1 Call nowe, if any will answere thee, and to which of the Saintes wilt thou turne? 2 Doubtlesse anger killeth the foolish, and enuie slayeth the idiote. 3 I haue seene the foolish well rooted, and suddenly I cursed his habitation, saying, 4 His children shalbe farre from saluation, and they shall be destroyed in the gate, and none shall deliuer them. 5 The hungrie shall eate vp his haruest: yea, they shall take it from among the thornes, and the thirstie shall drinke vp their substance. 6 For miserie commeth not foorth of the dust, neither doeth affliction spring out of the earth. 7 But man is borne vnto trauaile, as the sparkes flie vpwarde. 8 But I would inquire at God, and turne my talke vnto God: 9 Which doeth great things and vnsearchable, and marueilous things without nomber. 10 He giueth raine vpon the earth, and powreth water vpon the streetes, 11 And setteth vp on hie them that be lowe, that the sorowfull may be exalted to saluation. 12 He scattereth the deuices of the craftie: so that their handes can not accomplish that which they doe enterprise. 13 He taketh the wise in their craftinesse, and the counsel of the wicked is made foolish. 14 They meete with darkenesse in the day time, and grope at noone day, as in the night. 15 But he saueth the poore from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hande of the violent man, 16 So that the poore hath his hope, but iniquitie shall stop her mouth. 17 Beholde, blessed is the man whome God correcteth: therefore refuse not thou the chastising of the Almightie. 18 For he maketh the wound, and bindeth it vp: he smiteth, and his handes make whole. 19 He shall deliuer thee in sixe troubles, and in the seuenth the euill shall not touch thee. 20 In famine he shall deliuer thee from death: and in battel from the power of the sworde. 21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue, and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it commeth. 22 But thou shalt laugh at destruction and dearth, and shalt not be afraide of the beast of the earth. 23 For the stones of the fielde shall be in league with thee, and the beastes of the field shall be at peace with thee. 24 And thou shalt knowe, that peace shall be in thy tabernacle, and thou shalt visite thine habitation, and shalt not sinne. 25 Thou shalt perceiue also, that thy seede shalbe great, and thy posteritie as the grasse of the earth. 26 Thou shalt goe to thy graue in a ful age, as a ricke of corne commeth in due season into the barne. 27 Lo, thus haue we inquired of it, and so it is: heare this and knowe it for thy selfe.
1 Call out, Job. See if anyone answers.
Is there any angel to whom you can turn?
2 To worry yourself to death with resentment
would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.
3 I have seen fools who looked secure,
but I called down a sudden curse on their homes.
4 Their children can never find safety;
no one stands up to defend them in court.
5 Hungry people will eat the fool's crops—
even the grain growing among thorns —
and thirsty people will envy his wealth.
6 Evil does not grow in the soil,
nor does trouble grow out of the ground.
7 No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves,
as surely as sparks fly up from a fire.
8 If I were you, I would turn to God
and present my case to him.
9 We cannot understand the great things he does,
and to his miracles there is no end.
10 He sends rain on the land
and he waters the fields.
11 Yes, it is God who raises the humble
and gives joy to all who mourn.
12-13 He upsets the plans of cunning people,
and traps the wise in their own schemes,
so that nothing they do succeeds;
14 even at noon they grope in darkness.
15 But God saves the poor from death;
he saves the needy from oppression.
16 He gives hope to the poor and silences the wicked.
17 Happy is the person whom God corrects!
Do not resent it when he rebukes you.
18 God bandages the wounds he makes;
his hand hurts you, and his hand heals.
19 Time after time he will save you from harm;
20 when famine comes, he will keep you alive,
and in war protect you from death.
21 God will rescue you from slander;
he will save you when destruction comes.
22 You will laugh at violence and hunger
and not be afraid of wild animals.
23 The fields you plow will be free of rocks;
wild animals will never attack you.
24 Then you will live at peace in your tent;
when you look at your sheep, you will find them safe.
25 You will have as many children
as there are blades of grass in a pasture.
26 Like wheat that ripens till harvest time,
you will live to a ripe old age.
27 Job, we have learned this by long study.
It is true, so now accept it.