51 Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer? 2 For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion. 3 I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly the curse came on his house. 4 Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause. 5 Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.
6 For evil does not come out of the dust, or trouble out of the earth; 7 But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire. 8 But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him: 9 Who does great things outside our knowledge, wonders without number: 10 Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields: 11 Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place; 12 Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes. 13 He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly. 14 In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night. 15 But he keeps safe from their sword those who have no father, and the poor from the power of the strong. 16 So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.
17 Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all. 18 For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well. 19 He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you. 20 When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. 21 He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes. 22 You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth. 23 For you will be in agreement with the stones of the earth, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you. 24 And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone. 25 You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth. 26 You will come to your last resting-place in full strength, as the grain is taken up to the crushing-floor in its time. 27 See, we have made search with care, and it is so; it has come to our ears; see that you take note of it for yourself.
61 And Job made answer and said, 2 If only my passion might be measured, and put into the scales against my trouble! 3 For then its weight would be more than the sand of the seas: because of this my words have been uncontrolled. 4 For the arrows of the Ruler of all are present with me, and their poison goes deep into my spirit: his army of fears is put in order against me. 5 Does the ass of the fields give out his voice when he has grass? or does the ox make sounds over his food? 6 Will a man take food which has no taste without salt? or is there any taste in the soft substance of purslain? 7 My soul has no desire for such things, they are as disease in my food.
8 If only I might have an answer to my prayer, and God would give me my desire! 9 If only he would be pleased to put an end to me; and would let loose his hand, so that I might be cut off! 10 So I would still have comfort, and I would have joy in the pains of death, for I have not been false to the words of the Holy One. 11 Have I strength to go on waiting, or have I any end to be looking forward to? 12 Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh brass? 13 I have no help in myself, and wisdom is completely gone from me.
14 He whose heart is shut against his friend has given up the fear of the Ruler of all. 15 My friends have been false like a stream, like streams in the valleys which come to an end: 16 Which are dark because of the ice, and the snow falling into them; 17 Under the burning sun they are cut off, and come to nothing because of the heat. 18 The camel-trains go out of their way; they go up into the waste and come to destruction. 19 The camel-trains of Tema were searching with care, the bands of Sheba were waiting for them: 20 They were put to shame because of their hope; they came and their hope was gone. 21 So have you now become to me; you see my sad condition and are in fear.
22 Did I say, Give me something? or, Make a payment for me out of your wealth? 23 Or, Get me out of the power of my hater? or, Give money so that I may be free from the power of the cruel ones? 24 Give me teaching and I will be quiet; and make me see my error. 25 How pleasing are upright words! but what force is there in your arguments? 26 My words may seem wrong to you, but the words of him who has no hope are for the wind. 27 Truly, you are such as would give up the child of a dead man to his creditors, and would make a profit out of your friend. 28 Now then, let your eyes be turned to me, for truly I will not say what is false to your face. 29 Let your minds be changed, and do not have an evil opinion of me; yes, be changed, for my righteousness is still in me. 30 Is there evil in my tongue? is not the cause of my trouble clear to me?
71 Has not man his ordered time of trouble on the earth? and are not his days like the days of a servant working for payment? 2 As a servant desiring the shades of evening, and a workman looking for his payment: 3 So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me. 4 When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light. 5 My flesh is covered with worms and dust; my skin gets hard and then is cracked again. 6 My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.
7 O, keep in mind that my life is wind: my eye will never again see good. 8 The eye of him who sees me will see me no longer: your eyes will be looking for me, but I will be gone. 9 A cloud comes to an end and is gone; so he who goes down into the underworld comes not up again. 10 He will not come back to his house, and his place will have no more knowledge of him. 11 So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry. 12 Am I a sea, or a sea-beast, that you put a watch over me? 13 When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease; 14 Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear; 15 So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains. 16 I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.
17 What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him, 18 And that your hand is on him every morning, and that you are testing him every minute? 19 How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space? 20 If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself? 21 And why do you not take away my sin, and let my wrongdoing be ended? for now I go down to the dust, and you will be searching for me with care, but I will be gone.
