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.
