New International Version NIV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 “Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
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"Call if you like, but will anyone answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
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For anger kills the fool, and envy slays the silly.
3 I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
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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, crushed in court without a defender.
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his children are far from help, publicly humiliated, with no one to rescue;
5 The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from among thorns, and the thirsty pant after 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 For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.
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For misery does not come from the dust or trouble spring from the ground.
7 Yet man is born to 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 appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.
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"If I were you, I would seek God; I would make my plea to him.
9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
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For God does great deeds beyond investigation, wonders beyond all reckoning.
10 He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.
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He gives rain to the earth, pours water down on the fields.
11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
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He raises the lowly on high and lifts mourners to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve 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 craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
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trapping the crafty in their own tricks and foiling quickly the plans of the false.
14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.
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They meet with darkness during the day, groping at noon like at night.
15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.
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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, and injustice shuts its mouth.
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so the poor can hope again; and injustice shuts its mouth.
17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
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"How happy the person whom God corrects! So don't despise Shaddai's discipline.
18 For he wounds, but he also binds 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 From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you.
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He will rescue you from six disasters; yes, in seven no harm will touch you.
20 In famine he will deliver you from death, and in battle from the stroke of 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 lash of the tongue, and need not fear 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 famine, and need 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 For you will have a covenant with the stones of 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 secure; you will take stock of your property 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 your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of 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 in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season.
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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 examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”
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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 quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.