Job 4:12–5:7

¹²“Now a word ^awas brought to me stealthily,

And my ear received a ^bwhisper of it.

¹³“Amid disquieting ^athoughts from the visions of the night,

When deep sleep falls on men,

¹⁴Dread came upon me, and trembling,

And made the multitude of my bones shake in dread.

¹⁵“Then a ¹spirit swept by my face;

The hair of my flesh bristled up.

¹⁶“It stood still, but I could not recognize its appearance;

A form was before my eyes;

There was silence, then I heard a voice:

¹⁷‘Can ^amankind be right ¹before God?

Can a man be pure ²before his ^bMaker?

¹⁸‘^aHe puts no trust even in His slaves;

And against His angels He charges error.

¹⁹‘How much more those who dwell in ^ahouses of clay,

Whose ^bfoundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before the moth!

²⁰‘^aBetween morning and evening they are broken in pieces;

¹Unobserved, they ^bperish forever.

²¹‘Is not their ^atent-cord pulled up within them?

They die, yet ^bwithout wisdom.’

CHAPTER 5

The Discipline of the Almighty

¹“Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?

And to which of the ^aholy ones will you turn?

²“For ^avexation kills the ignorant fool,

And jealousy puts to death the simple.

³“I have seen the ^aignorant fool taking root,

And I ^bcursed his abode suddenly.

⁴“His ^asons are far from salvation,

They are even crushed in the gate,

And there is no deliverer.

⁵“¹His harvest the hungry devour

And take it to a place of thorns,

And the ^2aschemer pants after their wealth.

⁶“For ^awickedness does not come out from the dust,

Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

⁷For ^aman is born for trouble,

As ¹sparks fly upward.