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