6 Iyov responded:

² “I wish my frustration could be weighed,
all my calamities laid on the scales!
³ They would outweigh the sands of the seas!
No wonder, then, that my words come out stammered!
⁴ For the arrows of Shaddai find their mark in me,
and my spirit is drinking in their poison;
the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

⁵ “Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass?
Does an ox low when it has fodder?
⁶ Can food without flavor be eaten without salt?
Do egg whites have any taste?
⁷ I refuse to touch them;
such food makes me sick.

⁸ “If only I could have my wish granted,
and God would give me what I’m hoping for —
⁹ that God would decide to crush me,
that he would let his hand loose and cut me off!
¹⁰ Then I would feel consoled;
so that even in the face of unending pain,
I would be able to rejoice;
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

¹¹ “Have I enough strength to go on waiting?
What end can I expect, that I should be patient?
¹² Is my strength the strength of stones?
Is my flesh made of bronze?
¹³ Clearly, I have no help in myself;
common sense has been driven from me.

¹⁴ “A friend should be kind to an unhappy man,
even to one who abandons Shaddai.
¹⁵ But my brothers are as deceptive as vadis,
as vadi streams that soon run dry;
¹⁶ they may turn dark with ice
and be hidden by piled-up snow;
¹⁷ but as the weather warms up, they vanish;
when it’s hot, they disappear.
¹⁸ Their courses turn this way and that;
they go up into the confusing waste and are lost.
¹⁹ The caravans from Tema look for them,
the travelers from Sh’va hope to find them;
²⁰ but they are disappointed, because they were confident;
on arrival there, they are frustrated.

²¹ “For now, you have become like that —
just seeing my calamity makes you afraid.
²² Did I say to you, ‘Give me something,’
or, ‘From your wealth, offer a bribe on my behalf,’
²³ or, ‘Save me from the enemy’s grip,’
or, ‘Redeem me from the clutches of oppressors’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will be silent.
Make me understand how I am at fault.
²⁵ Honest words are forceful indeed,
but what do your arguments prove?
²⁶ Do you think [your own] words constitute argument,
while the speech of a desperate man is merely wind?
²⁷ I suppose you would even throw dice for an orphan
or barter away your friend!

²⁸ “So now, I beg you, look at me!
Would I lie to your face?
²⁹ Think it over, please; don’t let wrong be done.
Think it over again: my cause is just.
³⁰ Am I saying something wrong?
Can’t I recognize trouble when I taste it?