| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“Call out if you please, but who will answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn? | 1Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you? Which of the holy ones will you turn to? |
| 2For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. | 2For anger kills a fool, and jealousy slays the gullible. |
| 3I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed. | 3I have seen a fool taking root, but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home. |
| 4His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender. | 4His children are far from safety. They are crushed at the city gate, with no one to rescue them. |
| 5The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. | 5The hungry consume his harvest, even taking it out of the thorns. The thirsty pant for his children's wealth. |
| 6For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. | 6For distress does not grow out of the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. |
| 7Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. | 7But mankind is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. |
| 8However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and lay my cause before Him— | 8However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and would present my case to Him. |
| 9the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. | 9He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. |
| 10He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields. | 10He gives rain to the earth and sends water to the fields. |
| 11He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety. | 11He sets the lowly on high, and mourners are lifted to safety. |
| 12He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success. | 12He frustrates the schemes of the crafty so that they achieve no success. |
| 13He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning. | 13He traps the wise in their craftiness so that the plans of the deceptive are quickly brought to an end. |
| 14They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night. | 14They encounter darkness by day, and they grope at noon as if it were night. |
| 15He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful. | 15He saves the needy from their sharp words and from the clutches of the powerful. |
| 16So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. | 16So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. |
| 17Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. | 17See how happy the man is God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. |
| 18For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal. | 18For He crushes but also binds up; He strikes, but His hands also heal. |
| 19He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. | 19He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. |
| 20In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword. | 20In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle, from the power of the sword. |
| 21You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and will not fear havoc when it comes. | 21You will be safe from slander and not fear destruction when it comes. |
| 22You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth. | 22You will laugh at destruction and hunger and not fear the animals of the earth. |
| 23For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. | 23For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. |
| 24You will know that your tent is secure, and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home. | 24You will know that your tent is secure, and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home. |
| 25You will know that your offspring will be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth. | 25You will also know that your offspring will be many and your descendants like the grass of the earth. |
| 26You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season. | 26You will approach the grave in full vigor, as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season. |
| 27Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.” | 27We have investigated this, and it is true! Hear it and understand it for yourself. |
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