Job 30
1 But now those who are younger than I make sport of me; those whose fathers I would not have put with the dogs of my flocks.
“But now men who are younger than I am make fun of me— men whose fathers I greatly despised, with the result that I would not even have allowed them to help my dogs guard my sheep.
2 Of what use is the strength of their hands to me? all force is gone from them.
They were men who were old and (weak/worn out); so (what could I gain from them working for me?/I would have gained nothing from them working for me.) [RHQ]
3 They are wasted for need of food, biting the dry earth; their only hope of life is in the waste land.
They were very poor and hungry, with the result that they chewed on roots [at night] in dry and desolate places.
4 They are pulling off the salt leaves from the brushwood, and making a meal of roots.
They pulled up plants in the desert [and ate them] and warmed themselves by [burning] the roots of broom trees.
5 They are sent out from among their townsmen, men are crying after them as thieves
Everyone shouted at them as though they were thieves and expelled them [from their areas].
6 They have to get a resting-place in the hollows of the valleys, in holes of the earth and rocks.
They were forced to live in caves in the hills, in holes in the ground, and in the sides of cliffs.
7 They make noises like asses among the brushwood; they get together under the thorns.
In the bushes they howled [like animals because they were hungry], and they huddled together under thornbushes.
8 They are sons of shame, and of men without a name, who have been forced out of the land.
They were people without good sense, whose names no one knows; they have been expelled from the land [where they were born].
9 And now I have become their song, and I am a word of shame to them.
“And now their [children] sing songs to make fun of me. They tell jokes about me.
10 I am disgusting to them; they keep away from me, and put marks of shame on me.
They are disgusted with me, and they [usually] stay away from me, [but when they see me, ] they are happy to spit in my face.
11 For he has made loose the cord of my bow, and put me to shame; he has sent down my flag to the earth before me.
Because [it is as though] [MET] God has cut my bowstring, [he has caused me to be unable to defend myself, ] and he has humbled me, and my enemies have done to me whatever they wanted.
12 The lines of his men of war put themselves in order, and make high their ways of destruction against me:
(Gangs/Groups of violent youths) attack me and force me to run away; they prepare to destroy me.
13 They have made waste my roads, with a view to my destruction; his bowmen come round about me;
They prevent me from escaping, and they [do] not [need] anyone to help them (OR, there is no one to help me).
14 As through a wide broken place in the wall they come on, I am overturned by the shock of their attack.
[It is as though I am a city wall and] [SIM] they have broken through the wall, and they have come crashing down on me.
15 Fears have come on me; my hope is gone like the wind, and my well-being like a cloud.
I am very terrified; My dignity/honor has been taken away as though [SIM] [it has been] blown away by the wind, and my prosperity has disappeared like [SIM] clouds disappear.
16 But now my soul is turned to water in me, days of trouble overtake me:
“And now I [SYN] am about to die [IDM]; I suffer every day.
17 The flesh is gone from my bones, and they give me no rest; there is no end to my pains.
My bones ache during the night, and the pain that torments me never stops.
18 With great force he takes a grip of my clothing, pulling me by the neck of my coat.
[It is as though God] seizes my clothes and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 Truly God has made me low, even to the earth, and I have become like dust.
He has thrown me into the mud; I am [not worth anything more than] dust and ashes.
20 You give no answer to my cry, and take no note of my prayer.
“I cry out to God, but he does not answer/help me; I stand up [and pray], but he does not pay any attention.
21 You have become cruel to me; the strength of your hand is hard on me.
He acts very cruelly toward me; with all of his power [MTY] he causes me to suffer.
22 Lifting me up, you make me go on the wings of the wind; I am broken up by the storm.
He [allows] the wind to lift me up and blow me away, and he tosses me up and down in a violent storm.
23 For I am certain that you will send me back to death, and to the meeting-place ordered for all living.
I know that he will cause me to die, which is what happens to everyone [MTY] who is alive.
24 Has not my hand been stretched out in help to the poor? have I not been a saviour to him in his trouble?
“When people experience disasters, and they sit on a pile of ruins and cry out for help, others surely [RHQ] reach out their hand to help them.
25 Have I not been weeping for the crushed? and was not my soul sad for him who was in need?
[That is what I did previously]. I wept for people who were experiencing troubles, and I felt sorry for poor/needy people.
26 For I was looking for good, and evil came; I was waiting for light, and it became dark.
But when I expected good things [to happen to me], evil things happened; when I waited for light/happiness, all I experienced was darkness/unhappiness [MET].
27 My feelings are strongly moved, and give me no rest; days of trouble have overtaken me.
I am very distressed [IDM], all the time; I suffer every day.
28 I go about in dark clothing, uncomforted; I get up in the public place, crying out for help.
I go about very discouraged; I stand up and plead for people to help me.
29 I have become a brother to the jackals, and go about in the company of ostriches.
My wailing sounds as sad as [MET] the cries of jackals/foxes and ostriches.
30 My skin is black and dropping off me; and my bones are burning with the heat of my disease.
My skin has become dark/black and is peeling off, and I have a fever [which causes my body to feel like it is] burning.
31 And my music has been turned to sorrow, and the sound of my pipe into the noise of weeping.
Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute, but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn.”
