¹"Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? ²"For anger slays the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple. ³"I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately. ⁴"His sons are far from safety, They are even oppressed 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 is eager for their wealth. ⁶"For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, ⁷For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward. ⁸"But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; ⁹Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. ¹⁰"He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields, ¹¹So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety. ¹²"He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, So that their hands cannot attain success. ¹³"He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, And the advice of the cunning 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 poor from the hand of the mighty. ¹⁶"So the helpless has hope, And unrighteousness must shut its mouth. ¹⁷"Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. ¹⁸"For He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal. ¹⁹"From six troubles 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 the power of the sword. ²¹"You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. ²²"You will laugh at violence and famine, And you will not be afraid of wild beasts. ²³"For you will be in league 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 secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss. ²⁵"You will know also that your descendants will be many, And your offspring as the grass of the earth. 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."

For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward. "But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number.