New International Version NIV
The Message Bible MSG
1 “Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
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"Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer! To which of the holy angels will you turn?
2 Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
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The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him, the jealous anger of a simpleton does her in.
3 I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
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I've seen it myself - seen fools putting down roots, and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.
4 His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
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Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no one to stick up for them.
5 The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from among thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
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Hungry people off the street plunder their harvests, cleaning them out completely, taking thorns and all, insatiable for everything they have.
6 For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.
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Don't blame fate when things go wrong - trouble doesn't come from nowhere.
7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
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It's human! Mortals are born and bred for trouble, as certainly as sparks fly upward. What a Blessing When God Corrects You!
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 in your shoes, I'd go straight to God, I'd throw myself on the mercy of God.
9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
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After all, he's famous for great and unexpected acts; there's no end to his surprises.
10 He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.
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He gives rain, for instance, across the wide earth, sends water to irrigate the fields.
11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
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He raises up the down-and-out, gives firm footing to those sinking in grief.
12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
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He aborts the schemes of conniving crooks, so that none of their plots come to term.
13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.
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He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies - all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!
14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.
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Suddenly they're disoriented, plunged into darkness; they can't see to put one foot in front of the other.
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 the downtrodden are saved by God, saved from the murderous plots, saved from the iron fist.
16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.
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And so the poor continue to hope, while injustice is bound and gagged.
17 “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
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"So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you! Mind you, don't despise the discipline of Almighty God!
18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.
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True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound; the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
19 From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you.
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From one disaster after another he delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can't 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'll keep you from starving, in war, from being gutted by 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'll be protected from vicious gossip and live fearless through any catastrophe.
22 You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the wild animals.
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You'll shrug off disaster and famine, and stroll fearlessly among 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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You'll be on good terms with rocks and mountains; wild animals will become your good friends.
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'll know that your place on earth is safe, you'll look over your goods and find nothing amiss.
25 You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
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You'll see your children grow up, your family lovely and lissome as orchard grass.
26 You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season.
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You'll arrive at your grave ripe with many good years, like sheaves of golden grain at harvest.
27 “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”
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"Yes, this is the way things are - my word of honor! Take it to heart and you won't go wrong." Job Replies to Eliphaz
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.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.