5
God Is Just
1 “Call now —is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones (angels) will you turn?
2 “For anger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple (naive).
3 “I have seen the foolish taking root [and outwardly prospering],
But I cursed his dwelling immediately [for his destruction was certain].
4 “His children are far from safety [and included in their father’s ruin],
They are oppressed and crushed in the [court of justice in the city’s] gate,
And there is no one to rescue them.
5 “The hungry devour his harvest
And take it even [when it grows] among the thorns;
The trap opens for [his] wealth.
6 “For affliction does not come forth from the dust,
Nor does trouble spring forth from the ground.
7 “For man is born for trouble,
[As naturally] as sparks fly upward.
8 “As for me, I would seek God and inquire of Him,
And I would commit my cause to God;
9 Who does great and unsearchable things,
Marvelous things without number.
10 “He gives rain upon the earth
And sends waters upon the fields,
11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
And He lifts to safety those who mourn.
12 “He frustrates the devices and schemes of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot attain success or achieve anything of [lasting] worth.
13 “He catches the [so-called] wise in their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the devious is quickly thwarted. [1 Cor 3:19, 20]
14 “In the daytime they meet in darkness,
And at noon they grope as in the night.
15 “But God saves [the innocent] from the sword of the mouth of the devious,
And the poor from the hand of the mighty.
16 “So the helpless have hope,
And injustice shuts its mouth.
17 “Behold, how happy and fortunate is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise or reject the discipline of the Almighty [subjecting you to trial and suffering].
18 “For He inflicts pain, but He binds up and gives relief;
He wounds, but His hands also heal.
19 “He will rescue you from six troubles;
Even in seven, evil will not touch you.
20 “In famine He will redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.
21 “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
22 “You will laugh at violence and famine,
And you will not be afraid of the wild beasts of the earth.
23 “For you will be in harmony with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 “You will know also that your tent is secure and at peace,
And you will visit your dwelling and fear no loss [nor find anything amiss].
25 “You will know also that your descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 “You will come to your grave in old age,
Like the stacking of grain [on the threshing floor] in its season.
27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and it is true.
Hear and heed it, and know for yourself [for your own good].”