1 C all now—is there any who will answer you? And to which of the holy will you turn?

Pray, call, is there any to answer thee? And unto which of the holy ones dost thou turn?

2 F or vexation and rage kill the foolish man; jealousy and indignation slay the simple.

For provocation slayeth the perverse, And envy putteth to death the simple,

3 I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I saw that his dwelling was cursed.

I -- I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straightway,

4 H is children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them.

Far are his sons from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.

5 H is harvest the hungry eat and take it even among the thorns; the snare opens for wealth.

Whose harvest the hungry doth eat, And even from the thorns taketh it, And the designing swallowed their wealth.

6 F or affliction comes not forth from the dust, neither does trouble spring forth out of the ground.

For sorrow cometh not forth from the dust, Nor from the ground springeth up misery.

7 B ut man is born to trouble as the sparks and the flames fly upward.

For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.

8 A s for me, I would seek God and inquire of and require Him, and to God would I commit my cause—

Yet I -- I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,

9 W ho does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number,

Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.

10 W ho gives rain upon the earth and sends waters upon the fields,

Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.

11 S o that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn He lifts to safety.

To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high safety.

12 H e frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise or anything of worth.

Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.

13 H e catches the wise in their own trickiness, and the counsel of the schemers is brought to a quick end.

Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,

14 I n the daytime they meet in darkness, and at noon they grope as in the night.

By day they meet darkness, And as night -- they grope at noon.

15 B ut saves from the sword of their mouth, and the needy from the hand of the mighty.

And He saveth the wasted from their mouth, And from a strong hand the needy,

16 S o the poor have hope, and iniquity shuts her mouth.

And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.

17 H appy and fortunate is the man whom God reproves; so do not despise or reject the correction of the Almighty.

Lo, the happiness of mortal man, God doth reprove him: And the chastisement of the Mighty despise not,

18 F or He wounds, but He binds up; He smites, but His hands heal.

For He doth pain, and He bindeth up, He smiteth, and His hands heal.

19 H e will rescue you in six troubles; in seven nothing that is evil will touch you.

In six distresses He delivereth thee, And in seven evil striketh not on thee.

20 I n famine He will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

In famine He hath redeemed thee from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.

21 Y ou shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.

When the tongue scourgeth thou art hid, And thou art not afraid of destruction, When it cometh.

22 A t destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the living creatures of the earth.

At destruction and at hunger thou mockest, And of the beast of the earth, Thou art not afraid.

23 F or you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

(For with sons of the field thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)

24 A nd you shall know that your tent shall be in peace, and you shall visit your fold and your dwelling and miss nothing.

And thou hast known that thy tent peace, And inspected thy habitation, and errest not,

25 Y ou shall know also that your children shall be many, and your offspring as the grass of the earth.

And hast known that numerous Thy seed, And thine offspring as the herb of the earth;

26 Y ou shall come to your grave in ripe old age, and as a shock of grain goes up in its season.

Thou comest in full age unto the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.

27 T his is what we have searched out; it is true. Hear and heed it and know for yourself.

Lo, this -- we searched it out -- it right, hearken; And thou, know for thyself!