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.