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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.

“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

Eliphaz Continues: Seek God’s Help, Job

“Cry out!
Is there anyone to answer you?
To which of the holy ones will you turn?
Certainly, anger kills a stubborn fool,
and jealousy murders a gullible person.
I have seen a stubborn fool take root,
but I quickly cursed his house.
His children are far from help.
They are crushed at the city gate,
and no one is there to rescue them.
What a stubborn fool gathers, hungry people eat.
They take it even from among the thorns,
and thirsty people pant after his wealth.
Certainly, sorrow doesn’t come from the soil,
and trouble doesn’t sprout from the ground.
But a person is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly up ⌞from a fire⌟.

“But I would seek God’s help
and present my case to him.
He does great things that ⌞we⌟ cannot understand
and miracles that ⌞we⌟ cannot count.
10 He gives rain to the earth
and sends water to the fields.
11 He places lowly people up high.
He lifts those who mourn to safety.
12 He keeps shrewd people from carrying out their plans
so that they cannot do anything successfully.
13 He catches the wise with their own tricks.
The plans of schemers prove to be hasty.
14 In the daytime they meet darkness
and grope in the sunlight as if it were night.

15 “But he saves ⌞other people⌟ from their slander
and the needy from the power of the mighty.
16 Then the poor have hope
while wrongdoing shuts its mouth.

Blessing Comes When God Corrects You

17 “Blessed is the person whom God corrects.
That person should not despise discipline from the Almighty.
18 God injures, but he bandages.
He beats you up, but his hands make you well.
19 He will keep you safe from six troubles,
and when the seventh one comes, no harm will touch you:

20 “In famine he will save you from death,
and in war he will save you from the sword.

21 “When the tongue lashes out, you will be safe,
and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

22 “You will be able to laugh at destruction and starvation,
so do not be afraid of wild animals on the earth.

23 “You will have a binding agreement with the stones in the field,
and wild animals will be at peace with you.

24 “You will know peace in your tent.
You will inspect your house and find nothing missing.

25 “You will find that your children are many
and your descendants are like the grass of the earth.

26 “You will come to your grave at a ripe old age
like a stack of hay in the right season.

27 “We have studied all of this thoroughly! This is the way it is.
Listen to it, and learn it for yourself.”

Call out! 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 humans are born for trouble(D)
as surely as sparks fly upwards.

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 is the person whom God corrects;
so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18 For he wounds but he also bandages;
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 land’s wild creatures.
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 vigour,(T)
as a pile 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. 5:5 Hb obscure
  2. 5:5 Aq, Sym, Syr, Vg; MT reads snares
  3. 5:12 Lit their hands
  4. 5:15 Lit from the sword of their mouth; Ps 55:21; 59:7
  5. 5:21 Lit be hidden from the whip of the tongue