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 soul is disgusted with my life; I will give free vent to my complaint over myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I say to God, Do not condemn me, Let me know why You strive [with] me.
I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; let me know for what cause thou contendest against me.
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?
Is it well for thee that thou shouldst oppress, that thou shouldst reject the labor of thy hands, and shed light upon the counsel of the wicked?
4 Do you have eyes of flesh? Do You see as man sees?
Hast thou eyes of flesh? or wilt thou see as a mortal seeth?
5 [Are] Your days as the days of man? Your years as the days of a man?
Are thy days as the days of a mortal, or are thy years as the days of a man,
6 That You inquire for my iniquity, And seek for my sin?
That thou inquirest after my iniquity, and searchest after my sin?
7 For You know that I am not wicked, And there is no deliverer from Your hand.
Still it is within thy knowledge that I am not wicked, and there is none that can deliver me out of thy hand.
8 Your hands have taken pains about me, And they make me together all around, And You swallow me up!
Thy hands have carefully fashioned me and made me; every thing is in harmony all round about; and yet thou dost destroy me!
9 Please remember That You have made me as clay, And You bring me back to dust.
Remember, I beseech thee, that as though I were clay hast thou made me; and wilt thou cause me to return again unto the dust?
10 Do You not pour me out as milk? And curdle me as cheese?
Behold, like milk didst thou pour me out, and like cheese didst thou curdle me.
11 Skin and flesh You put on me, And fence me with bones and sinews.
With skin and flesh didst thou clothe me, and with bones and sinews didst thou cover me.
12 Life and kindness You have done with me. And Your inspection has preserved my spirit.
Life and kindness didst thou grant me, and thy providence watched over my spirit.
13 And these You have laid up in Your heart, I have known that this [is] with You.
And yet these things hadst thou treasured up in thy heart: I know that this was [resolved] within thee.
14 If I sinned, then You have observed me, And do not acquit me from my iniquity,
If I have sinned, then dost thou watch me, and from my iniquity thou wilt not declare me guiltless.
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 be wicked, woe unto me: and if I be righteous, I can still not lift up my head; I am sated with disgrace, and ever seeing my affliction;
16 And it rises—as a lion You hunt me. And You turn back—You show Yourself wonderful in me.
And it constantly increaseth; like a fierce lion dost thou hunt for me; and again thou showest thyself continually wonderful on me;
17 You renew Your witnesses against me, and multiply Your anger with me, Changes and warfare [are] with me.
Thou ever renewest thy witnesses against me, and causest thy indignation to grow strong against me; changes and multitudes [of sufferings] are around me.
18 And why from the womb Have You brought me forth? I expire, and the eye does not see me.
Wherefore then didst thou bring me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had perished, and that no eye had seen me!
19 I am as [if] I had not been, I am brought from the belly to the grave,
That I were as though I had not been, —had been borne from the womb to the grave.
20 Are my days not few? Cease then, and put from me, And I brighten up a little,
Lo! my days are but few: cease, then, withdraw from me [thy hand], that I may recover my cheerfulness a little.
21 Before I go, and do not return, To a land of darkness and death-shade,
Before I go, and return not, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death,
22 A land of obscurity as thick darkness, Death-shade—and no order, And the shining [is] as thick darkness.”
A land of utter gloom, as of the darkness of the shadow of death, without any order, and the light of which is like utter gloom.
