Job 30
1 “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.
But now, those younger in years scorn me, whose fathers I would not have seen fit to place with the dogs of my flock,
2 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]
the strength of whose hands was nothing to me, and they were considered unworthy of life itself.
3 They were very poor and hungry, with the result that they chewed on roots [at night] in dry and desolate places.
They were barren from poverty and hunger; they gnawed in solitude, layered with misfortune and misery.
4 They pulled up plants in the desert [and ate them] and warmed themselves by [burning] the roots of broom trees.
And they chewed grass and the bark from trees, and the root of junipers was their food.
5 Everyone shouted at them as though they were thieves and expelled them [from their areas].
They took these things from the steep valleys, and when they discovered one of these things, they rushed to the others with a cry.
6 They were forced to live in caves in the hills, in holes in the ground, and in the sides of cliffs.
They lived in the parched desert and in caves underground or above the rocks.
7 In the bushes they howled [like animals because they were hungry], and they huddled together under thornbushes.
They rejoiced among these kinds of things, and they considered it delightful to be under thorns.
8 They were people without good sense, whose names no one knows; they have been expelled from the land [where they were born].
These are the sons of foolish and base men, not even paying any attention to the land.
9 “And now their [children] sing songs to make fun of me. They tell jokes about me.
Now I become their song, and I have been made into their proverb.
10 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.
They loathe me, and so they flee far from me, and they are not reluctant to spit in my face.
11 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.
For he has opened his quiver and has afflicted me, and he has placed a bridle in my mouth.
12 (Gangs/Groups of violent youths) attack me and force me to run away; they prepare to destroy me.
Immediately, upon rising, my calamities rise up to the right. They have overturned my feet and have pressed me down along their way like waves.
13 They prevent me from escaping, and they [do] not [need] anyone to help them (OR, there is no one to help me).
They have diverted my journeys; they have waited to ambush me, and they have prevailed, and there was no one who might bring help.
14 [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.
They have rushed upon me, as when a wall is broken or a gate opened, and they have been pulled down into my miseries.
15 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.
I have been reduced to nothing. You have taken away my desire like a wind, and my health has passed by like a cloud.
16 “And now I [SYN] am about to die [IDM]; I suffer every day.
But now my soul withers within myself, and the days of affliction take hold of me.
17 My bones ache during the night, and the pain that torments me never stops.
At night, my bone is pierced with sorrows, and those who feed on me, do not sleep.
18 [It is as though God] seizes my clothes and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
By the sheer number of them my clothing is worn away, and they have closed in on me like the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the mud; I am [not worth anything more than] dust and ashes.
I have been treated like dirt, and I have been turned into embers and ashes.
20 “I cry out to God, but he does not answer/help me; I stand up [and pray], but he does not pay any attention.
I cry to you, and you do not heed me. I stand up, and you do not look back at me.
21 He acts very cruelly toward me; with all of his power [MTY] he causes me to suffer.
You have changed me into hardness, and, with the hardness of your hand, you oppose me.
22 He [allows] the wind to lift me up and blow me away, and he tosses me up and down in a violent storm.
You have lifted me up, and, placing me as if on the wind, you have thrown me down powerfully.
23 I know that he will cause me to die, which is what happens to everyone [MTY] who is alive.
I know that you will hand me over to death, where a home has been established for all the living.
24 “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.
Truly, then, you do not extend your hand in order to consume them, and if they fall down, you will save them.
25 [That is what I did previously]. I wept for people who were experiencing troubles, and I felt sorry for poor/needy people.
Once, I wept over him who was afflicted, and my soul had compassion on the poor.
26 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].
I expected good things, but evil things have come to me. I stood ready for light, yet darkness burst forth.
27 I am very distressed [IDM], all the time; I suffer every day.
My insides have seethed, without any rest, for the days of affliction have prevented it.
28 I go about very discouraged; I stand up and plead for people to help me.
I went forth mourning, without anger, and rising up, I cried out in confusion.
29 My wailing sounds as sad as [MET] the cries of jackals/foxes and ostriches.
I was the brother of snakes, and the companion of ostriches.
30 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.
My skin has become blackened over me, and my bones have dried up because of the heat.
31 Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute, but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn.”
My harp has been turned into mourning, and my pipes have been turned into a voice of weeping.
