[1] “Call out if you please, but who will answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn? [2] For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. [3] I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed. [4] His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender. [5] The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. [6] For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. [7] Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. [8] However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him— [9] the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. [10] He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields. [11] He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety. [12] He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success. [13] He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning. [14] They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night. [15] He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful. [16] So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. [17] Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. [18] For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal. [19] He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. [20] In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword. [21] You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and will not fear havoc when it comes. [22] You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth. [23] For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. [24] You will know that your tent is secure, and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home. [25] You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth. [26] You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season. [27] Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.”
