Call now, is there any that will answer thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

[(reversion to the reproof [after the prophecy])] Cry out now. Will anyone answer you? And to which of the holy ones [(who decreed this upon you)] will you turn [to war with]?

For anger kills the foolish man, and envy slays the simpleton.

For anger kills a fool [(like you. [Had you kept quiet, the attribute of mercy might have "returned" to you.])], and wrath slays the simpleton.

I have seen the foolish taking root: and suddenly I cursed his dwelling, saying,

[When] I saw the [wicked] fool take root, I cursed his abode at once:

Let his children be far from safety, and let them be crushed in the gate, with none to rescue them.

"Let his children be far from help; let them be ground in the gate, with none to come to the rescue."

Let the hungry eat up his harvest, and take it to the thorn hedges, and let the thirsty swallow up their substance.

[When the wicked one dies,] the hungry one [(who was despoiled by him in his lifetime)] will eat his harvest, and he [(the judge)] will take it for [the survivors] of his weapons, and the thirsty [i.e., the despoiled] will recover their wealth.

For affliction does not come out of the dust, nor does trouble spring out of the ground;

For affliction does not spring from the dust [i.e., in vain] and distress does not sprout from the earth.

but man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

For man is born to [suffer] distress [for his sins], [unlike] the flaming ones [(the angels)], who fly on high [(above such things)].

But I would seek to God, and to God I would commit my cause:

But [(were I in your position)], I would beseech the L rd and I would place my words [of supplication] with G d,

who does great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

who does great things which cannot be fathomed; wonders without end.

who gives rain upon the earth, and sends water upon the fields:

He bestows rain upon the earth [(Eretz Yisrael)] and sends water [(through an intermediary)] to the outlying regions,

to set up on high those who are low; that those who mourn may be exalted to safety.

to place the lowly on high [(against the intrigues of the price-gougers)]. And those [whose faces were] darkened [by hunger] have taken strength [in His] salvation.

He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their policy.

He sets to nought the thoughts of the subtle ones, and their hands do not execute their counsels.

He catches the wise in their own craftiness; and the rash counsel of the crooked.

He ensnares the wise in their [own] subtleties, and the counsel of the perverse hastens [to their destruction].

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

In the light of day, they will encounter darkness [(the foiling of their plans)], and, as in the night, they will feel about in the afternoon.

But he saves from the sword, from the enemy’s mouth; and the poor from the hand of the mighty.

And He will rescue [(their intended victims)] from the sword — from their mouths [(which sought to swallow them)] — and the lowly one from the hand of the strong.

So the poor has hope, and iniquity stops her mouth.

And the poor one shall realize [his] hope, and wrongdoing shall close its mouth.

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty:

Happy is the man whom G d chastises [(and whom He thus heals), so] do not spurn the reproof of the Almighty.

for he makes sore, and binds up: he wounds, but his hands make whole.

For [wherewith] He wounds, He binds up, and with the hands He strikes with He heals.

He will deliver thee in six troubles: and in seven no evil shall touch thee.

From [(the following)] six woes He shall save you [(by the afflictions which you have suffered)], and in the seventh, evil shall not reach you.

In famine he will redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

In hunger he will redeem you from death, and in war, from the hands of the sword.

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: nor shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it comes.

When the tongue [of slander] is unleashed, you will be hidden, and you will not fear destruction when it comes.

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: nor shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

You will laugh at despoiling and hoarding, and you will not fear the "beasts of the earth" [(robbers)].

For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the wild beasts shall be at peace with thee.

But with the avnei hasadeh [(a man-like creature)] will be your covenant, and the chayath hasadeh [(a kind of creature)] will be at peace with you.

And thou shalt know that thy tent is at peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt miss nothing.

And [(wherever you are)] you will know that there is peace in your tent, and you will survey your abode and find nothing lacking [(this being "the seventh" [verse 19])].

Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thy offspring as the grass of the earth.

And you will know that your children will be many, and your offspring as the grass of the earth.

Thou shalt come to thy grave with a rich harvest, like a full sheaf of corn which comes up in its season.

You will come to the grave in a ripe old age, as the harvest is taken up in its time.

Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know it, for thy good.

We have proved this. It is true. Pay heed to it. And you, know what you have to do.