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 ¹all my bones shake.

¹⁵“Then a ¹spirit passed by my face;

The hair of my flesh bristled up.

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

A form was before my eyes;

There was silence, then I heard a voice:

¹⁷‘Can ^amankind be just ¹before God?

Can a man be pure before his ^bMaker?

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

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;

Unobserved, they ^bperish forever.

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

They die, yet ^bwithout wisdom.’

Chapter 5

God Is Just

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

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

²“For ^aanger slays the foolish man,

And jealousy kills the simple.

³“I have seen the ^afoolish taking root,

And I ^bcursed his abode immediately.

⁴“His ^asons are far from safety,

They are even ¹oppressed 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 is eager for their wealth.

⁶“For ^aaffliction does not come from the dust,

Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

⁷For ^aman is born for trouble,

As sparks fly upward.