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Call now; is there any that will answer thee?
And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
For vexation killeth the foolish man,
And [a]jealousy slayeth the silly one.
I have seen the foolish taking root:
But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
His children are far from safety,
And they are crushed in the gate,
Neither is there any to deliver them:
Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,
And taketh it even out of the thorns;
And [b]the snare gapeth for their substance.
For [c]affliction cometh not forth from the dust,
Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
But man is born unto trouble,
As [d]the sparks fly upward.

But as for me, I would seek unto God,
And unto God would I commit my cause;
Who doeth great things and unsearchable,
Marvellous things without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth,
And sendeth waters upon the fields;
11 So that he setteth up on high those that are low,
And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
12 He frustrateth the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands [e]cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;
And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day-time,
And grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he saveth from the sword [f]of their mouth,
Even the needy 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 [g]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 will deliver thee in six troubles;
Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he will 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 dearth 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 tent is in peace;
And thou shalt visit thy [h]fold, and [i]shalt miss nothing.
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 grain cometh in in its season.
27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is;
Hear it, and know thou it [j]for thy good.

Then Job answered and said,

Oh that my vexation were but weighed,
And all my calamity laid in the balances!
For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas:
Therefore have my words been rash.
For the arrows of the Almighty are within me,
The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up:
The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass?
Or loweth the ox over his fodder?
Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in [k]the white of an egg?
[l]My soul refuseth to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

Oh that I might have my request;
And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
Even that it would please God to crush me;
That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
10 And be it still my consolation,
[m]Yea, let me [n]exult in pain [o]that spareth not,
That I have not [p]denied the words of the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is mine end, that I should be patient?
12 Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh of brass?
13 Is it not that I have no help in me,
And that wisdom is driven quite from me?

14 To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend;
[q]Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook,
As the channel of brooks that pass away;
16 Which are black by reason of the ice,
And wherein the snow hideth itself:
17 What time they [r]wax warm, they vanish;
When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
18 [s]The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside;
They go up into the waste, and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema looked,
The companies of Sheba waited for them.
20 They were put to shame because they had hoped;
They came thither, and were confounded.
21 For now ye [t]are nothing;
Ye see a terror, and are afraid.
22 Did I say, Give unto me?
Or, Offer a present for me of your substance?
23 Or, Deliver me from the adversary’s hand?
Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?

24 Teach me, and I will hold my peace;
And cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25 How forcible are words of uprightness!
But your reproof, what doth it reprove?
26 Do ye think to reprove words,
Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are [u]as wind?
27 Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless,
And make merchandise of your friend.
28 Now therefore be pleased to look upon me;
[v]For surely I shall not lie to your face.
29 Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice;
Yea, return again, [w]my cause is righteous.
30 Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my taste discern mischievous things?

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:2 Or, indignation
  2. Job 5:5 According to Vulgate, the thirsty swallow up.
  3. Job 5:6 Or, iniquity. See 4:8.
  4. Job 5:7 Hebrew the sons of flame (or of lightning).
  5. Job 5:12 Or, can perform nothing of worth
  6. Job 5:15 Hebrew out of their mouth.
  7. Job 5:17 Or, reproveth
  8. Job 5:24 Or, habitation
  9. Job 5:24 Or, shalt not err
  10. Job 5:27 Hebrew for thyself.
  11. Job 6:6 Or, the juice of purslain
  12. Job 6:7 Or, What things my soul refused to touch, these are as my loathsome food
  13. Job 6:10 Or, Though I shrink back
  14. Job 6:10 Or, harden myself
  15. Job 6:10 Or, though he spare not
  16. Job 6:10 Or, concealed
  17. Job 6:14 Or, Else might he forsake. Or, But he forsaketh
  18. Job 6:17 Or, shrink
  19. Job 6:18 Or, The paths of their way are turned aside
  20. Job 6:21 Another reading is, are like thereto.
  21. Job 6:26 Or, for the wind
  22. Job 6:28 Or, And it will be evident unto you if I lie
  23. Job 6:29 Hebrew my righteousness is in it.

“Call if you will, but who will answer you?(A)
    To which of the holy ones(B) will you turn?
Resentment(C) kills a fool,
    and envy slays the simple.(D)
I myself have seen(E) a fool taking root,(F)
    but suddenly(G) his house was cursed.(H)
His children(I) are far from safety,(J)
    crushed in court(K) without a defender.(L)
The hungry consume his harvest,(M)
    taking it even from among thorns,
    and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
For hardship does not spring from the soil,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground.(N)
Yet man is born to trouble(O)
    as surely as sparks fly upward.

“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.(P)
He performs wonders(Q) that cannot be fathomed,(R)
    miracles that cannot be counted.(S)
10 He provides rain for the earth;(T)
    he sends water on the countryside.(U)
11 The lowly he sets on high,(V)
    and those who mourn(W) are lifted(X) to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans(Y) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.(Z)
13 He catches the wise(AA) in their craftiness,(AB)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.(AC)
14 Darkness(AD) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.(AE)
15 He saves the needy(AF) from the sword in their mouth;
    he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.(AG)
16 So the poor(AH) have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.(AI)

17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects;(AJ)
    so do not despise the discipline(AK) of the Almighty.[a](AL)
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;(AM)
    he injures, but his hands also heal.(AN)
19 From six calamities he will rescue(AO) you;
    in seven no harm will touch you.(AP)
20 In famine(AQ) he will deliver you from death,
    and in battle from the stroke of the sword.(AR)
21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,(AS)
    and need not fear(AT) when destruction comes.(AU)
22 You will laugh(AV) at destruction and famine,(AW)
    and need not fear the wild animals.(AX)
23 For you will have a covenant(AY) with the stones(AZ) of the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(BA)
24 You will know that your tent is secure;(BB)
    you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.(BC)
25 You will know that your children will be many,(BD)
    and your descendants like the grass of the earth.(BE)
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,(BF)
    like sheaves gathered in season.(BG)

27 “We have examined this, and it is true.
    So hear it(BH) and apply it to yourself.”(BI)

Job

Then Job replied:

“If only my anguish could be weighed
    and all my misery be placed on the scales!(BJ)
It would surely outweigh the sand(BK) of the seas—
    no wonder my words have been impetuous.(BL)
The arrows(BM) of the Almighty(BN) are in me,(BO)
    my spirit drinks(BP) in their poison;(BQ)
    God’s terrors(BR) are marshaled against me.(BS)
Does a wild donkey(BT) bray(BU) when it has grass,
    or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(BV)
Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
    or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[b]?(BW)
I refuse to touch it;
    such food makes me ill.(BX)

“Oh, that I might have my request,
    that God would grant what I hope for,(BY)
that God would be willing to crush(BZ) me,
    to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(CA)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(CB)
    my joy in unrelenting pain(CC)
    that I had not denied the words(CD) of the Holy One.(CE)

11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope?
    What prospects, that I should be patient?(CF)
12 Do I have the strength of stone?
    Is my flesh bronze?(CG)
13 Do I have any power to help myself,(CH)
    now that success has been driven from me?

14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend(CI)
    forsakes the fear of the Almighty.(CJ)
15 But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams,(CK)
    as the streams that overflow
16 when darkened by thawing ice
    and swollen with melting snow,(CL)
17 but that stop flowing in the dry season,
    and in the heat(CM) vanish from their channels.
18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
    they go off into the wasteland and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema(CN) look for water,
    the traveling merchants of Sheba(CO) look in hope.
20 They are distressed, because they had been confident;
    they arrive there, only to be disappointed.(CP)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
    you see something dreadful and are afraid.(CQ)
22 Have I ever said, ‘Give something on my behalf,
    pay a ransom(CR) for me from your wealth,(CS)
23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy,
    rescue me from the clutches of the ruthless’?(CT)

24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet;(CU)
    show me where I have been wrong.(CV)
25 How painful are honest words!(CW)
    But what do your arguments prove?
26 Do you mean to correct what I say,
    and treat my desperate words as wind?(CX)
27 You would even cast lots(CY) for the fatherless(CZ)
    and barter away your friend.

28 “But now be so kind as to look at me.
    Would I lie to your face?(DA)
29 Relent, do not be unjust;(DB)
    reconsider, for my integrity(DC) is at stake.[c](DD)
30 Is there any wickedness on my lips?(DE)
    Can my mouth not discern(DF) malice?

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:17 Hebrew Shaddai; here and throughout Job
  2. Job 6:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  3. Job 6:29 Or my righteousness still stands