New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 “Cry for help, but will anyone answer you? Which of the angels will help you?
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"Call for help, Job, if you think anyone will answer! To which of the holy angels will you turn?
2 Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills 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 have seen that fools may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster.
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I've seen it myself - seen fools putting down roots, and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed.
4 Their children are abandoned far from help; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
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Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no one to stick up for them.
5 The hungry devour their harvest, even when it is guarded by brambles. The thirsty pant after their 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 But evil does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth.
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Don't blame fate when things go wrong - trouble doesn't come from nowhere.
7 People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.
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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 “If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to 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 does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.
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After all, he's famous for great and unexpected acts; there's no end to his surprises.
10 He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields.
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He gives rain, for instance, across the wide earth, sends water to irrigate the fields.
11 He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer.
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He raises up the down-and-out, gives firm footing to those sinking in grief.
12 He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed.
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He aborts the schemes of conniving crooks, so that none of their plots come to term.
13 He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
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He catches the know-it-alls in their conspiracies - all that intricate intrigue swept out with the trash!
14 They find it is dark in the daytime, and they grope at noon as if it were 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 rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong, and rescues 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 And so at last the poor have hope, and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut.
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And so the poor continue to hope, while injustice is bound and gagged.
17 “But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.
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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 though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, 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 disasters he will rescue you; even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil.
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From one disaster after another he delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can't touch you -
20 He will save you from death in time of famine, from the power of the sword in time of war.
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"In famine, he'll keep you from starving, in war, from being gutted by the sword.
21 You will be safe from slander and have no 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; wild animals will not terrify you.
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You'll shrug off disaster and famine, and stroll fearlessly among wild animals.
23 You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its 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 home is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be 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 have many children; your descendants will be as plentiful as grass!
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You'll see your children grow up, your family lovely and lissome as orchard grass.
26 You will go to the grave at a ripe old age, like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time!
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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 studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel, 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
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.