5:1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
5:2 For irritation kills the fool,
And jealousy brings death to the simple.
5:3 I have seen the fool taking root,
And I cursed his home immediately.
5:4 His sons are far from safety,
They are also ①oppressed at the gate,
And there is no one to save them.
▷ ①Lit crushed
5:5 ①The hungry devour his harvest
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the ②schemer is eager for their wealth.
▷ ①Lit Whose harvest the hungry devour ②Ancient versions thirsty
5:6 For disaster 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 make my plea before God,
5:9 Who does great and unsearchable things,
①Wonders without number.
▷ ①Or Miracles
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 schemes of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
5:13 He captures the wise by their own cleverness,
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 strong.
5:16 So the helpless has hope,
And injustice has shut its mouth.
5:17 “Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines,
So do not reject the discipline of ①the Almighty.
▷ ①Heb Shaddai, and so throughout ch 6
5:18 For He inflicts pain, and ①gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.
▷ ①Lit binds
5:19 In six troubles He will save 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 ①from the scourge of the tongue,
And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
▷ ①Lit at
5:22 You will laugh at violence and hunger,
And you will not be afraid of ①wild animals.
▷ ①Lit animals of the earth
5:23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And the animals of the field will be at peace with you.
5:24 You will know that your tent is secure,
For you will visit your home and ①have nothing missing.
▷ ①Lit not miss
5:25 You will also know that your ①descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth.
▷ ①Lit seed
5:26 You will come to the grave at a ripe age,
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.”