Job 30
1 Now those who are younger than I have nothing but mockery for me— these young men whose fathers I would have refused to allow to work beside the dogs of my flock.
“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.
2 Indeed, the strength of their fathers' hands, how could it have helped me— men in whom the strength of their mature age had perished?
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]
3 They were thin from poverty and hunger; they gnawed at the dry ground in the darkness of wilderness and desolation.
They were very poor and hungry, with the result that they chewed on roots [at night] in dry and desolate places.
4 They plucked saltwort and bushes' leaves; the roots of the broom tree were their food.
They pulled up plants in the desert [and ate them] and warmed themselves by [burning] the roots of broom trees.
5 They were driven out from among people who shouted after them as one would shout after a thief.
Everyone shouted at them as though they were thieves and expelled them [from their areas].
6 So they had to live in river valleys, in holes of the earth and of the rocks.
They were forced to live in caves in the hills, in holes in the ground, and in the sides of cliffs.
7 Among the bushes they brayed like donkeys and they gathered together under the nettles.
In the bushes they howled [like animals because they were hungry], and they huddled together under thornbushes.
8 They were the sons of fools, indeed, sons of nameless people! They were driven out of the land with whips.
They were people without good sense, whose names no one knows; they have been expelled from the land [where they were born].
9 But now I have become the subject of their taunting song; I have become a byword for them.
“And now their [children] sing songs to make fun of me. They tell jokes about me.
10 They abhor me and stand far off from me; they do not refrain from spitting in my face.
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.
11 For God has unstrung the string to my bow and afflicted me, and those who taunt me cast off restraint before my face.
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.
12 Upon my right hand rise the rabble; they drive me away and pile up against me their siege mounds.
(Gangs/Groups of violent youths) attack me and force me to run away; they prepare to destroy me.
13 They destroy my path; they push forward disaster for me, men who have no one to hold them back.
They prevent me from escaping, and they [do] not [need] anyone to help them (OR, there is no one to help me).
14 They come against me like an army through a wide hole in a city wall; in the midst of the destruction they roll themselves in on me.
[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.
15 Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is driven away as if by the wind; my prosperity passes away as a cloud.
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.
16 Now my life is pouring out from within me; many days of suffering have laid hold on me.
“And now I [SYN] am about to die [IDM]; I suffer every day.
17 In the night my bones in me are pierced; the pains that gnaw at me take no rest.
My bones ache during the night, and the pain that torments me never stops.
18 God's great force has seized my clothing; it wraps around me like the collar of my tunic.
[It is as though God] seizes my clothes and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 He has thrown me into the mud; I have become like dust and ashes.
He has thrown me into the mud; I am [not worth anything more than] dust and ashes.
20 I cry to you, God, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you merely look at me.
“I cry out to God, but he does not answer/help me; I stand up [and pray], but he does not pay any attention.
21 You have changed and become cruel to me; with the strength of your hand you persecute me.
He acts very cruelly toward me; with all of his power [MTY] he causes me to suffer.
22 You lift me up to the wind and cause it to drive me along; you throw me back and forth in a storm.
He [allows] the wind to lift me up and blow me away, and he tosses me up and down in a violent storm.
23 For I know that you will bring me to death, to the house appointed for all the living.
I know that he will cause me to die, which is what happens to everyone [MTY] who is alive.
24 However, does no one reach out with his hand to beg for help when he falls? Does no one in trouble call out for help?
“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.
25 Did not I weep for him who was in trouble? Did I not grieve for the needy man?
[That is what I did previously]. I wept for people who were experiencing troubles, and I felt sorry for poor/needy people.
26 When I hoped for good, then evil came; when I waited for light, darkness came instead.
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].
27 My heart is troubled and does not rest; days of affliction have come on me.
I am very distressed [IDM], all the time; I suffer every day.
28 I have gone about like one who was living in the dark, but not because of the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
I go about very discouraged; I stand up and plead for people to help me.
29 I am a brother to jackals, a companion of ostriches.
My wailing sounds as sad as [MET] the cries of jackals/foxes and ostriches.
30 My skin is black and falls away from me; my bones are burned with heat.
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.
31 Therefore my harp is tuned for songs of mourning, my flute for the singing of those who wail.
Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute, but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn.”
