Job 5

Call Out to See Who Answers

1 “Go ahead, call out. See if anyone answers you. Which of the holy ones will you turn to,

2 For resentment kills a fool, and jealousy puts the simple in the grave.

3 I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.

4 His kids are far from safety; they get crushed in court with no one to defend them.

5 Hungry people eat his harvest, even snatching it from among the thorns; thirsty robbers gulp down his wealth.

Trouble Does Not Just Come from Anywhere

6 Trouble does not sprout from the soil, and hardship does not grow from the ground.

7 Yet people are born for trouble, just like sparks fly upward.

Seek God, the One Who Saves

8 If I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him.

9 He performs wonders that cannot be counted and miracles beyond measure.

10 He sends rain on the earth and waters the countryside.

11 He lifts up those who are lowly and puts those who mourn in a safe place.

12 He trips up the plans of the crafty so their hands cannot succeed.

13 He catches the wise in their own tricks, and the schemes of the clever get shut down.

14 They meet darkness in the daytime; at noon they are feeling around like it is night.

15 But He saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the powerful.

16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

Blessings for Those Who Accept God’s Discipline

17 Blessed is the one God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18 For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands heal.

19 From six troubles He will rescue you; in seven, no harm will touch you.

20 In famine He will keep you alive; in war He will save you from the sword.

21 You will be safe from the lash of tongues and will not fear destruction when it comes.

22 You will laugh at destruction and famine and will not be afraid of the wild animals.

23 You will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

24 You will know your tent is secure; you will check your home and find nothing missing.

25 You will know your children will be many and your descendants like the grass of the earth.

26 You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a stack of grain harvested at the right time.

27 We have examined this, and it is true. So listen to it and take it to heart.”