Job 7
1 “Isn’t a man forced to labor on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?
Has not man his ordered time of trouble on the earth? and are not his days like the days of a servant working for payment?
2 As a servant who earnestly desires the shadow, as a hireling who looks for his wages,
As a servant desiring the shades of evening, and a workman looking for his payment:
3 so I am made to possess months of misery, wearisome nights are appointed to me.
So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me.
4 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.
When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light.
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust. My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh.
My flesh is covered with worms and dust; my skin gets hard and then is cracked again.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.
7 Oh remember that my life is a breath. My eye will no more see good.
O, keep in mind that my life is wind: my eye will never again see good.
8 The eye of him who sees me will see me no more. Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.
The eye of him who sees me will see me no longer: your eyes will be looking for me, but I will be gone.
9 As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more. (Sheol h7585)
A cloud comes to an end and is gone; so he who goes down into the underworld comes not up again. (Sheol h7585)
10 He will return no more to his house, neither will his place know him any more.
He will not come back to his house, and his place will have no more knowledge of him.
11 “Therefore I will not keep silent. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry.
12 Am I a sea, or a sea monster, that you put a guard over me?
Am I a sea, or a sea-beast, that you put a watch over me?
13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me. My couch will ease my complaint,’
When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;
14 then you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions,
Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear;
15 so that my soul chooses strangling, death rather than my bones.
So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains.
16 I loathe my life. I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.
17 What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,
What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him,
18 that you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?
And that your hand is on him every morning, and that you are testing him every minute?
19 How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?
How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space?
20 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?
If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself?
21 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.”
And why do you not take away my sin, and let my wrongdoing be ended? for now I go down to the dust, and you will be searching for me with care, but I will be gone.
