“Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
    To which of (A)the holy ones will you turn?
Surely vexation kills the fool,
    and jealousy slays the simple.
(B)I have seen the fool taking root,
    but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
His children are (C)far from safety;
    they are crushed in (D)the gate,
    and there is no one to deliver them.
The hungry eat his harvest,
    and he takes it even out of thorns,[a]
    and the thirsty pant[b] after his[c] wealth.
For affliction does not come from the dust,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
but man is (E)born to trouble
    as the sparks fly upward.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 5:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  2. Job 5:5 Aquila, Symmachus, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew could be read as and the snare pants
  3. Job 5:5 Hebrew their

Eliphaz: God Blesses those who Seek Him

“Cry out, won’t you!
    Is there anyone who will answer you?
        To whom will you turn among the holy ones?
For wrath will slay a fool;
    zealous anger will kill the naïve.

“I myself saw a fool becoming established,
    but I suddenly cursed where he lived.[a]
His children are far from deliverance;
    they’ll be maltreated before they leave home,[b]
        with no one to rescue them.
Then the hungry will devour his harvest,
    snatching it even from the midst of thorns,
        while the thirsty covet their wealth.
For wickedness doesn’t crop up from dust,
    nor does trouble sprout out of the ground;
But mankind is born headed for trouble,
    just as sparks soar skyward.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 5:3 Or dwelling place
  2. Job 5:4 Lit. be crushed in the gate