Job 7
1 Does not man have hard labor on earth? Are not his days like the days of a hired man?
Is there not a warfare to man on earth? And as the days of an hireling his days?
2 Like a slave earnestly desires the shadows of evening, like a hired man looks for his wages—
As a servant desireth the shadow, And as a hireling expecteth his wage,
3 so I have been made to endure months of misery; I have been given trouble-filled nights.
So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.
4 When I lie down, I say to myself, 'When will I get up and when will the night be gone?' I am full of tossing to and fro until the day's dawning.
If I lay down then I said, 'When do I rise!' And evening hath been measured, And I have been full of tossings till dawn.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; the sores in my skin harden up and then dissolve and run afresh.
Clothed hath been my flesh [with] worms, And a clod of dust, My skin hath been shrivelled and is loathsome,
6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they pass without hope.
My days swifter than a weaving machine, And they are consumed without hope.
7 God, call to mind that my life is only a breath; my eye will no more see good.
Remember Thou that my life [is] a breath, Mine eye turneth not back to see good.
8 The eye of God, who sees me, will see me no more; God's eyes will be on me, but I will not exist.
The eye of my beholder beholdeth me not. Thine eyes [are] upon me — and I am not.
9 As a cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more. (Sheol h7585)
Consumed hath been a cloud, and it goeth, So he who is going down to Sheol cometh not up. (Sheol h7585)
10 He will return no more to his house; neither will his place know him again.
He turneth not again to his house, Nor doth his place discern him again.
11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Also I — I withhold not my mouth — I speak in the distress of my spirit, I talk in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea or a sea monster that you place a guard over me?
A sea -[monster] am I, or a dragon, That thou settest over me a guard?
13 When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, and my couch will ease my complaint,'
When I said, 'My bed doth comfort me,' He taketh away in my talking my couch.
14 then you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions,
And thou hast affrighted me with dreams, And from visions thou terrifiest me,
15 so that I would choose strangling and death rather than preserving these bones of mine.
And my soul chooseth strangling, Death rather than my bones.
16 I loathe my life; I would not wish to always be alive; let me alone for my days are useless.
I have wasted away — not to the age do I live. Cease from me, for my days [are] vanity.
17 What is man that you should pay attention to him, that you should set your mind on him,
What [is] man that Thou dost magnify him? And that Thou settest unto him Thy heart?
18 that you should observe him every morning and test him every moment?
And inspectest him in the mornings, In the evenings dost try him?
19 How long will it be before you look away from me, before you let me alone long enough for me to swallow down my own saliva?
How long dost Thou not look from me? Thou dost not desist till I swallow my spittle.
20 Even if I have sinned, what would that do to you, you who watch men? Why have you made a target of me, so that I am a burden for you?
I have sinned, what do I to Thee, O watcher of man? Why hast Thou set me for a mark to Thee, And I am for a burden to myself — and what?
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now will I lie down in the dust; you will seek me carefully, but I will not exist.”
Thou dost not take away my transgression, And cause to pass away mine iniquity, Because now, for dust I lie down: And Thou hast sought me — and I am not!
