Job 5
English Standard Version
5 “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
To which of (A)the holy ones will you turn?
2 Surely vexation kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the simple.
3 (B)I have seen the fool taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
4 His children are (C)far from safety;
they are crushed in (D)the gate,
and there is no one to deliver them.
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
and he takes it even out of thorns,[a]
and the thirsty pant[b] after his[c] wealth.
6 For affliction does not come from the dust,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 but man is (E)born to trouble
as the sparks fly upward.
8 “As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,
9 who (F)does great things and (G)unsearchable,
(H)marvelous things without number:
10 he gives (I)rain on the earth
and sends waters on the fields;
11 he (J)sets on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He (K)frustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13 He (L)catches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime
and (M)grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he (N)saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor have hope,
and (O)injustice shuts her mouth.
17 “Behold, (P)blessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore (Q)despise not the discipline of the (R)Almighty.
18 For he wounds, but he (S)binds up;
he (T)shatters, but his hands heal.
19 He will (U)deliver you from six troubles;
in seven no (V)evil[d] shall touch you.
20 (W)In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be (X)hidden from the lash of the tongue,
and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
and shall not fear (Y)the beasts of the earth.
23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your (Z)tent is at peace,
and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
25 You shall know also that your (AA)offspring shall be many,
and your descendants as (AB)the grass of the earth.
26 You shall come to your grave in (AC)ripe old age,
like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
27 Behold, this we have (AD)searched out; it is true.
Hear, and know it for your good.”[e]
Job 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
1 Call now! Will anyone respond to you?
To which of the holy ones[a] will you turn?
2 Surely impatience kills the fool
and indignation slays the simpleton.
3 I have seen a fool spreading his roots,(A)
but I cursed his household suddenly:
4 May his children be far from safety;
may they be crushed at the gate[b] without a rescuer.
5 What they have reaped may the hungry eat up,
or God take away by blight,
or the thirsty swallow their substance.
6 For not from dust does mischief come,
nor from the soil does trouble sprout.
7 Human beings beget mischief
as sparks[c] fly upward.
8 In your place, I would appeal to God,
and to God I would state my plea.
9 [d]He does things great and unsearchable,
things marvelous and innumerable.
10 He gives rain upon the earth
and sends water upon the fields;
11 (B)He sets up the lowly on high,
and those who mourn are raised to safety.
12 He frustrates the plans of the cunning,
so that their hands achieve no success;
13 He catches the wise in their own ruses,(C)
and the designs of the crafty are routed.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,
at noonday they grope as though it were night.
15 But he saves the poor from the sword of their mouth,[e]
from the hand of the mighty.
16 Thus the needy have hope,
and iniquity closes its mouth.
17 Happy the one whom God reproves!
The Almighty’s[f] discipline do not reject.
18 For he wounds, but he binds up;(D)
he strikes, but his hands give healing.
19 Out of six troubles he will deliver you,
and at the seventh[g] no evil shall touch you.
20 In famine he will deliver you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword;
21 From the scourge of the tongue you shall be hidden,
and you shall not fear approaching ruin.
22 At ruin and want you shall laugh;
the beasts of the earth, do not fear.
23 With the stones of the field shall your covenant be,
and the wild beasts shall be at peace with you.
24 And you shall know that your tent is secure;
taking stock of your household, you shall miss nothing.
25 You shall know that your descendants are many,
and your offspring like the grass of the earth.
26 You shall approach the grave in full vigor,
as a shock of grain comes in at its season.
27 See, this we have searched out; so it is!
This we have heard, and you should know.
Footnotes
- 5:1 Holy ones: members of the heavenly court; cf. 1:6 and note. They were viewed as heavenly intercessors.
- 5:4 At the gate: of the city, where justice was administered.
- 5:7 Sparks: in Hebrew, “sons of resheph,” which the ancient versions took as the name of a bird. Resheph was an underworld deity of plague, but the word also means “flames” in Sg 8:6.
- 5:9 Perhaps to be omitted here; it is a duplicate of 9:10.
- 5:15 From the sword of their mouth: the Hebrew is obscure.
- 5:17 Almighty: standard translation of Heb. Shaddai.
- 5:19 Six…the seventh: proverbial expression for any large number; cf. Prv 24:16; Lk 17:4.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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