| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1“Call out now; Is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? | 1“Cry for help, but will anyone answer you? Which of the angels will help you? |
| 2For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one. | 2Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple. |
| 3I have seen the foolish taking root, But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place. | 3I have seen that fools may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster. |
| 4His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer. | 4Their children are abandoned far from help; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them. |
| 5Because the hungry eat up his harvest, Taking it even from the thorns, And a snare snatches their substance. | 5The hungry devour their harvest, even when it is guarded by brambles. The thirsty pant after their wealth. |
| 6For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground; | 6But evil does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth. |
| 7Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward. | 7People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire. |
| 8“But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause— | 8“If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him. |
| 9Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number. | 9He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles. |
| 10He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields. | 10He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields. |
| 11He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety. | 11He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer. |
| 12He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans. | 12He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed. |
| 13He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them. | 13He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted. |
| 14They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noontime as in the night. | 14They find it is dark in the daytime, and they grope at noon as if it were night. |
| 15But He saves the needy from the sword, From the mouth of the mighty, And from their hand. | 15He rescues the poor from the cutting words of the strong, and rescues them from the clutches of the powerful. |
| 16So the poor have hope, And injustice shuts her mouth. | 16And so at last the poor have hope, and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut. |
| 17“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. | 17“But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. |
| 18For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. | 18For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal. |
| 19He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. | 19From six disasters he will rescue you; even in the seventh, he will keep you from evil. |
| 20In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword. | 20He will save you from death in time of famine, from the power of the sword in time of war. |
| 21You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes. | 21You will be safe from slander and have no fear when destruction comes. |
| 22You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth. | 22You will laugh at destruction and famine; wild animals will not terrify you. |
| 23For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. | 23You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its wild animals will be at peace with you. |
| 24You shall know that your tent is in peace; You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss. | 24You will know that your home is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing. |
| 25You shall also know that your descendants shall be many, And your offspring like the grass of the earth. | 25You will have many children; your descendants will be as plentiful as grass! |
| 26You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season. | 26You will go to the grave at a ripe old age, like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time! |
| 27Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself.” | 27“We have studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel, and apply it to yourself.” |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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