Job 5
5
Eliphaz’s Response Continues
1“Cry for help, but will anyone answer you?
Which of the angels#5:1 Hebrew the holy ones. will help you?
2Surely resentment destroys the fool,
and jealousy kills the simple.
3I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment,
but then comes sudden disaster.
4Their children are abandoned far from help;
they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
5The hungry devour their harvest,
even when it is guarded by brambles.#5:5a The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
The thirsty pant after their wealth.#5:5b As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads A snare snatches their wealth.
6But evil does not spring from the soil,
and trouble does not sprout from the earth.
7People are born for trouble
as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.
8“If I were you, I would go to God
and present my case to him.
9He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
10He gives rain for the earth
and water for the fields.
11He gives prosperity to the poor
and protects those who suffer.
12He frustrates the plans of schemers
so the work of their hands will not succeed.
13He traps the wise in their own cleverness
so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
14They find it is dark in the daytime,
and they grope at noon as if it were night.
15He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong,
and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful.
16And so at last the poor have hope,
and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.
17“But consider the joy of those corrected by God!
Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.
18For though he wounds, he also bandages.
He strikes, but his hands also heal.
19From six disasters he will rescue you;
even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
20He will save you from death in time of famine,
from the power of the sword in time of war.
21You will be safe from slander
and have no fear when destruction comes.
22You will laugh at destruction and famine;
wild animals will not terrify you.
23You will be at peace with the stones of the field,
and its wild animals will be at peace with you.
24You will know that your home is safe.
When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.
25You will have many children;
your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!
26You will go to the grave at a ripe old age,
like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!
27“We have studied life and found all this to be true.
Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Job 5
5
Don’t Blame Fate When Things Go Wrong
1-7“Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer!
To which of the holy angels will you turn?
The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him,
the jealous anger of an idiot does her in.
I’ve seen it myself—seen fools putting down roots,
and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.
Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited,
with no one to stick up for them.
Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests,
cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all,
insatiable for everything they have.
Don’t blame fate when things go wrong—
trouble doesn’t come from nowhere.
It’s human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble,
as certainly as sparks fly upward.
What a Blessing When God Corrects You!
8-16“If I were in your shoes, I’d go straight to God,
I’d throw myself on the mercy of God.
After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts;
there’s no end to his surprises.
He gives rain, for instance, across the wide earth,
sends water to irrigate the fields.
He raises up the down-and-out,
gives firm footing to those sinking in grief.
He aborts the schemes of conniving crooks,
so that none of their plots come to term.
He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies—
all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!
Suddenly they’re disoriented, plunged into darkness;
they can’t see to put one foot in front of the other.
But the downtrodden are saved by God,
saved from the murderous plots, saved from the iron fist.
And so the poor continue to hope,
while injustice is bound and gagged.
17-19“So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!
Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God!
True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound;
the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
From one disaster after another he delivers you;
no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you—
20-26“In famine, he’ll keep you from starving,
in war, from being gutted by the sword.
You’ll be protected from vicious gossip
and live fearless through any catastrophe.
You’ll shrug off disaster and famine,
and stroll fearlessly among wild animals.
You’ll be on good terms with rocks and mountains;
wild animals will become your good friends.
You’ll know that your place on earth is safe,
you’ll look over your goods and find nothing amiss.
You’ll see your children grow up,
your family lovely and graceful as orchard grass.
You’ll arrive at your grave ripe with many good years,
like sheaves of golden grain at harvest.
27“Yes, this is the way things are—my word of honor!
Take it to heart and you won’t go wrong.”
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.