New Century Version NCV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 "Call if you want to, Job, but no one will answer you. You can't turn to any of the holy ones.
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"Call if you like, but will anyone answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 Anger kills the fool, and jealousy slays the stupid.
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For anger kills the fool, and envy slays the silly.
3 I have seen a fool succeed, but I cursed his home immediately.
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I watch as a fool establishes roots, but I curse his home with sudden [destruction] -
4 His children are far from safety and are crushed in court with no defense.
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his children are far from help, publicly humiliated, with no one to rescue;
5 The hungry eat his harvest, even taking what grew among the thorns, and thirsty people want his wealth.
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the hungry eat up his harvest, taking it even from among thorns, while the thirsty are panting, eager to swallow his wealth.
6 Hard times do not come up from the ground, and trouble does not grow from the earth.
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For misery does not come from the dust or trouble spring from the ground.
7 People produce trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
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No, people are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
8 "But if I were you, I would call on God and bring my problem before him.
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"If I were you, I would seek God; I would make my plea to him.
9 God does wonders that cannot be understood; he does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
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For God does great deeds beyond investigation, wonders beyond all reckoning.
10 He gives rain to the earth and sends water on the fields.
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He gives rain to the earth, pours water down on the fields.
11 He makes the humble person important and lifts the sad to places of safety.
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He raises the lowly on high and lifts mourners to safety.
12 He ruins the plans of those who trick others so they have no success.
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He frustrates the schemes of the cunning, so that they achieve no success;
13 He catches the wise in their own clever traps and sweeps away the plans of those who try to trick others.
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trapping the crafty in their own tricks and foiling quickly the plans of the false.
14 Darkness covers them up in the daytime; even at noon they feel around in the dark.
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They meet with darkness during the day, groping at noon like at night.
15 God saves the needy from their lies and from the harm done by powerful people.
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But he saves the poor from the sword, their mouth, and from the clutches of the strong;
16 So the poor have hope, while those who are unfair are silenced.
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so the poor can hope again; and injustice shuts its mouth.
17 "The one whom God corrects is happy, so do not hate being corrected by the Almighty.
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"How happy the person whom God corrects! So don't despise Shaddai's discipline.
18 God hurts, but he also bandages up; he injures, but his hands also heal.
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For he wounds, but he bandages the sore; his hands may strike, but they also heal.
19 He will save you from six troubles; even seven troubles will not harm you.
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He will rescue you from six disasters; yes, in seven no harm will touch you.
20 God will buy you back from death in times of hunger, and in battle he will save you from the sword.
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In famine, he will save you from death, and in war, from the power of the sword.
21 You will be protected from the tongue that strikes like a whip, and you will not be afraid when destruction comes.
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You will be shielded from the lash of the tongue, and you won't have to fear destruction when it comes -
22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger, and you will not fear the wild animals,
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you'll be able to laugh at destruction and famine. Also you won't have to fear wild animals,
23 because you will have an agreement with the stones in the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
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for you will be in league with the stones in the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your tent is safe, because you will check the things you own and find nothing missing.
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You will know that your tent is safe; you will look round your home and miss nothing.
25 You will know that you will have many children, and your descendants will be like the grass on the earth.
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You will know that your descendants are many, your offspring like grass [growing thick] in the fields.
26 You will come to the grave with all your strength, like bundles of grain gathered at the right time.
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You will come to your grave at a ripe old age, like a pile of grain that arrives in season.
27 "We have checked this, and it is true, so hear it and decide what it means to you."
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"We've looked into this, and that's how it is; listen, and know that it's for your own good."
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.