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

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

2 F or provocation slayeth the perverse, And envy putteth to death the simple,

For vexation and rage kill the foolish man; jealousy and indignation slay the simple.

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

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

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

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

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

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

6 F or sorrow cometh not forth from the dust, Nor from the ground springeth up misery.

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

7 F or man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.

But man is born to trouble as the sparks and the flames fly upward.

8 Y et I -- I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,

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

9 D oing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.

Who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number,

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

Who gives rain upon the earth and sends waters upon the fields,

11 T o set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high safety.

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

12 M aking void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.

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

13 C apturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,

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

14 B y day they meet darkness, And as night -- they grope at noon.

In the daytime they meet in darkness, and at noon they grope as in the night.

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

But saves from the sword of their mouth, and the needy from the hand of the mighty.

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

So the poor have hope, and iniquity shuts her mouth.

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

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

18 F or He doth pain, and He bindeth up, He smiteth, and His hands heal.

For He wounds, but He binds up; He smites, but His hands heal.

19 I n six distresses He delivereth thee, And in seven evil striketh not on thee.

He will rescue you in six troubles; in seven nothing that is evil will touch you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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