As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.

For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground.

Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him—

the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.

He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields.

He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.

He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.

He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.

They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.

He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.

So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.

He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven.

In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.

You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and will not fear havoc when it comes.

You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.

For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

You will know that your tent is secure, and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home.

You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth.

You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.

Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.”

Then Job replied:

“If only my grief could be weighed and placed with my calamity on the scales.