Ungodly Complainers Provoke God’s Wrath

4:12 “Now a word was secretly38 brought39 to me,

and my ear caught40 a whisper41 of it.

4:13 In the troubling thoughts42 of the dreams43 in the night

when a deep sleep44 falls on men,

4:14 a trembling45 gripped me—and a terror!—

and made all my bones shake.46

4:15 Then a breath of air47 passes48 by my face;

it makes49 the hair of my flesh stand up.

4:16 It stands still,50

but I cannot recognize51 its appearance;

an image is before my eyes,

and I hear a murmuring voice:52

4:17 “Is53 a mortal man54 righteous55 before56 God?

Or a man pure57 before his Creator?58

4:18 If59 God60 puts no trust in61 his servants62

and attributes63 folly64 to his angels,

4:19 how much more to those who live in houses of clay,65

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed66 like67 a moth?

4:20 They are destroyed68 between morning and evening;69

they perish forever70 without anyone regarding it.71

4:21 Is not their excess wealth72 taken away from them?73

They die,74 yet without attaining wisdom.75

5:1 “Call now!1 Is there anyone who will answer you?2

To which of the holy ones3 will you turn?4

5:2 For5 wrath kills the foolish person,6

and anger7 slays the silly one.

5:3 I myself8 have seen the fool9 taking root,

but suddenly I cursed his place of residence.10

5:4 His children are far11 from safety,

and they are crushed12 at the place where judgment is rendered,13

nor is there anyone to deliver them.14

5:5 The hungry15 eat up his harvest,16

and take it even from behind the thorns,17

and the thirsty18 swallow up19 their fortune.20

5:6 For evil does not come up from the dust,21

nor does trouble spring up from the ground,

5:7 but people22 are born23 to trouble,

as surely as the sparks24 fly25 upward.26