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).
Job 5
New Century Version
5 “Call if you want to, Job, but no one will answer you.
You can’t turn to any of the holy ones.
2 Anger kills the fool,
and jealousy slays the stupid.
3 I have seen a fool succeed,
but I cursed his home immediately.
4 His children are far from safety
and are crushed in court with no defense.
5 The hungry eat his harvest,
even taking what grew among the thorns,
and thirsty people want his wealth.
6 Hard times do not come up from the ground,
and trouble does not grow from the earth.
7 People produce trouble
as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 “But if I were you, I would call on God
and bring my problem before him.
9 God does wonders that cannot be understood;
he does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
10 He gives rain to the earth
and sends water on the fields.
11 He makes the humble person important
and lifts the sad to places of safety.
12 He ruins the plans of those who trick others
so they have no success.
13 He catches the wise in their own clever traps
and sweeps away the plans of those who try to trick others.
14 Darkness covers them up in the daytime;
even at noon they feel around in the dark.
15 God saves the needy from their lies
and from the harm done by powerful people.
16 So the poor have hope,
while those who are unfair are silenced.
17 “The one whom God corrects is happy,
so do not hate being corrected by the Almighty.
18 God hurts, but he also bandages up;
he injures, but his hands also heal.
19 He will save you from six troubles;
even seven troubles will not harm you.
20 God will buy you back from death in times of hunger,
and in battle he will save you from the sword.
21 You will be protected from the tongue that strikes like a whip,
and you will not be afraid when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger,
and you will not fear the wild animals,
23 because you will have an agreement with the stones in the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is safe,
because you will check the things you own and find nothing missing.
25 You will know that you will have many children,
and your descendants will be like the grass on the earth.
26 You will come to the grave with all your strength,
like bundles of grain gathered at the right time.
27 “We have checked this, and it is true,
so hear it and decide what it means to you.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
