[1] “Call out now; Is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
[2] For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one.
[3] I have seen the foolish taking root, But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
[4] His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
[5] Because the hungry eat up his harvest, Taking it even from the thorns, And a snare snatches their substance.
[6] For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
[7] Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
[8] “But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause—
[9] Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number.
[10] He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields.
[11] He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
[12] He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
[13] He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
[14] They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noontime as in the night.
[15] But He saves the needy from the sword, From the mouth of the mighty, And from their hand.
[16] So the poor have hope, And injustice shuts her mouth.
[17] “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
[18] For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.
[19] He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
[20] In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
[21] You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
[22] You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
[23] For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
[24] You shall know that your tent is in peace; You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
[25] You shall also know that your descendants shall be many, And your offspring like the grass of the earth.
[26] You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
[27] Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself.”