Job 7
1 Has not man his ordered time of trouble on the earth? and are not his days like the days of a servant working for payment?
Is there not a warfare to man on earth? And as the days of an hireling his days?
2 As a servant desiring the shades of evening, and a workman looking for his payment:
As a servant desireth the shadow, And as a hireling expecteth his wage,
3 So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me.
So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.
4 When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light.
If I lay down then I said, 'When do I rise!' And evening hath been measured, And I have been full of tossings till dawn.
5 My flesh is covered with worms and dust; my skin gets hard and then is cracked again.
Clothed hath been my flesh [with] worms, And a clod of dust, My skin hath been shrivelled and is loathsome,
6 My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.
My days swifter than a weaving machine, And they are consumed without hope.
7 O, keep in mind that my life is wind: my eye will never again see good.
Remember Thou that my life [is] a breath, Mine eye turneth not back to see good.
8 The eye of him who sees me will see me no longer: your eyes will be looking for me, but I will be gone.
The eye of my beholder beholdeth me not. Thine eyes [are] upon me — and I am not.
9 A cloud comes to an end and is gone; so he who goes down into the underworld comes not up again. (Sheol h7585)
Consumed hath been a cloud, and it goeth, So he who is going down to Sheol cometh not up. (Sheol h7585)
10 He will not come back to his house, and his place will have no more knowledge of him.
He turneth not again to his house, Nor doth his place discern him again.
11 So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry.
Also I — I withhold not my mouth — I speak in the distress of my spirit, I talk in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I a sea, or a sea-beast, that you put a watch over me?
A sea -[monster] am I, or a dragon, That thou settest over me a guard?
13 When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;
When I said, 'My bed doth comfort me,' He taketh away in my talking my couch.
14 Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear;
And thou hast affrighted me with dreams, And from visions thou terrifiest me,
15 So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains.
And my soul chooseth strangling, Death rather than my bones.
16 I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.
I have wasted away — not to the age do I live. Cease from me, for my days [are] vanity.
17 What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him,
What [is] man that Thou dost magnify him? And that Thou settest unto him Thy heart?
18 And that your hand is on him every morning, and that you are testing him every minute?
And inspectest him in the mornings, In the evenings dost try him?
19 How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space?
How long dost Thou not look from me? Thou dost not desist till I swallow my spittle.
20 If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself?
I have sinned, what do I to Thee, O watcher of man? Why hast Thou set me for a mark to Thee, And I am for a burden to myself — and what?
21 And why do you not take away my sin, and let my wrongdoing be ended? for now I go down to the dust, and you will be searching for me with care, but I will be gone.
Thou dost not take away my transgression, And cause to pass away mine iniquity, Because now, for dust I lie down: And Thou hast sought me — and I am not!
