Job 5-6

Job 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁸Yet I -- I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,

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

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

¹¹To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high in safety.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Job 6

¹And Job answereth and saith: --

²O that my provocation were thoroughly weighed, And my calamity in balances They would lift up together!

³For now, than the sands of the sea it is heavier, Therefore my words have been rash.

⁴For arrows of the Mighty are with me, Whose poison is drinking up my spirit. Terrors of God array themselves for me!

⁵Brayeth a wild ass over tender grass? Loweth an ox over his provender?

⁶Eaten is an insipid thing without salt? Is there sense in the drivel of dreams?

⁷My soul is refusing to touch! They are as my sickening food.

⁸O that my request may come, That God may grant my hope!

⁹That God would please -- and bruise me, Loose His hand and cut me off!

¹⁰And yet it is my comfort, (And I exult in pain -- He doth not spare,) That I have not hidden The sayings of the Holy One.

¹¹What is my power that I should hope? And what mine end That I should prolong my life?

¹²Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brazen?

¹³Is not my help with me, And substance driven from me?

¹⁴To a despiser of his friends is shame, And the fear of the Mighty he forsaketh.

¹⁵My brethren have deceived as a brook, As a stream of brooks they pass away.

¹⁶That are black because of ice, By them doth snow hide itself.

¹⁷By the time they are warm they have been cut off, By its being hot they have been Extinguished from their place.

¹⁸Turn aside do the paths of their way, They ascend into emptiness, and are lost.

¹⁹Passengers of Tema looked expectingly, Travellers of Sheba hoped for them.

²⁰They were ashamed that one hath trusted, They have come unto it and are confounded.

²¹Surely now ye have become the same! Ye see a downfall, and are afraid.

²²Is it because I said, Give to me? And, By your power bribe for me?

²³And, Deliver me from the hand of an adversary? And, From the hand of terrible ones ransom me?

²⁴Shew me, and I -- I keep silent, And what I have erred, let me understand.

²⁵How powerful have been upright sayings, And what doth reproof from you reprove?

²⁶For reproof -- do you reckon words? And for wind -- sayings of the desperate.

²⁷Anger on the fatherless ye cause to fall, And are strange to your friend.

²⁸And, now, please, look upon me, Even to your face do I lie?

²⁹Turn back, I pray you, let it not be perverseness, Yea, turn back again -- my righteousness is in it.

³⁰Is there in my tongue perverseness? Discerneth not my palate desirable things?