| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? | 1Call out if you please. Will anyone answer you? Which of the holy ones will you turn to? |
| 2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. | 2For anger kills a fool, and jealousy slays the gullible. |
| 3I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. | 3I have seen a fool taking root, but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home. |
| 4His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them. | 4His children are far from safety. They are crushed at the city gate, with no one to rescue them. |
| 5Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance. | 5The hungry consume his harvest, even taking it out of the thorns. The thirsty pant for his children's wealth. |
| 6Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; | 6For distress does not grow out of the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. |
| 7Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. | 7But mankind is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. |
| 8I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: | 8However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and would present my case to Him. |
| 9Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: | 9He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. |
| 10Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: | 10He gives rain to the earth and sends water to the fields. |
| 11To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. | 11He sets the lowly on high, and mourners are lifted to safety. |
| 12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. | 12He frustrates the schemes of the crafty so that they achieve no success. |
| 13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. | 13He traps the wise in their craftiness so that the plans of the deceptive are quickly brought to an end. |
| 14They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. | 14They encounter darkness by day, and they grope at noon as if it were night. |
| 15But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. | 15He saves the needy from their sharp words and from the clutches of the powerful. |
| 16So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. | 16So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. |
| 17Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: | 17See how happy the man is God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. |
| 18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. | 18For He crushes but also binds up; He strikes, but His hands also heal. |
| 19He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. | 19He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. |
| 20In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. | 20In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle, from the power of the sword. |
| 21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. | 21You will be safe from slander and not fear destruction when it comes. |
| 22At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. | 22You will laugh at destruction and hunger and not fear the animals of the earth. |
| 23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. | 23For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. |
| 24And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. | 24You will know that your tent is secure, and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home. |
| 25Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. | 25You will also know that your offspring will be many and your descendants like the grass of the earth. |
| 26Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. | 26You will approach the grave in full vigor, as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season. |
| 27Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good. | 27We have investigated this, and it is true! Hear it and understand it for yourself. |
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