The Shared Word Translation · Study & Discuss
Job 5
Call Out, If You Will
“Call out, if you will.
Is there anyone who will answer you?
To which of the holy ones will you turn?
For vexation kills the fool,
and jealousy puts the simple to death.
I myself have seen a fool taking root,
but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
His children are far from safety;
they are crushed at the gate,
and there is no one to deliver them.
The hungry eat his harvest,
even taking it from among thorns,
and a snare thirsts for his wealth.
For trouble does not come out from the dust,
and harm does not sprout from the ground.
But humanity is born for trouble
as sparks fly upward.
I Would Seek God
But as for me, I would seek God,
and to God I would commit my cause,
who does great things beyond searching,
wonders without number;
who gives rain upon the face of the earth
and sends water upon the fields;
who sets the lowly on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety;
who frustrates the plans of the crafty,
so that their hands cannot achieve success;
who catches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the counsel of the cunning is hurried away.
By day they meet darkness,
and at noon they grope as in the night.
But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the strong.
So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts its mouth.
Blessed Is the One God Corrects
Look, blessed is the person whom God corrects;
therefore do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he strikes, but his hands heal.
From six troubles he will deliver you,
and in seven no harm will touch you.
In famine he will redeem you from death,
and in war from the power of the sword.
From the lash of the tongue you will be hidden,
and you will not fear when destruction comes.
At destruction and famine you will laugh,
and you will not fear the animals of the earth.
For your covenant will be with the stones of the field,
and the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
You Will Come to the Grave in Full Age
You will know that your tent is at peace;
you will inspect your dwelling and miss nothing.
You will know that your offspring are many,
and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
You will come to the grave in full age,
like a stack of grain gathered in its season.
Look, this we have searched out; it is so.
Hear it,
and know it for yourself.”