⁸ “Oh that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my longing!
⁹ “Would that God were willing to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!
¹⁰ “But it is still my consolation,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I have not ^[d]denied the words of the Holy One.
¹¹ “What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should ^[e]endure?
¹² “Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ “Is it that my help is not within me,
And that ^[f]deliverance is driven from me?

¹⁴ “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend;
So that he does not forsake the ^[g]fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵ “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a ^[h]wadi,
Like the torrents of ^[i]wadis which vanish,
¹⁶ Which are turbid because of ice
And into which the snow ^[j]melts.
¹⁷ “When they become waterless, they ^[k]are silent,
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ “The ^[l]paths of their course wind along,
They go up into nothing and perish.
¹⁹ “The caravans of Tema looked,
The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.
²⁰ “They were ^[m]disappointed for they had trusted,
They came there and were confounded.
²¹ “Indeed, you have now become such,
You see a terror and are afraid.
²² “Have I said, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,’
²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the hand of the adversary,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will be silent;
And show me how I have erred.
²⁵ “How painful are honest words!
But what does your argument prove?
²⁶ “Do you intend to reprove my words,
When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?
²⁷ “You would even cast lots for the orphans
And barter over your friend.
²⁸ “Now please look at me,
And see if I lie to your face.
²⁹ “Desist now, let there be no injustice;
Even desist, my righteousness is yet in it.
³⁰ “Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my palate discern ^[n]calamities?