⁷ “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
⁸ Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
⁹ Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
¹⁰ But man dies and ^[d]is laid away;
Indeed he ^[e]breathes his last
And where is ^(I)he?
¹¹ As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,
¹² So man lies down and does not rise.
^(J)Till the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.

¹³ “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
¹⁴ If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service ^(K)I will wait,
Till my change comes.
^15 (L)You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
¹⁶ For now ^(M)You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
^17 (N)My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You ^[f]cover my iniquity.

¹⁸ “But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
¹⁹ As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
²⁰ You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
²¹ His sons come to honor, and ^(O)he does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
²² But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.”

² “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
And fill ^[g]himself with the east wind?
³ Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
⁴ Yes, you cast off fear,
And restrain ^[h]prayer before God.
⁵ For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
^6 (Q)Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
Yes, your own lips testify against you.

⁷ “Are you the first man who was born?
^(R)Or were you made before the hills?
^8 (S)Have you heard the counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
^9 (T)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us?
^10 (U)Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Much older than your father.
¹¹ Are the consolations of God too small for you,
And the word spoken ^[i]gently with you?
¹² Why does your heart carry you away,
And ^[j]what do your eyes wink at,
¹³ That you turn your spirit against God,
And let such words go out of your mouth?

¹⁴ “What^(V) is man, that he could be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
^15 (W)If God puts no trust in His saints,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
^16 (X)How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
^(Y)Who drinks iniquity like water!

¹⁷ “I will tell you, hear me;
What I have seen I will declare,
¹⁸ What wise men have told,
Not hiding anything received ^(Z)from their fathers,
¹⁹ To whom alone the ^[k]land was given,
And ^(AA)no alien passed among them:
²⁰ The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
^(AB)And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
^21 [l]Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
^(AC)In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
²² He does not believe that he will ^(AD)return from darkness,
For a sword is waiting for him.
²³ He ^(AE)wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows ^(AF)that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
²⁴ Trouble and anguish make him afraid;
They overpower him, like a king ready for ^[m]battle.
²⁵ For he stretches out his hand against God,
And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
²⁶ Running stubbornly against Him
With his strong, embossed shield.

²⁷ “Though^(AG) he has covered his face with his fatness,
And made his waist heavy with fat,
²⁸ He dwells in desolate cities,
In houses which no one inhabits,
Which are destined to become ruins.
²⁹ He will not be rich,
Nor will his wealth ^(AH)continue,
Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
³⁰ He will not depart from darkness;
The flame will dry out his branches,
And ^(AI)by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
³¹ Let him not ^(AJ)trust in futile things, deceiving himself,
For futility will be his reward.
³² It will be accomplished ^(AK)before his time,
And his branch will not be green.
³³ He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine,
And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
³⁴ For the company of hypocrites will be barren,
And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
^35 (AL)They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
Their womb prepares deceit.”

² “I have heard many such things;
^(AM)Miserable^[n] comforters are you all!
³ Shall ^[o]words of wind have an end?
Or what provokes you that you answer?
⁴ I also could speak as you do,
If your soul were in my soul’s place.
I could heap up words against you,
And ^(AN)shake my head at you;
⁵ But I would strengthen you with my mouth,
And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

⁶ “Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;
And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
⁷ But now He has ^(AO)worn me out;
You ^(AP)have made desolate all my company.
⁸ You have shriveled me up,
And it is a ^(AQ)witness against me;
My leanness rises up against me
And bears witness to my face.
^9 (AR)He tears me in His wrath, and hates me;
He gnashes at me with His teeth;
^(AS)My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
¹⁰ They ^(AT)gape at me with their mouth,
They ^(AU)strike me reproachfully on the cheek,
They gather together against me.
¹¹ God ^(AV)has delivered me to the ungodly,
And turned me over to the hands of the wicked.
¹² I was at ease, but He has ^(AW)shattered me;
He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces;
He has ^(AX)set me up for His target,
¹³ His archers surround me.
He pierces my ^[p]heart and does not pity;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
¹⁴ He breaks me with wound upon wound;
He runs at me like a ^[q]warrior.

¹⁵ “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,
And ^(AY)laid my ^[r]head in the dust.
¹⁶ My face is ^[s]flushed from weeping,
And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
¹⁷ Although no violence is in my hands,
And my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ “O earth, do not cover my blood,
And ^(AZ)let my cry have no resting place!
¹⁹ Surely even now ^(BA)my witness is in heaven,
And my evidence is on high.
²⁰ My friends scorn me;
My eyes pour out tears to God.
^21 (BB)Oh, that one might plead for a man with God,
As a man pleads for his ^[t]neighbor!
²² For when a few years are finished,
I shall ^(BC)go the way of no return.