May 16 - Job 5-7
Job
1Therefore call, if there are any who will respond to you, and turn to one or another of the saints2Truly, anger condemns the foolish to death, and envy kills the petty3I have seen a fool with a strong root, and I have cursed his excellence without hesitation4His sons will be far from prosperity and will be crushed at the gate, and there will be none who can rescue them5Their harvest, the starving will eat. The armed man will rob him, and the thirsty will drink his resources6Nothing on earth occurs without a reason, and sorrow does not rise from the earth7Man is born to labor, and the bird to fly8Therefore, because of this, I will beg the Lord, and place my eloquence before God9He does great and unfathomable and miraculous things without number10He gives rain over the face of the earth and irrigates all things with the waters11He places the humble on high and encourages the grieving towards health12He dispels the thoughts of the spiteful, lest their hands be able to complete what they had begun13He catches the wise in their cleverness and dissipates the counsel of the perverse14They will encounter darkness in the daytime, and they will grope at midday just as in the night15Thereafter, he will act to save the needy from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the violent16And there will be hope for those in need, for iniquity will diminish its speech17Blessed is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not reject the chastisement of the Lord18For he wounds and he cures; he strikes and his hands will heal19He will deliver you into six tribulations, and in the seventh, evil will not touch you20During famine, he will rescue you from death, and during war, from the hand of the sword21You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not fear calamity when it arrives22In desolation and in famine, you will laugh, and you will not dread the beasts of the earth23For you are in harmony with the stones of the land, and the beasts of the earth will make peace with you24And you will know that your home has peace, and, concerning your appearance, you will not sin25Likewise, you will know that your offspring will be manifold and your progeny will be like the grass of the earth26You will enter the grave with abundance, just as a crop of wheat is gathered in its time27Behold, this is just as we have found it, which you have heard; walk it through your mind
1But Job, responding, said2I wish that my sins, for which I deserve wrath, and the calamity that I endure, were weighed out on a balance3Compared to the sand of the sea, they would appear heavier, and so my words are full of sorrow4For the arrows of the Lord are in me, my spirit drinks of their indignation, and the terrors of the Lord are soldiers against me5Will the wild ass bray when he has grass? Or will the ox bellow when he stands before a full manger6Or can one eat bland food, which is not seasoned with salt? Or can anyone taste that which, if tasted, causes death7The things that my soul was unwilling to touch before, now, because of anguish, are my foods8Who will grant that my petition may arrive and that God may bestow on me what I expect9and that he who, at first, had crushed me, will let loose his hand and cut me down10And may this be my consolation, that in afflicting me with sorrow, although he might not be lenient with me, I still do not contradict the words of the Holy One11For what is my strength, that I may continue? Or what is my goal, so that I may act patiently12My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh made of bronze13Behold, there is no help for me in myself, and my loved ones also have withdrawn from me14He who takes away mercy from his friend, abandons the fear of the Lord15My brethren have disregarded me, like a torrent that passes swiftly through the steep valleys16Those who fear frost, snow will rush over them17At that time, when they are scattered, they will perish, and when it becomes hot, they will be freed from their place18The paths of their steps are entangled; they will walk in vain and will perish19Consider the paths of Thema, the ways of Saba, and wait a little while20They have been thrown into confusion, just as I had hoped; they have even come to me and are overwhelmed with shame21Now you have arrived, and merely by seeing my affliction, you are afraid22Did I say: "Bring to me and give to me from your necessities?23or, "Free me from the hand of the enemy and rescue me from the hand of the strong?24Teach me, and I will be silent, and if by chance I have been ignorant of anything, instruct me25Why have you diminished the words of truth, when there is none of you who is able to offer proof against me26You prepare speeches as so much noise, and you offer words into the wind27You encroach upon the orphan, and you strive to undermine your friend28Such is true, so finish what you have begun. Listen closely, and see if I lie29Respond, I beg you, without contention, and, speaking what is just, pass judgment30And you will not find iniquity on my tongue, nor will foolishness resound in my throat
1The life of a man on the earth is a battle, and his days are like the days of a hired hand2Just as a servant desires the shade, and just as the hired hand looks forward to the end of his work3so also have I had empty months and have counted my burdensome nights4If I lie down to sleep, I will say, "When will I rise?" And next I will hope for the evening and will be filled with sorrows even until darkness5My flesh is clothed with particles of rottenness and filth; my skin is dried up and tightened6My days have passed by more quickly than threads are cut by a weaver, and they have been consumed without any hope7Remember that my life is wind, and my eye will not return to see good things8Neither will the sight of man gaze upon me; your eyes are upon me, and I will not endure9Just as a cloud is consumed and passes away, so he who descends to hell will not ascend10He will not return again to his house, nor will his own place know him any longer11And because of this, I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the affliction of my spirit. I will converse from the bitterness of my soul12Am I an ocean or a whale, that you have encircled me in a prison13If I say, "My bed will comfort me, and I will find rest, speaking with myself on my blanket,14then you will frighten me with dreams, and strike dread through visions15so that, because of these things, my soul would choose hanging, and my bones, death16I despair; by no means will I live any longer. Spare me, for my days are nothing17What is man, that you should praise him? Or why do you place your heart near him18You visit him at dawn, and you test him unexpectedly19How long will you not spare me, nor release me to ingest my saliva20I have sinned; what should I do for you, O keeper of men? Why have you set me against you, so that I have become burdensome even to myself21Why do you not steal away my sin, and why do you not sweep away my iniquity? Behold, now I will sleep in the dust, and if you seek me in the morning, I will not remain