Chapter 5

1Call now! Will anyone answer you? To whom among the holy beings will you turn?

אקְרָא־נָא הֲיֵשׁ עוֹנֶךָּ וְאֶל־מִי מִקְּדֹשִׁים תִּפְנֶה׃

2Vexation kills the fool; Passion slays the simpleton.

בכִּי־לֶאֱוִיל יַהֲרָג־כָּעַשׂ וּפֹתֶה תָּמִית קִנְאָה׃

3I myself saw a fool who had struck roots; Impulsively, I cursed his home:

גאֲ‍נִי־רָאִיתִי אֱוִיל מַשְׁרִישׁ וָאֶקּוֹב נָוֵהוּ פִתְאֹם׃

4May his children be far from success; May they be oppressed in the gate with none to deliver them;

דיִרְחֲקוּ בָנָיו מִיֶּשַׁע וְיִדַּכְּאוּ בַשַּׁעַר וְאֵין מַצִּיל׃

5May the hungry devour his harvest, Carrying it off in baskets; May the thirsty swallow their wealth.

האֲשֶׁר קְצִירוֹ רָעֵב יֹאכֵל וְאֶל־מִצִּנִּים יִקָּחֵהוּ וְשָׁאַף צַמִּים חֵילָם׃

6Evil does not grow out of the soil, Nor does mischief spring from the ground;

KEE lo yay-TZAY may-a-FAR A-ven u-may-a-da-MAH lo yitz-MAKH a-MAL

וכִּי לֹא־יֵצֵא מֵעָפָר אָוֶן וּמֵאֲדָמָה לֹא־יִצְמַח עָמָל׃

7For man is born to [do] mischief, Just as sparks fly upward.

זכִּי־אָדָם לְעָמָל יוּלָּד וּבְנֵי־רֶשֶׁף יַגְבִּיהוּ עוּף׃

8But I would resort to Hashem; I would lay my case before Hashem,

חאוּלָם אֲנִי אֶדְרֹשׁ אֶל־אֵל וְאֶל־אֱלֹהִים אָשִׂים דִּבְרָתִי׃

9Who performs great deeds which cannot be fathomed, Wondrous things without number;

טעֹשֶׂה גְדֹלוֹת וְאֵין חֵקֶר נִפְלָאוֹת עַד־אֵין מִסְפָּר׃

10Who gives rain to the earth, And sends water over the fields;

יהַנֹּתֵן מָטָר עַל־פְּנֵי־אָרֶץ וְשֹׁלֵחַ מַיִם עַל־פְּנֵי חוּצוֹת׃

11Who raises the lowly up high, So that the dejected are secure in victory;

יאלָשׂוּם שְׁפָלִים לְמָרוֹם וְקֹדְרִים שָׂגְבוּ יֶשַׁע׃

12Who thwarts the designs of the crafty, So that their hands cannot gain success;

יבמֵפֵר מַחְשְׁבוֹת עֲרוּמִים וְלֹא־תַעֲשֶׂינָה יְדֵיהֶם תּוּשִׁיָּה׃

13Who traps the clever in their own wiles; The plans of the crafty go awry.

יגלֹכֵד חֲכָמִים בְּעָרְמָם וַעֲצַת נִפְתָּלִים נִמְהָרָה׃

14By day they encounter darkness, At noon they grope as in the night.

ידיוֹמָם יְפַגְּשׁוּ־חֹשֶׁךְ וְכַלַּיְלָה יְמַשְׁשׁוּ בַצָּהֳרָיִם׃

15But He saves the needy from the sword of their mouth, From the clutches of the strong.

טווַיֹּשַׁע מֵחֶרֶב מִפִּיהֶם וּמִיַּד חָזָק אֶבְיוֹן׃

16So there is hope for the wretched; The mouth of wrongdoing is stopped.

טזוַתְּהִי לַדַּל תִּקְוָה וְעֹלָתָה קָפְצָה פִּיהָ׃

17See how happy is the man whom Hashem reproves; Do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.

יזהִנֵּה אַשְׁרֵי אֱנוֹשׁ יוֹכִחֶנּוּ אֱלוֹהַּ וּמוּסַר שַׁדַּי אַל־תִּמְאָס׃

18He injures, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands heal.

יחכִּי הוּא יַכְאִיב וְיֶחְבָּשׁ יִמְחַץ וידו [וְיָדָיו] תִּרְפֶּינָה׃

19He will deliver you from six troubles; In seven no harm will reach you:

יטבְּשֵׁשׁ צָרוֹת יַצִּילֶךָּ וּבְשֶׁבַע לֹא־יִגַּע בְּךָ רָע׃

20In famine He will redeem you from death, In war, from the sword.

כבְּרָעָב פָּדְךָ מִמָּוֶת וּבְמִלְחָמָה מִידֵי חָרֶב׃

21You will be sheltered from the scourging tongue; You will have no fear when violence comes.

כאבְּשׁוֹט לָשׁוֹן תֵּחָבֵא וְלֹא־תִירָא מִשֹּׁד כִּי יָבוֹא׃

22You will laugh at violence and starvation, And have no fear of wild beasts.

כבלְשֹׁד וּלְכָפָן תִּשְׂחָק וּמֵחַיַּת הָאָרֶץ אַל־תִּירָא׃

23For you will have a pact with the rocks in the field, And the beasts of the field will be your allies.

כגכִּי עִם־אַבְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה בְרִיתֶךָ וְחַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה הָשְׁלְמָה־לָךְ׃

24You will know that all is well in your tent; When you visit your wife you will never fail.

כדוְיָדַעְתָּ כִּי־שָׁלוֹם אָהֳלֶךָ וּפָקַדְתָּ נָוְךָ וְלֹא תֶחֱטָא׃

25You will see that your offspring are many, Your descendants like the grass of the earth.

כהוְיָדַעְתָּ כִּי־רַב זַרְעֶךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֶיךָ כְּעֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ׃

26You will come to the grave in ripe old age, As shocks of grain are taken away in their season.

כותָּבוֹא בְכֶלַח אֱלֵי־קָבֶר כַּעֲלוֹת גָּדִישׁ בְּעִתּוֹ׃

27See, we have inquired into this and it is so; Hear it and accept it.

כזהִנֵּה־זֹאת חֲקַרְנוּהָ כֶּן־הִיא שְׁמָעֶנָּה וְאַתָּה דַע־לָךְ׃