⁸ “Oh that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my hope!
⁹ Would that God were ^(H)willing to crush me,
That He would release His hand and cut me off!
¹⁰ But it is still my comfort,
And I rejoice in unsparing pain,
That I ^(I)have not at all hidden away the words of the Holy One.
¹¹ What is my strength, that I should wait?
And what is my end, that I should ^[c](J)endure?
¹² Is my strength the strength of stones,
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ Is it that there is no ^(K)help within me,
And that the ^[d](L)success of sound wisdom is driven from me?

¹⁴ “For the ^(M)despairing man lovingkindness should be from his friend;
But he ^(N)forsakes the ^[e]fear of the Almighty.
¹⁵ My brothers have ^(O)betrayed me like a ^[f]wadi,
Like the torrents of ^[g]wadis which pass away,
¹⁶ Which grow dark because of ice
And upon which the snow hides itself.
¹⁷ When ^(P)they become waterless, they ^[h]are silent;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ The ^[i]paths of their course wind along;
They go up into a formless place and perish.
¹⁹ The caravans of ^(Q)Tema looked;
The travelers of ^(R)Sheba hoped for them.
²⁰ They ^(S)were ashamed for they had trusted;
They came there and were humiliated.
²¹ Indeed, you have now become such;
^(T)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, ‘Give me escape from the hand of the adversary,’
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless men’?

²⁴ “Instruct me, and ^(U)I will be silent;
And cause me to understand how I have erred.
²⁵ How painful are upright words!
But what does your reproof prove?
²⁶ Do you think to reprove my words,
Or think of the ^(V)words of one in despair as wind?
²⁷ You would even ^(W)cast lots for ^(X)the orphans
And ^(Y)bargain over your friend.
²⁸ So now be willing to face me,
And see if I ^(Z)lie to your face.
²⁹ Now turn from this, let there be no unrighteousness;
Even turn from this, ^(AA)my righteousness is yet in it.
³⁰ Is there unrighteousness on my tongue?
Cannot ^(AB)my palate discern ^[j]destruction?