Ἰώβ 7
1 πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὥσπερ μισθίου αὐθημερινοῦ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ
“Isn’t a man forced to labor on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?
2 ἢ ὥσπερ θεράπων δεδοικὼς τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ καὶ τετευχὼς σκιᾶς ἢ ὥσπερ μισθωτὸς ἀναμένων τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ
As a servant who earnestly desires the shadow, as a hireling who looks for his wages,
3 οὕτως κἀγὼ ὑπέμεινα μῆνας κενούς νύκτες δὲ ὀδυνῶν δεδομέναι μοί εἰσιν
so I am made to possess months of misery, wearisome nights are appointed to me.
4 ἐὰν κοιμηθῶ λέγω πότε ἡμέρα ὡς δ’ ἂν ἀναστῶ πάλιν πότε ἑσπέρα πλήρης δὲ γίνομαι ὀδυνῶν ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἕως πρωί
When I lie down, I say, ‘When will I arise, and the night be gone?’ I toss and turn until the dawning of the day.
5 φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων τήκω δὲ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξύων
My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust. My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh.
6 ὁ δὲ βίος μού ἐστιν ἐλαφρότερος λαλιᾶς ἀπόλωλεν δὲ ἐν κενῇ ἐλπίδι
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
7 μνήσθητι οὖν ὅτι πνεῦμά μου ἡ ζωὴ καὶ οὐκέτι ἐπανελεύσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἰδεῖν ἀγαθόν
Oh remember that my life is a breath. My eye will no more see good.
8 οὐ περιβλέψεταί με ὀφθαλμὸς ὁρῶντός με οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἐν ἐμοί καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ
The eye of him who sees me will see me no more. Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.
9 ὥσπερ νέφος ἀποκαθαρθὲν ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἐὰν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος καταβῇ εἰς ᾅδην οὐκέτι μὴ ἀναβῇ (Sheol h7585)
As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more. (Sheol h7585)
10 οὐδ’ οὐ μὴ ἐπιστρέψῃ ἔτι εἰς τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον οὐδὲ μὴ ἐπιγνῷ αὐτὸν ἔτι ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ
He will return no more to his house, neither will his place know him any more.
11 ἀτὰρ οὖν οὐδὲ ἐγὼ φείσομαι τῷ στόματί μου λαλήσω ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ὤν ἀνοίξω πικρίαν ψυχῆς μου συνεχόμενος
“Therefore I will not keep silent. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 πότερον θάλασσά εἰμι ἢ δράκων ὅτι κατέταξας ἐπ’ ἐμὲ φυλακήν
Am I a sea, or a sea monster, that you put a guard over me?
13 εἶπα ὅτι παρακαλέσει με ἡ κλίνη μου ἀνοίσω δὲ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ἰδίᾳ λόγον τῇ κοίτῃ μου
When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me. My couch will ease my complaint,’
14 ἐκφοβεῖς με ἐνυπνίοις καὶ ἐν ὁράμασίν με καταπλήσσεις
then you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions,
15 ἀπαλλάξεις ἀπὸ πνεύματός μου τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ δὲ θανάτου τὰ ὀστᾶ μου
so that my soul chooses strangling, death rather than my bones.
16 οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζήσομαι ἵνα μακροθυμήσω ἀπόστα ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ κενὸς γάρ μου ὁ βίος
I loathe my life. I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
17 τί γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνας αὐτὸν ἢ ὅτι προσέχεις τὸν νοῦν εἰς αὐτὸν
What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,
18 ἢ ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ ποιήσῃ ἕως τὸ πρωὶ καὶ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτὸν κρινεῖς
that you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?
19 ἕως τίνος οὐκ ἐᾷς με οὐδὲ προΐῃ με ἕως ἂν καταπίω τὸν πτύελόν μου ἐν ὀδύνῃ
How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?
20 εἰ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον τί δύναμαί σοι πρᾶξαι ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων διὰ τί ἔθου με κατεντευκτήν σου εἰμὶ δὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ φορτίον
If I have sinned, what do I do to you, you watcher of men? Why have you set me as a mark for you, so that I am a burden to myself?
21 καὶ διὰ τί οὐκ ἐποιήσω τῆς ἀνομίας μου λήθην καὶ καθαρισμὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου νυνὶ δὲ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσομαι ὀρθρίζων δὲ οὐκέτι εἰμί
Why do you not pardon my disobedience, and take away my iniquity? For now will I lie down in the dust. You will seek me diligently, but I will not be.”
