< Job 10 >
1 “My soul has been weary of my life, I leave off my talking to myself, I speak in the bitterness of my soul.
My soule is cut off though I liue: I wil leaue my complaint vpon my selfe, and wil speake in the bitternesse of my soule.
2 I say to God, Do not condemn me, Let me know why You strive [with] me.
I will say vnto God, Condemne mee not: shew me, wherefore thou contendest with mee.
3 Is it good for You that You oppress? That You despise the labor of Your hands, And shine on the counsel of the wicked?
Thinkest thou it good to oppresse me, and to cast off the labour of thine handes, and to fauour the counsel of the wicked?
4 Do you have eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees?
Hast thou carnall eyes? or doest thou see as man seeth?
5 [Are] Your days as the days of man? Your years as the days of a man?
Are thy dayes as mans dayes? or thy yeres, as the time of man,
6 That You inquire for my iniquity, And seek for my sin?
That thou inquirest of mine iniquitie, and searchest out my sinne?
7 For You know that I am not wicked, And there is no deliverer from Your hand.
Thou knowest that I can not do wickedly: for none can deliuer me out of thine hand.
8 Your hands have taken pains about me, And they make me together all around, And You swallow me up!
Thine handes haue made me, and fashioned mee wholy rounde about, and wilt thou destroy me?
9 Please remember That You have made me as clay, And You bring me back to dust.
Remember, I pray thee, that thou hast made me as the clay, and wilt thou bring me into dust againe?
10 Do You not pour me out as milk? And curdle me as cheese?
Hast thou not powred me out as milke? and turned me to cruds like cheese?
11 Skin and flesh You put on me, And fence me with bones and sinews.
Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and ioyned me together with bones and sinewes.
12 Life and kindness You have done with me. And Your inspection has preserved my spirit.
Thou hast giuen me life, and grace: and thy visitation hath preserued my spirit.
13 And these You have laid up in Your heart, I have known that this [is] with You.
Though thou hast hid these things in thine heart, yet I knowe that it is so with thee.
14 If I sinned, then You have observed me, And do not acquit me from my iniquity,
If I haue sinned, then thou wilt streightly looke vnto me, and wilt not holde mee giltlesse of mine iniquitie.
15 If I have done wickedly—woe to me, And righteously—I do not lift up my head, Full of shame—then see my affliction,
If I haue done wickedly, wo vnto me: if I haue done righteously, I will not lift vp mine head, being full of confusion, because I see mine affliction.
16 And it rises—as a lion You hunt me. And You turn back—You show Yourself wonderful in me.
But let it increase: hunt thou me as a lyon: returne and shew thy selfe marueilous vpon me.
17 You renew Your witnesses against me, and multiply Your anger with me, Changes and warfare [are] with me.
Thou renuest thy plagues against me, and thou increasest thy wrath against me: changes and armies of sorowes are against me.
18 And why from the womb Have You brought me forth? I expire, and the eye does not see me.
Wherfore then hast thou brought me out of the wombe? Oh that I had perished, and that none eye had seene me!
19 I am as [if] I had not been, I am brought from the belly to the grave,
And that I were as I had not bene, but brought from the wombe to the graue!
20 Are my days not few? Cease then, and put from me, And I brighten up a little,
Are not my dayes fewe? let him cease, and leaue off from me, that I may take a litle comfort,
21 Before I go, and do not return, To a land of darkness and death-shade,
Before I goe and shall not returne, euen to the land of darkenesse and shadow of death:
22 A land of obscurity as thick darkness, Death-shade—and no order, And the shining [is] as thick darkness.”
Into a land, I say, darke as darknes it selfe, and into the shadow of death, where is none order, but the light is there as darkenesse.