New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
1"Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? | 1“Cry for help, but will anyone answer you? Which of the angels will help you? |
2"For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple. | 2Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple. |
3"I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately. | 3I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster. |
4"His sons are far from safety, They are even oppressed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. | 4Their children are abandoned far from help; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them. |
5"His harvest the hungry devour And take it to a place of thorns, And the schemer is eager for their wealth. | 5The hungry devour their harvest, even when it is guarded by brambles. The thirsty pant after their wealth. |
6"For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, | 6But evil does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth. |
7For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward. | 7People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire. |
8"But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; | 8“If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him. |
9Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. | 9He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles. |
10"He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields, | 10He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields. |
11So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety. | 11He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer. |
12"He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, So that their hands cannot attain success. | 12He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed. |
13"He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted. | 13He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted. |
14"By day they meet with darkness, And grope at noon as in the night. | 14They find it is dark in the daytime, and they grope at noon as if it were night. |
15"But He saves from the sword of their mouth, And the poor from the hand of the mighty. | 15He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong, and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful. |
16"So the helpless has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth. | 16And so at last the poor have hope, and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut. |
17"Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. | 17“But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. |
18"For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal. | 18For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal. |
19"From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you. | 19From six disasters he will rescue you; even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil. |
20"In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. | 20He will save you from death in time of famine, from the power of the sword in time of war. |
21"You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. | 21You will be safe from slander and have no fear when destruction comes. |
22"You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of wild beasts. | 22You will laugh at destruction and famine; wild animals will not terrify you. |
23"For you will be in league with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. | 23You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its wild animals will be at peace with you. |
24"You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. | 24You will know that your home is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing. |
25"You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. | 25You will have many children; your descendants will be as plentiful as grass! |
26"You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season. | 26You will go to the grave at a ripe old age, like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time! |
27"Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself." | 27“We have studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.” |
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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