Job 5
New King James Version
Eliphaz: Job Is Chastened by God
5 “Call out now;
Is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 For wrath kills a foolish man,
And envy slays a simple one.
3 (A)I have seen the foolish taking root,
But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
4 His sons are (B)far from safety,
They are crushed in the gate,
And (C)there is no deliverer.
5 Because the hungry eat up his harvest,
[a]Taking it even from the thorns,
[b]And a snare snatches their [c]substance.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
7 Yet man is (D)born to [d]trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.
8 “But as for me, I would seek God,
And to God I would commit my cause—
9 Who does great things, and unsearchable,
Marvelous things without number.
10 (E)He gives rain on the earth,
And sends waters on the fields.
11 (F)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 (G)He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
13 He catches the (H)wise in their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
And grope at noontime as in the night.
15 But (I)He saves the needy from the sword,
From the mouth of the mighty,
And from their hand.
16 (J)So the poor have hope,
And injustice shuts her mouth.
17 “Behold,(K) happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
18 (L)For He bruises, but He binds up;
He wounds, but His hands make whole.
19 (M)He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven (N)no evil shall touch you.
20 (O)In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the [e]power of the sword.
21 (P)You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
22 You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And (Q)you shall not be afraid of the (R)beasts of the earth.
23 (S)For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your tent is in peace;
You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
25 You shall also know that (T)your descendants shall be many,
And your offspring (U)like the grass of the earth.
26 (V)You shall come to the grave at a full age,
As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
27 Behold, this we have (W)searched out;
It is true.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Job 5
New International Reader's Version
5 Eliphaz continued,
“Call out if you want to, Job.
But who will answer you?
Which one of the holy angels will you turn to?
2 Anger kills foolish people.
Jealousy destroys those who are childish.
3 I saw that foolish people were having success.
But suddenly harm came to their homes.
4 Their children aren’t safe at all.
They lose their case in court.
No one speaks up for them.
5 Hungry people eat up the crops of the foolish.
They even take the food that grows among thorns.
Thirsty people long for the wealth of the foolish.
6 Hard times don’t just grow out of the soil.
Trouble doesn’t jump out of the ground.
7 People are born to have trouble.
And that’s just as sure as sparks fly up.
8 “If I were you, I’d make my appeal to God.
I’d bring my case to be judged by him.
9 He does wonderful things that can’t be understood.
He does miracles that can’t even be counted.
10 He sends rain on the earth.
He sends water on the countryside.
11 He lifts up people who are lowly in spirit.
He lifts up those who are sad.
He keeps them safe.
12 He stops the evil plans of those who are clever.
The work of their hands doesn’t succeed.
13 Some people think they are so wise.
But God catches them in their own tricks.
He sweeps away the evil plans of sinful people.
14 Darkness covers them in the daytime.
At noon they feel their way around as if it were night.
15 God saves needy people from the cutting words of their enemies.
He saves them from their power.
16 So poor people have hope.
And God shuts the mouths of those who don’t treat others fairly.
17 “Blessed is the person God corrects.
So don’t hate the Mighty One’s training.
18 He wounds. But he also bandages up those he wounds.
He harms. But his hands also heal those he harms.
19 From six troubles he will save you.
Even if you are in trouble seven times, no harm will come to you.
20 When there isn’t enough food, God will keep you from dying.
When you go into battle, he won’t let a sword strike you down.
21 He will keep you safe from words that can hurt you.
You won’t need to be afraid
when everything is being destroyed.
22 You will laugh when things are being destroyed.
You will enjoy life even when there isn’t enough food.
You won’t be afraid of wild animals.
23 You will make a covenant with the stones in the fields.
They won’t keep your crops from growing.
Even wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that the tent you live in is secure.
You will check out your property.
You will see that nothing is missing.
25 You can be sure you will have a lot of children.
They will be as many as the blades of grass on the earth.
26 You will go down to the grave
while you are still very strong.
You will be like a crop that is gathered at the right time.
27 “We have carefully studied all these things.
And they are true.
So pay attention to them.
Apply them to yourself.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
