• The Discipline of the Almighty

  • 1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
  • 2 “For vexation kills the ignorant fool, And jealousy puts to death the simple.
  • 3 “I have seen the ignorant fool taking root, And I cursed his abode suddenly.
  • 4 “His sons are far from salvation, They are even crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
  • 5 “His harvest the hungry devour And take it to a place of thorns, And the schemer pants after their wealth.
  • 6 “For wickedness does not come out from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
  • 7 For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.
  • 8 “But as for me, I would seek God, And I would set my cause before God,
  • 9 Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number.
  • 10 “He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields outside,
  • 11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to salvation.
  • 12 “He frustrates the thoughts of the crafty, So that their hands cannot attain success of sound wisdom.
  • 13 “He catches the wise by their own craftiness, And the counsel of the twisted is quickly thwarted.
  • 14 “By day they meet with darkness And grope at noon as in the night.
  • 15 “But He saves from the sword of their mouth, And the needy from the hand of the strong.
  • 16 “So the poor has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.
  • 17 “Behold, how blessed is the man whom God reproves, So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
  • 18 “For He inflicts pain and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.
  • 19 “From six distresses He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you.
  • 20 “In famine He will redeem you from death, And in war from hands with swords.
  • 21 “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of devastation when it comes.
  • 22 “You will laugh at devastation and starvation, And you will not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
  • 23 “For your covenant will be with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
  • 24 “You will know that your tent is at peace, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
  • 25 “You will know also that your seed will be many, And your offspring as the vegetation of the land.
  • 26 “You will come to the grave in full vigor, Like the stacking of grain in its season.
  • 27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself.”