Job 5 Contemporary English Version

Eliphaz Continues

Call Out for Help

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

²Envy and jealousy
    will kill a stupid fool.
³I have seen fools take root.
But God sends a curse,
    suddenly uprooting them
⁴and leaving their children
    helpless in court.
⁵Then hungry and greedy people
gobble up their crops
    and grab their wealth.^[a]
⁶Our suffering isn't caused
    by the failure of crops;
⁷it's all part of life,
    like sparks shooting skyward.

⁸Job, if I were you,
    I would ask God for help.
⁹^(A) His miracles are marvelous,
    more than we can count.
¹⁰God sends showers on earth
    and waters the fields.
¹¹He protects the sorrowful
and lifts up those
    who have been disgraced.
* ¹²God swiftly traps the wicked
¹³^(B) in their own evil schemes,
    and their wisdom fails.
¹⁴Darkness is their only companion,
    hiding their path at noon.
¹⁵God rescues the needy
from the words of the wicked
    and the fist of the mighty.
¹⁶The 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.
¹⁹God will protect you from harm,
no matter how often
    trouble may strike.

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