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Job 5-6
Common English Bible
Job 5-6
Common English Bible
Life’s problems
5 Call out. Will anyone answer you?
To which holy one will you turn?
2 Surely anger can kill the foolish;
fury can kill the simple.
3 I’ve seen the foolish take root
and promptly curse their house.
4 Their children are far[a] from safety,
crushed in the gate without a deliverer.
5 The hungry devour[b] their crops;
it’s taken even from the thorns,[c]
and the thirsty pant after their yield.
6 Surely trouble doesn’t come from dust,
nor does distress sprout from the ground.
7 Surely humans are born to distress,
just as sparks rise up.
The answer is God
8 But I would seek God,
put my case to God,
9 who does great things beyond comprehension,
wonderful things without number;
10 who provides rain over the earth’s surface,
sends water to the open country,
11 exalts the lowly,
raises mourners to victory;
12 who frustrates the schemes of the clever
so that their hands achieve no success,
13 trapping the wise in their cleverness
so that the plans of the devious don’t succeed.
14 They encounter darkness during the day,
and at noon they fumble about as at night.
15 Yet he rescues the orphan[d] from the sword of their mouth,
the needy from the grip of the strong;
16 so the poor have hope
and violence shuts its mouth.
Divine favor
17 Look, happy is the person whom God corrects;
so don’t reject the Almighty’s instruction.
18 He injures, but he binds up;
he strikes, but his hands heal.
19 From six adversities he will deliver you;
from seven harm won’t touch you.
20 In famine he will ransom you from death;
in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be hidden from the tongue’s sting,
and you won’t fear destruction when it comes.
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger;
you won’t be afraid of wild beasts;
23 for you will make an agreement with the stones of the field;
and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is secure.
You will examine your home and miss nothing.
25 You will know that you’ll have many children.
Your offspring will be like the grass of the earth.
26 You will come to your grave in old age
as bundles of grain stacked up at harvesttime.
27 Look, we’ve searched this out, and so it is;
listen and find out for yourself.
Job defends his anger
6 Job responded:
2 Oh, that my grief were actually weighed,
all of it were lifted up in scales;
3 for now it’s heavier than the sands of the sea;
therefore, my words are rash.[e]
4 The Almighty’s arrows are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison,
and God’s terrors are arrayed against me.
5 Does a donkey bray over grass
or an ox bellow over its fodder?
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or does egg white[f] have taste?
7 I refuse to touch them;
they resemble food for the sick.
He wishes to die
8 Oh, that what I’ve requested would come
and God grant my hope;
9 that God be willing to crush me,
release his hand and cut me off.
10 I’d still take comfort,
relieved[g] even though in persistent pain;
for I’ve not denied the words of the holy one.
11 What is my strength, that I should hope;
my end, that my life should drag on?
12 Is my strength that of rocks,
my flesh bronze?
13 I don’t have a helper for myself;
success has been taken from me.
He accuses his friends
14 Are friends loyal to the one who despairs,[h]
or do they stop fearing the Almighty?
15 My companions are treacherous like a stream in the desert,
like channels that overrun their streambeds,
16 like those darkened by thawing ice,
in which snow is obscured
17 but that stop flowing in dry times
and vanish from their channels in heat.
18 Caravans turn aside from their paths;
they go up into untamed areas and perish.
19 Caravans from Tema look;
merchants from Sheba hope for it.
20 They are ashamed that they trusted;
they arrive and are dismayed.
21 That’s what you are like;[i]
you see something awful and are afraid.
He appeals to his friends
22 Have I said, “Give me something?
Offer a bribe from your wealth for me?
23 Rescue me from the hand of my enemy?
Ransom me from the grip of the ruthless?”
24 Instruct me and I’ll be quiet;
inform me how I’ve erred.
25 How painful are truthful words,
but what do your condemnations accomplish?
26 Do you intend to correct my words,
to treat the words of a hopeless man as wind?
27 Would you even gamble over an orphan,
barter away your friend?
28 Now look at me—
would I lie to your face?
29 Turn! Don’t be faithless.
Turn now! I am righteous.
30 Is there wrong on my tongue,
or can my mouth not recognize disaster?
Job 5-6
New International Version
Job 5-6
New International Version
5 “Call if you will, but who will answer you?(A)
To which of the holy ones(B) will you turn?
2 Resentment(C) kills a fool,
and envy slays the simple.(D)
3 I myself have seen(E) a fool taking root,(F)
but suddenly(G) his house was cursed.(H)
4 His children(I) are far from safety,(J)
crushed in court(K) without a defender.(L)
5 The hungry consume his harvest,(M)
taking it even from among thorns,
and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
6 For hardship does not spring from the soil,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground.(N)
7 Yet man is born to trouble(O)
as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 “But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
I would lay my cause before him.(P)
9 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)
Job
6 Then Job replied:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and all my misery be placed on the scales!(BJ)
3 It would surely outweigh the sand(BK) of the seas—
no wonder my words have been impetuous.(BL)
4 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)
5 Does a wild donkey(BT) bray(BU) when it has grass,
or an ox bellow when it has fodder?(BV)
6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,
or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[b]?(BW)
7 I refuse to touch it;
such food makes me ill.(BX)
8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant what I hope for,(BY)
9 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.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.