Job 5:1-27

  • Eliphaz’ first speech continues (1-27)

    • ‘God catches the wise in their cunning’ (13)

    • ‘Job should not reject God’s discipline’ (17)

5  “Call, please! Is there anyone answering you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?   For resentment will kill the foolish one,And envy will put the simpleminded to death.   I have seen the foolish one taking root,But suddenly his dwelling place is cursed.   His sons are far from safety,And they are crushed at the city gate,+ with no one to save them.   The hungry one eats what he harvests,Taking it even from among the thorns,And their possessions are ensnared.   For harmful things do not sprout from the dust,And trouble does not spring from the ground.   For man is born for trouble,As surely as sparks fly upward.   But I would appeal to God,And to God I would submit my case,   To the One doing great and unsearchable things,Wonderful things without number. 10  He gives rain to the earthAnd sends waters upon the fields. 11  He raises the lowly up high,And he raises up the dejected one to salvation. 12  He frustrates the schemes of the crafty,So that the work of their hands does not succeed. 13  He catches the wise in their own cunning,+So that the plans of the shrewd are thwarted. 14  They meet with darkness during the day,And they grope about at midday as if it were night. 15  He saves from the sword of their mouth,Saving the poor from the hand of the strong, 16  So that there is hope for the lowly,But the mouth of unrighteousness is shut. 17  Look! Happy is the man whom God reproves;So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty! 18  For he causes pain, but binds up the wound;He breaks apart, but heals with his own hands. 19  He will save you from six calamities,Even the seventh will not harm you. 20  During famine he will redeem you from death,And from the power of a sword during war. 21  You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,+And you will not fear devastation when it comes. 22  You will laugh at destruction and hunger,And you will not fear the wild beasts of the earth. 23  For the stones of the field will not harm you,*And the wild beasts of the field will be at peace with you. 24  You will know that your tent is secure,*And nothing will be missing when you inspect your pasture. 25  You will enjoy many children,And your descendants will be as plentiful as the vegetation of the earth. 26  You will still be strong when you go to the grave,Like sheaves of grain gathered in their season. 27  Look! We have investigated this, and it is so. Listen and accept it.”

Footnotes

Or “will have a covenant (an agreement) with you.”
Lit., “peace.”