Job 5
Legacy Standard Bible
The Discipline of the Almighty
5 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the (A)holy ones will you turn?
2 For (B)vexation kills the ignorant fool,
And jealousy puts to death the simple.
3 I have seen the (C)ignorant fool taking root,
And I (D)cursed his abode suddenly.
4 His (E)sons are far from salvation,
They are even crushed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
5 [a]His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the [b](F)schemer pants after their wealth.
6 For (G)wickedness does not come out from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
7 For (H)man is born for trouble,
As [c]sparks fly upward.
8 “But as for me, I would (I)seek God,
And I would set my cause before God,
9 Who (J)does great and unsearchable things,
[d]Wonders without number.
10 He (K)gives rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields outside,
11 So that (L)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to salvation.
12 He (M)frustrates the thoughts of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot attain success of sound wisdom.
13 He (N)catches the wise by their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the twisted is quickly thwarted.
14 By day they (O)meet with darkness
And grope at noon as in the night.
15 But He saves from (P)the sword of their mouth,
And (Q)the needy from the hand of the strong.
16 So the poor has hope,
And (R)unrighteousness must shut its mouth.
17 “Behold, how (S)blessed is the man whom God reproves,
So do not reject the (T)discipline of the [e]Almighty.
18 For (U)He inflicts pain and [f]gives relief;
He [g]wounds, and His hands also heal.
19 [h]From six distresses (V)He will deliver you,
Even in seven (W)evil will not touch you.
20 In (X)famine He will redeem you from death,
And (Y)in war from hands with swords.
21 You will be (Z)hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
(AA)And you will not be afraid of devastation when it comes.
22 You will (AB)laugh at devastation and starvation,
(AC)And you will not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For your covenant will be with the stones of the field,
And (AD)the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your (AE)tent is at peace,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
25 You will know also that your (AF)seed will be many,
And (AG)your offspring as the vegetation of the land.
26 You will (AH)come to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Job 5
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 5
Resentment Slays the Fool[a]
1 “Call out now if you so wish.
Is there anyone who will reply?
To which of the holy ones[b] will you turn?
2 Resentment slays the fool,
and envy brings death to the simpleton.
3 I have seen a fool enjoy success for a time,
but suddenly his house was cursed.
4 “His children are cut off from safety,
slaughtered at the gate[c] without a defender.
5 The hungry devour their harvest,
even that growing amid the thorns,[d]
and the thirsty pant for their wealth.
6 For misery does not grow out of the earth,
nor does trouble spring from the soil.
7 Rather, man breeds trouble for himself,
as surely as sparks[e] fly upward.
I Would Appeal to God[f]
8 “If I were you, I would appeal to God
and present my case before him.
9 He performs deeds that are beyond understanding,
and wonders that cannot be counted.
10 He provides rain for the earth
and sends down water upon the fields.
11 He raises on high those who are lowly,
and those who mourn he lifts to safety.
12 “He thwarts the schemes of the crafty
so that they do not achieve any success.
13 He traps the cunning in their intrigues
and throws their plans into disarray.
14 They encounter darkness in the daytime
and grope their way at noon as if it were night.
15 But he saves the destitute from the sword
and rescues them from the hand of the mighty.
16 Therefore, the poor once again have hope,
and iniquity must shut its mouth.
Blessed Is the Man Whom God Reproves[g]
17 “Blessed is the man whom God[h] reproves.
Therefore, do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
18 For even though he wounds, he also binds up;
he smites, but his hands also heal.
19 He will deliver you from trouble six times,
and on the seventh[i] no evil will touch you.
20 In time of famine he will rescue you from death,
and in wartime from the thrust of the sword.
21 “You will be shielded from the scourge of the tongue,
and you will not fear calamity when it looms.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine
and not be terrified by the beasts of the earth.
23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field
and live in peace with wild animals.
24 You will know that your tent is secure,
and your household will be intact when you inspect it.
25 “You will know that your descendants will be numerous,
and your offspring like the grass of the earth.
26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
like sheaves gathered at the right time.
27 All this we have researched, and it is true.
Heed it, and apply it to yourself.”
Footnotes
- Job 5:1 In time of trial, prayer is of no avail if it expresses obstinacy and vexation. Man is the cause of his own unhappiness.
- Job 5:1 The holy ones: after the Exile, this referred to the heavenly spirits (see Job 15:15; Dan 4:10, 14, 20; 8:13; Zec 14:5). They were beginning to be regarded as powerful intercessors with God (see Job 33:23-24; Zec 1:12).
- Job 5:4 At the gate: the place of the city where normal business was conducted and justice was administered.
- Job 5:5 Even . . . thorns: an alternative reading is: “God snatches it out of their mouths.”
- Job 5:7 Sparks: literally, “sons of Resheph.” Resheph was a god of the Canaanites whose name came to be used in the Old Testament as a symbol of fire (Song 8:6), lightning bolts (Ps 78:48), and pestilence (Deut 32:24; Hab 3:5).
- Job 5:8 Like an announcement of the Magnificat (Lk 1:49-53), this poem sings of the power and goodness of God. Eliphaz here presents a remarkable conception of prayer while excluding all discussion of human beings with God.
- Job 5:17 The traditional teaching on trials loves to describe the new earthly happiness that is in store for the faithful.
- Job 5:17 God: the Hebrew text has Shaddai, which means “the powerful one” or, literally, “God of the mountains.” It was a name given to God in the time of the Patriarchs (see Gen 17:1; 35:11; 48:3; Ex 6:3). The author uses this archaic name in order to situate Job in a distant past.
- Job 5:19 Six times . . . on the seventh: a literary device for indicating a very large number or even a totality (see Prov 6:16f; 30:15f; Am 1:3-13).
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