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For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one.
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I have seen the foolish taking root, But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.
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His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
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Because the hungry eat up his harvest, Taking it even from the thorns, And a snare snatches their substance.
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For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground;
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Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
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"But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause--
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Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number.
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He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields.
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He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
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He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.
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He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
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They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noontime as in the night.
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But He saves the needy from the sword, From the mouth of the mighty, And from their hand.
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So the poor have hope, And injustice shuts her mouth.
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"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
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For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.
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He shall deliver you in six troubles, Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
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In famine He shall redeem you from death, And in war from the power of the sword.
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You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
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You shall laugh at destruction and famine, And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
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For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
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You shall know that your tent is in peace; You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.
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You shall also know that your descendants shall be many, And your offspring like the grass of the earth.
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You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
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Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself."