| | 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." | |
