your home while you are gone; nothing shall be stolen from your barns.
25 “Your sons shall become important men; your descendants shall be as numerous as grass! 26 You shall live a long, good life; like standing grain, you’ll not be harvested until it’s time! 27 I have found from experience that all of this is true. For your own good, listen to my counsel.”
Footnotes
- Job 5:8 Go to God and confess your sins to him, literally, “I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause.”
Job 5
American Standard Version
5 Call now; is there any that will answer thee?
And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2 For vexation killeth the foolish man,
And [a]jealousy slayeth the silly one.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root:
But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are far from safety,
And they are crushed in the gate,
Neither is there any to deliver them:
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,
And taketh it even out of the thorns;
And [b]the snare gapeth for their substance.
6 For [c]affliction cometh not forth from the dust,
Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 But man is born unto trouble,
As [d]the sparks fly upward.
8 But as for me, I would seek unto God,
And unto God would I commit my cause;
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable,
Marvellous things without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth,
And sendeth waters upon the fields;
11 So that he setteth up on high those that are low,
And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
12 He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands [e]cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;
And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day-time,
And grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he saveth from the sword [f]of their mouth,
Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor hath hope,
And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God [g]correcteth:
Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up;
He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 He will deliver thee in six troubles;
Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death;
And in war from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue;
Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh;
Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field;
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace;
And thou shalt visit thy [h]fold, and [i]shalt miss nothing.
25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great,
And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season.
27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;
Hear it, and know thou it [j]for thy good.
Footnotes
- Job 5:2 Or, indignation
- Job 5:5 According to Vulgate, the thirsty swallow up.
- Job 5:6 Or, iniquity. See 4:8.
- Job 5:7 Hebrew the sons of flame (or of lightning).
- Job 5:12 Or, can perform nothing of worth
- Job 5:15 Hebrew out of their mouth.
- Job 5:17 Or, reproveth
- Job 5:24 Or, habitation
- Job 5:24 Or, shalt not err
- Job 5:27 Hebrew for thyself.
Job 5
Easy-to-Read Version
5 “Job, call out if you want, and see if anyone answers!
But to which of the angels will you turn?
2 A fool’s anger will kill him.
His jealousy will destroy him.
3 I saw a fool who thought he was safe,
but suddenly he died.[a]
4 There was no one to help his children.
No one defended them in court.
5 Hungry people ate all his crops,
even the grain growing among the thorns,
and greedy people took all he had.
6 Bad times don’t come up from the dirt.
Trouble does not grow from the ground.
7 But people are born to have trouble,
as surely as sparks rise from a fire.
8 If I were you, I would turn to God
and tell him about my problems.
9 People cannot understand the wonderful things God does.
His miracles are too many to count.
10 He sends rain all over the earth
and waters the fields.
11 He raises up the humble
and makes sad people happy.
12 He spoils the plans of even the smartest people
so that they will not succeed.
13 He catches those who think they are wise in their own clever traps
and brings to an end their evil plans.
14 Daylight will be like darkness for them.
Even at noon they will have to feel their way as in the dark.
15 God saves the poor from the hurtful words of the wicked.
He saves them from those who are powerful.
16 So the poor have hope;
God shuts the mouths of those who would cause them harm.
17 “You are fortunate when God corrects you.
So don’t complain when God All-Powerful punishes you.
18 God might injure you, but he will bandage those wounds.
He might hurt you, but his hands also heal.
19 He will save you again and again.
No evil will harm you.[b]
20 God will save you from death
when there is famine.
He will protect you from the sword
when there is war.
21 People might say bad things about you with their sharp tongues.
But God will protect you.
You will not be afraid when bad things happen!
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine.
You will not be afraid of wild animals!
23 It is as if you have a peace treaty
with the wild animals and the rocks in the field.
24 You will live in peace because your tent is safe.
You will count your property and find nothing missing.
25 You will have many children.
They will be as many as the blades of grass on the earth.
26 You will be like the wheat that grows until harvest time.
Yes, you will live to a ripe old age.
27 “We have studied this and know it is true.
So listen to us, and learn for yourself.”
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