Job 17
1 My spirit is crushed; my life is extinguished; the grave is ready for me.
My spirit hath been destroyed, My days extinguished — graves [are] for me.
2 Mockers surround me. I see how bitterly they ridicule me.
If not — mockeries [are] with me. And in their provocations mine eye lodgeth.
3 God, you need to put down a pledge for me with yourself, for who else will be my guarantor?
Place, I pray Thee, my pledge with Thee; Who is he that striketh hand with me?
4 You have closed their minds to understanding, so do not let them win!
For their heart Thou hast hidden From understanding, Therefore Thou dost not exalt them.
5 They betray friends to gain benefit for themselves and their children suffer for it.
For a portion he sheweth friendship, And the eyes of his sons are consumed.
6 He has made me a proverb of ridicule among the people; they spit in my face.
And he set me up for a proverb of the peoples, And a wonder before them I am.
7 My eyes are worn out from crying and my body is a shadow of its former self.
And dim from sorrow is mine eye, And my members as a shadow all of them.
8 People who think they are good are shocked to see me. Those who are innocent are troubled by the godless.
Astonished are the upright at this, And the innocent against the profane Stirreth himself up.
9 Those who are right keep going, and those whose hands are clean grow stronger and stronger.
And the righteous layeth hold [on] his way, And the clean of hands addeth strength, And — dumb are they all.
10 Why don't you come back and repeat again what you've been saying?—yet I still won't find a wise man among you!
Return, and come in, I pray you, And I find not among you a wise man.
11 My life is over. My plans are gone. My heart is broken.
My days have passed by, My devices have been broken off, The possessions of my heart!
12 They turn night into day, and say that daylight is close to darkness.
Night for day they appoint, Light [is] near because of darkness.
If I wait — Sheol [is] my house, In darkness I have spread out my couch. (Sheol h7585)
14 Should I call the grave my father, and the maggot my mother or my sister?
To corruption I have called: — 'Thou [art] my father.' 'My mother' and 'my sister' — to the worm.
15 So then where is my hope? Can anyone see any hope for me?
And where [is] now my hope? Yea, my hope, who doth behold it?
