5:1 "Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? |
5:2 "For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple. |
5:3 "I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately. |
5:4 "His sons are far from safety, They are even oppressed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. |
5:5 "His harvest the hungry devour And take it to a {place of} thorns, And the schemer is eager for their wealth. |
5:6 "For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, |
5:7 For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward. |
5:8 "But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; |
5:9 Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. |
5:10 "He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields, |
5:11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety. |
5:12 "He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, So that their hands cannot attain success. |
5:13 "He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. |
5:14 "By day they meet with darkness, And grope at noon as in the night. |
5:15 "But He saves from the sword of their mouth, And the poor from the hand of the mighty. |
5:16 "So the helpless has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth. |
5:17 "Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. |
5:18 "For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands {also} heal. |
5:19 "From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you. |
5:20 "In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. |
5:21 "You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. |
5:22 "You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of wild beasts. |
5:23 "For you will be in league with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. |
5:24 "You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. |
5:25 "You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. |
5:26 "You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season. |
5:27 "Behold this; we have investigated it, {and} so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself." |