| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? | 1"Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? |
| 2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. | 2Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. |
| 3I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. | 3I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed. |
| 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, crushed in court without a defender. |
| 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, taking it even from among thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. |
| 6Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; | 6For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground. |
| 7Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. | 7Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. |
| 8I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: | 8"But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. |
| 9Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: | 9He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. |
| 10Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: | 10He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside. |
| 11To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. | 11The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. |
| 12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. | 12He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. |
| 13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. | 13He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. |
| 14They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. | 14Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night. |
| 15But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. | 15He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them 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: | 17"Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. |
| 18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. | 18For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. |
| 19He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. | 19From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you. |
| 20In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. | 20In famine he will deliver you from death, and in battle from the stroke 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 protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction 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 famine, and need not fear the wild animals. |
| 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; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing. |
| 25Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. | 25You will know that your children 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 come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season. |
| 27Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good. | 27"We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself." |
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