1I have seen a fool taking root when
suddenly his household collapsed.
2His children went about without security,
crushed in court without a defender.
3The hungry consumed his harvest
and carried it to a hiding place;
his surplus was taken away,
the thirsty hankered after his wealth.
4For affliction comes not from the earth,
nor does sorrow sprout from the ground;
5humans are those who carry about trouble,
as an eagle in the heights brings down lightning flash.
6Resentment kills the fool,
and anger slays the simple.
7Call then, but who will answer you?
Who of the Saints will you turn to?
8If I were you, I would appeal to God
and lay before him my case,
9for wonders are past all reckoning,
his miracles beyond all counting.
10He pours rain down on the earth
and sends water upon the fields.
11He sets the lowly on high,
turns grief into joy.
12He wrecks the plans of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13He traps the clever in their devices
and puts an end to the schemes of the wily.
14Darkness comes upon them in the daytime;
they grope at noon as in the night.
15He rescues the despoiled from the despoiler,
the weak from the hands of the violent.
16Thus hope comes to the lowly,
and injustice shuts its mouth.
17Blessed is the one whom God corrects;
reject not, therefore, the lessons of the Almighty,
18He cures the wounds he has inflicted;
he strikes but he also heals.
19From six troubles he will rescue you;
at the seventh no harm will touch you.
20In famine he saves you from death;
in war, from the threat of the sword.
21You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,
and have no dread of marauding bands.
22You will laugh at destruction and want;
and have no fear of the wild animals.
23No more stones in your fields, the soil will serve you,
and wild animals be at peace with you.
24You will find your tent secure,
your household untouched when you come home.
25You will have children in plenty
and descendants like the grass of the hills.
26You will come to the grave in a ripe age,
like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
27This we have examined and found true.
This we have heard, and you should know.
