< Job 19 >

1 Then Job replied:
וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
2 “How long will you [three] torment me and crush my spirit by saying to me [that I am wicked]?
עַד־אָנָה תּוֹגְיוּן נַפְשִׁי וּֽתְדַכְּאוּנַנִי בְמִלִּֽים׃
3 You have already insulted me many [HYP] times; (are you not ashamed for saying these things to me?/you should be ashamed for saying these things to me.) [RHQ]
זֶה עֶשֶׂר פְּעָמִים תַּכְלִימוּנִי לֹֽא־תֵבֹשׁוּ תַּהְכְּרוּ־לִֽי׃
4 Even if it were true that I have done things that are wrong, I have not injured you!
וְאַף־אָמְנָם שָׁגִיתִי אִתִּי תָּלִין מְשׁוּגָתִֽי׃
5 If you truly think that you are better than I am, and you think that my being miserable now proves that I (am guilty/have committed many sins),
אִם־אָמְנָם עָלַי תַּגְדִּילוּ וְתוֹכִיחוּ עָלַי חֶרְפָּתִּֽי׃
6 you need to realize that it is God who has caused me to suffer. [It is as though] he has trapped me with his net.
דְּֽעוּ־אֵפוֹ כִּי־אֱלוֹהַּ עִוְּתָנִי וּמְצוּדוֹ עָלַי הִקִּֽיף׃
7 “I cry out, ‘Help me!’, but no one answers me. I call out loudly, but there is no one, [not even God, ] who acts fairly toward me.
הֵן אֶצְעַק חָמָס וְלֹא אֵעָנֶה אֲשַׁוַּע וְאֵין מִשְׁפָּֽט׃
8 [It is as though] [MET] God has blocked my way, with the result that I cannot go where I want to; [it is as though] he has forced me to try to find my way in the darkness.
אָרְחִי גָדַר וְלֹא אֶעֱבוֹר וְעַל נְתִיבוֹתַי חֹשֶׁךְ יָשִֽׂים׃
9 He has (taken away my good reputation/caused people not to honor me any more); [it is as though] he removed [MET] a crown from my head.
כְּבוֹדִי מֵעָלַי הִפְשִׁיט וַיָּסַר עֲטֶרֶת רֹאשִֽׁי׃
10 He batters me from every side, and I will soon die. He has caused me to no longer confidently expect [him to do good things for me].
יִתְּצֵנִי סָבִיב וָאֵלַךְ וַיַּסַּע כָּעֵץ תִּקְוָתִֽי׃
11 He attacks me because he is extremely angry with me [MET], and he considers that I am his enemy.
וַיַּחַר עָלַי אַפּוֹ וַיַּחְשְׁבֵנִי לוֹ כְצָרָֽיו׃
12 [It is as though] he sends his army to attack me; they surround my tent, preparing to attack me.
יַחַד ׀ יָבֹאוּ גְדוּדָיו וַיָּסֹלּוּ עָלַי דַּרְכָּם וַיַּחֲנוּ סָבִיב לְאָהֳלִֽי׃
13 “God has caused my brothers to abandon me, and all those who know me act like strangers to me.
אַחַי מֵעָלַי הִרְחִיק וְיֹדְעַי אַךְ־זָרוּ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
14 All my relatives and good friends have left me.
חָדְלוּ קְרוֹבָי וּֽמְיֻדָּעַי שְׁכֵחֽוּנִי׃
15 The people who were guests in my house have forgotten me, and my female servants consider that I am a stranger or that I am a foreigner.
גָּרֵי בֵיתִי וְאַמְהֹתַי לְזָר תַּחְשְׁבֻנִי נָכְרִי הָיִיתִי בְעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃
16 When I summon my servants, they do not answer; I plead with them to come [to help me, but they do not come].
לְעַבְדִּי קָרָאתִי וְלֹא יַעֲנֶה בְּמוֹ־פִי אֶתְחַנֶּן־לֽוֹ׃
17 My wife does not want to come close to me because my breath [smells very bad], and even my brothers detest me.
רוּחִֽי זָרָה לְאִשְׁתִּי וְחַנֹּתִי לִבְנֵי בִטְנִֽי׃
18 Even young children despise me; when I stand up [to talk to them], they laugh at me.
גַּם־עֲוִילִים מָאֲסוּ בִי אָקוּמָה וַיְדַבְּרוּ־בִֽי׃
19 My dearest friends detest me, and those whom I love [very much] have turned against me.
תִּֽעֲבוּנִי כָּל־מְתֵי סוֹדִי וְזֶֽה־אָהַבְתִּי נֶהְפְּכוּ־בִֽי׃
20 My body is [only] skin and bones; I am barely alive [IDM].
בְּעוֹרִי וּבִבְשָׂרִי דָּבְקָה עַצְמִי וָאֶתְמַלְּטָה בְּעוֹר שִׁנָּֽי׃
21 [“I plead with] you, my [three] friends, pity me, because God has (struck [EUP] me with his hand/caused me to suffer greatly).
חָנֻּנִי חָנֻּנִי אַתֶּם רֵעָי כִּי יַד־אֱלוֹהַּ נָגְעָה בִּֽי׃
22 Why do you cause me to suffer like God does? Why do you continue to slander [MET] me?
לָמָּה תִּרְדְּפֻנִי כְמוֹ־אֵל וּמִבְּשָׂרִי לֹא תִשְׂבָּֽעוּ׃
23 “I wish/desire that someone would take these words of mine and write them permanently in a book [in order that people can read them].
מִֽי־יִתֵּן אֵפוֹ וְיִכָּתְבוּן מִלָּי מִֽי־יִתֵּן בַּסֵּפֶר וְיֻחָֽקוּ׃
24 Or else, I wish that he would carve them on a rock with (a chisel/an iron tool) in order that they would last forever.
בְּעֵט־בַּרְזֶל וְעֹפָרֶת לָעַד בַּצּוּר יֵחָצְבֽוּן׃
25 But I know that the one who vindicates/defends me in court is alive, and that some day he will stand [here] on the earth [and make the final decision about whether I deserve to be punished].
וַאֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי גֹּאֲלִי חָי וְאַחֲרוֹן עַל־עָפָר יָקֽוּם׃
26 And even after diseases have eaten away my skin, while I still have my body, I will see God.
וְאַחַר עוֹרִֽי נִקְּפוּ־זֹאת וּמִבְּשָׂרִי אֶֽחֱזֶה אֱלֽוֹהַּ׃
27 I will see him myself; I will see him with my own eyes! I am overwhelmed [as I think about that]!
אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי ׀ אֶֽחֱזֶה־לִּי וְעֵינַי רָאוּ וְלֹא־זָר כָּלוּ כִלְיֹתַי בְּחֵקִֽי׃
28 “If you three men say, ‘What more can we do to cause Job to suffer?’ and if you say, ‘He has caused his own [troubles],’
כִּי תֹאמְרוּ מַה־נִּרְדָּף־לוֹ וְשֹׁרֶשׁ דָּבָר נִמְצָא־בִֽי׃
29 you should be afraid that God will punish [MTY] you; he punishes those [like you] with whom he is angry; and when that happens, you will know that there is [someone who] judges [people].”
גּוּרוּ לָכֶם ׀ מִפְּנֵי־חֶרֶב כִּֽי־חֵמָה עֲוֺנוֹת חָרֶב לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּן שדין שַׁדּֽוּן׃

< Job 19 >