1  “Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?

To which of ^vthe holy ones will you turn?

2  Surely vexation kills the fool,

and jealousy slays the simple.

3  ^wI have seen the fool taking root,

but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.

4  His children are ^xfar from safety;

they are crushed in ^ythe gate,

and there is no one to deliver them.

5  The hungry eat his harvest,

and he takes it even out of thorns,¹

and the thirsty pant² after his³ wealth.

6  For affliction does not come from the dust,

nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

7  but man is ^zborn to trouble

as the sparks fly upward.