¹ Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer?

² For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion.

³ I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly the curse came on his house.

⁴ Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause.

⁵ Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.

⁶ For evil does not come out of the dust, or trouble out of the earth;

⁷ But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.

⁸ But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him:

⁹ Who does great things outside our knowledge, wonders without number:

¹⁰ Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields:

¹¹ Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place;

¹² Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.

¹³ He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.

¹⁴ In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.

¹⁵ But he keeps safe from their sword those who have no father, and the poor from the power of the strong.

¹⁶ So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.

¹⁷ Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.

¹⁸ For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well.

¹⁹ He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.

²⁰ When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

²¹ He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.

²² You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.

²³ For you will be in agreement with the stones of the earth, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

²⁴ And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.

²⁵ You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.

²⁶ You will come to your last resting-place in full strength, as the grain is taken up to the crushing-floor in its time.

²⁷ See, we have made search with care, and it is so; it has come to our ears; see that you take note of it for yourself.