Job 5
Common English Bible
Life’s problems
5 Call out. Will anyone answer you?
To which holy one will you turn?
2 Surely anger can kill the foolish;
fury can kill the simple.
3 I’ve seen the foolish take root
and promptly curse their house.
4 Their children are far[a] from safety,
crushed in the gate without a deliverer.
5 The hungry devour[b] their crops;
it’s taken even from the thorns,[c]
and the thirsty pant after their yield.
6 Surely trouble doesn’t come from dust,
nor does distress sprout from the ground.
7 Surely humans are born to distress,
just as sparks rise up.
The answer is God
8 But I would seek God,
put my case to God,
9 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.
Job 5
King James Version
5 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy 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 the robber swalloweth up their substance.
6 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
15 But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and 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 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 shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he shall 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 famine 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 tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
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 corn cometh in in his season.
27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
Job 5
GOD’S WORD Translation
Eliphaz Continues: Seek God’s Help, Job
5 “Cry out!
Is there anyone to answer you?
To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 Certainly, anger kills a stubborn fool,
and jealousy murders a gullible person.
3 I have seen a stubborn fool take root,
but I quickly cursed his house.
4 His children are far from help.
They are crushed at the city gate,
and no one is there to rescue them.
5 What a stubborn fool gathers, hungry people eat.
They take it even from among the thorns,
and thirsty people pant after his wealth.
6 Certainly, sorrow doesn’t come from the soil,
and trouble doesn’t sprout from the ground.
7 But a person is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly up ⌞from a fire⌟.
8 “But I would seek God’s help
and present my case to him.
9 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.”
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
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