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“Call out now; Is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
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2 |
For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one.
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3 |
I have seen the foolish taking root, But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
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4 |
His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
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5 |
Because the hungry eat up his harvest, Taking it even from the thorns, And a snare snatches their substance.
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6 |
For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
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7 |
Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
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8 |
“But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause—
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9 |
Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number.
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10 |
He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields.
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11 |
He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
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12 |
He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
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13 |
He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
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14 |
They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noontime as in the night.
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15 |
But He saves the needy from the sword, From the mouth of the mighty, And from their hand.
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16 |
So the poor have hope, And injustice shuts her mouth.
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17 |
“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
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18 |
For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.
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19 |
He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
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20 |
In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
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21 |
You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
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22 |
You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
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23 |
For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
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24 |
You shall know that your tent is in peace; You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
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25 |
You shall also know that your descendants shall be many, And your offspring like the grass of the earth.
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26 |
You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
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27 |
Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself.”
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