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Eliphaz Continues

Call Out for Help

Job, call out for help
    and see if an angel comes!

Envy and jealousy
    will kill a stupid fool.
I have seen fools take root.
But God sends a curse,
    suddenly uprooting them
and leaving their children
    helpless in court.
Then hungry and greedy people
gobble up their crops
    and grab their wealth.[a]
Our suffering isn't caused
    by the failure of crops;
it's all part of life,
    like sparks shooting skyward.

Job, if I were you,
    I would ask God for help.
(A) His miracles are marvelous,
    more than we can count.
10 God sends showers on earth
    and waters the fields.
11 He protects the sorrowful
and lifts up those
    who have been disgraced.
* 12 God swiftly traps the wicked
13 (B) in their own evil schemes,
    and their wisdom fails.
14 Darkness is their only companion,
    hiding their path at noon.
15 God rescues the needy
from the words of the wicked
    and the fist of the mighty.
16 The poor are filled with hope,
    and injustice is silenced.

Consider Yourself Fortunate

17 (C) Consider yourself fortunate
if God All-Powerful
    chooses to correct you.
18 (D) He may cause injury and pain,
but he will bandage and heal
    your cuts and bruises.
19 God will protect you from harm,
no matter how often
    trouble may strike.

20 In times of war and famine,
    God will keep you safe.
21 You will be sheltered,
without fear of hurtful words
    or any other weapon.
22 You will laugh at the threat
    of destruction and famine.
And you won't be afraid
    of wild animals—
23 they will no longer be fierce,
and your rocky fields
    will become friendly.
24 Your home will be secure,
    and your sheep will be safe.
25 You will have more descendants
than there are blades of grass
    on the face of the earth.
26 You will live a very long life,
and your body will be strong
    until the day you die.
27 Our experience has proven
these things to be true,
    so listen and learn.

Footnotes

  1. 5.5 wealth: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.

“Call if you will, but who will answer you?(A)
    To which of the holy ones(B) will you turn?
Resentment(C) kills a fool,
    and envy slays the simple.(D)
I myself have seen(E) a fool taking root,(F)
    but suddenly(G) his house was cursed.(H)
His children(I) are far from safety,(J)
    crushed in court(K) without a defender.(L)
The hungry consume his harvest,(M)
    taking it even from among thorns,
    and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
For hardship does not spring from the soil,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground.(N)
Yet man is born to trouble(O)
    as surely as sparks fly upward.

“But if I were you, I would appeal to God;
    I would lay my cause before him.(P)
He performs wonders(Q) that cannot be fathomed,(R)
    miracles that cannot be counted.(S)
10 He provides rain for the earth;(T)
    he sends water on the countryside.(U)
11 The lowly he sets on high,(V)
    and those who mourn(W) are lifted(X) to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans(Y) of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.(Z)
13 He catches the wise(AA) in their craftiness,(AB)
    and the schemes of the wily are swept away.(AC)
14 Darkness(AD) comes upon them in the daytime;
    at noon they grope as in the night.(AE)
15 He saves the needy(AF) from the sword in their mouth;
    he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.(AG)
16 So the poor(AH) have hope,
    and injustice shuts its mouth.(AI)

17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects;(AJ)
    so do not despise the discipline(AK) of the Almighty.[a](AL)
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;(AM)
    he injures, but his hands also heal.(AN)
19 From six calamities he will rescue(AO) you;
    in seven no harm will touch you.(AP)
20 In famine(AQ) he will deliver you from death,
    and in battle from the stroke of the sword.(AR)
21 You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,(AS)
    and need not fear(AT) when destruction comes.(AU)
22 You will laugh(AV) at destruction and famine,(AW)
    and need not fear the wild animals.(AX)
23 For you will have a covenant(AY) with the stones(AZ) of the field,
    and the wild animals will be at peace with you.(BA)
24 You will know that your tent is secure;(BB)
    you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing.(BC)
25 You will know that your children will be many,(BD)
    and your descendants like the grass of the earth.(BE)
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor,(BF)
    like sheaves gathered in season.(BG)

27 “We have examined this, and it is true.
    So hear it(BH) and apply it to yourself.”(BI)

Footnotes

  1. Job 5:17 Hebrew Shaddai; here and throughout Job