Job 16
1 Job replied [to Eliphaz and the others: ]
| וַיַּעַן אִיּוֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ |
2 “I have heard things like that before; all of you, [instead of helping me, ] are only causing me to feel more miserable.
| שָׁמַעְתִּי כְאֵלֶּה רַבּוֹת מְנַחֲמֵי עָמָל כֻּלְּכֶֽם׃ |
3 Will your speeches, which are only hot air, never end [RHQ]? Eliphaz, what bothers/irritates you so much that you continue replying to me?
| הֲקֵץ לְדִבְרֵי־רוּחַ אוֹ מַה־יַּמְרִֽיצְךָ כִּי תַעֲנֶֽה׃ |
4 If it were you [three and not I] who were suffering, I could say the things that you are saying; I could make great speeches [to criticize/condemn you], and I could shake my head at you [to ridicule you].
| גַּם ׀ אָנֹכִי כָּכֶם אֲדַבֵּרָה לוּ־יֵשׁ נַפְשְׁכֶם תַּחַת נַפְשִׁי אַחְבִּירָה עֲלֵיכֶם בְּמִלִּים וְאָנִיעָה עֲלֵיכֶם בְּמוֹ רֹאשִֽׁי׃ |
5 But, [unlike all of you, ] with what I said [MTY] I would encourage you and try to cause your pain to be less.
| אֲאַמִּצְכֶם בְּמוֹ־פִי וְנִיד שְׂפָתַי יַחְשֹֽׂךְ׃ |
6 “But now, if I talk, my pain does not decrease, and if I am silent, my pain still certainly does not [RHQ] go away.
| אִֽם־אֲדַבְּרָה לֹא־יֵחָשֵׂךְ כְּאֵבִי וְאַחְדְּלָה מַה־מִנִּי יַהֲלֹֽךְ׃ |
7 God has now taken away all my strength, and he has destroyed my family.
| אַךְ־עַתָּה הֶלְאָנִי הֲשִׁמּוֹתָ כָּל־עֲדָתִֽי׃ |
8 He has shriveled me up, and people think that shows that I [am a sinner]. And people see that I am only skin and bones, and they think that proves that I [am guilty].
| וַֽתִּקְמְטֵנִי לְעֵד הָיָה וַיָּקָם בִּי כַחֲשִׁי בְּפָנַי יַעֲנֶֽה׃ |
9 Because God is very angry with me and hates me, [it is as though he is a wild animal that] [MET] has gnashed his teeth at me because he is my enemy.
| אַפּוֹ טָרַף ׀ וַֽיִּשְׂטְמֵנִי חָרַק עָלַי בְּשִׁנָּיו צָרִי ׀ יִלְטוֹשׁ עֵינָיו לִֽי׃ |
10 People gape/stare at me with their mouths open [to sneer at me]; they have struck me on the face/cheek to ridicule me, and they crowd around me to threaten me.
| פָּעֲרוּ עָלַי ׀ בְּפִיהֶם בְּחֶרְפָּה הִכּוּ לְחָיָי יַחַד עָלַי יִתְמַלָּאֽוּן׃ |
11 [It is as though] God has handed me over to ungodly people and turned me over to the wicked [DOU].
| יַסְגִּירֵנִי אֵל אֶל עֲוִיל וְעַל־יְדֵי רְשָׁעִים יִרְטֵֽנִי׃ |
12 Previously, I was living peacefully, but he crushed me; [it is as though] he grabbed my neck and smashed me to pieces. [It is as though] [MET] he set me up like a target;
| שָׁלֵו הָיִיתִי ׀ וַֽיְפַרְפְּרֵנִי וְאָחַז בְּעָרְפִּי וַֽיְפַצְפְּצֵנִי וַיְקִימֵנִי לוֹ לְמַטָּרָֽה׃ |
13 people are surrounding me [and shooting arrows at me]. His arrows pierce my kidneys and cause the bile [from my liver] to spill onto the ground, and God does not pity me at all.
| יָסֹבּוּ עָלַי ׀ רַבָּיו יְפַלַּח כִּלְיוֹתַי וְלֹא יַחְמוֹל יִשְׁפֹּךְ לָאָרֶץ מְרֵרָֽתִי׃ |
14 [It is as though] [MET] I am a wall that he is breaking through; he rushes at me like [SIM] a soldier [attacking his enemies].
| יִפְרְצֵנִי פֶרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי־פָרֶץ יָרֻץ עָלַי כְּגִבּֽוֹר׃ |
15 [“Because I am mourning, ] I wear pieces of rough cloth that I have sewed together, and I sit [here] in the dirt, very depressed/discouraged.
| שַׂק תָּפַרְתִּי עֲלֵי גִלְדִּי וְעֹלַלְתִּי בֶעָפָר קַרְנִֽי׃ |
16 My face is red because I have cried very much, and there are dark circles around my eyes.
| פָּנַי חמרמרה חֳמַרְמְרוּ מִנִּי־בֶכִי וְעַל עַפְעַפַּי צַלְמָֽוֶת׃ |
17 [All this has happened to me] even though I have not acted violently [toward anyone], and I [always] pray sincerely/honestly [to God].
| עַל לֹא־חָמָס בְּכַפָּי וּֽתְפִלָּתִי זַכָּֽה׃ |
18 [When I die, ] I want the ground [APO] to [act as though I had been murdered and] cry out against those who killed me, and I do not want anyone to stop me while I am demanding [that God act justly toward] me.
| אֶרֶץ אַל־תְּכַסִּי דָמִי וְֽאַל־יְהִי מָקוֹם לְזַעֲקָתִֽי׃ |
19 But even now, [I know that] there is someone in heaven who will testify for me, and he will say that what I have done is right.
| גַּם־עַתָּה הִנֵּה־בַשָּׁמַיִם עֵדִי וְשָׂהֲדִי בַּמְּרוֹמִֽים׃ |
20 My [three] friends scorn/ridicule me, but my eyes are full of tears [while I cry out] to God.
| מְלִיצַי רֵעָי אֶל־אֱלוֹהַ דָּלְפָה עֵינִֽי׃ |
21 I pray that [the] one [who knows what I have done] would come to plead with God for me like people plead for their friends.
| וְיוֹכַח לְגֶבֶר עִם־אֱלוֹהַּ וּֽבֶן־אָדָם לְרֵעֵֽהוּ׃ |
22 [I say this because] within a few years [I will die]; I will walk along the [to the grave] from which I will never return.”
| כִּֽי־שְׁנוֹת מִסְפָּר יֶאֱתָיוּ וְאֹרַח לֹא־אָשׁוּב אֶהֱלֹֽךְ׃ |
