Job 7

English Standard Version

Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope

7 “Has not man ^(A)a hard service on earth,
    and are not his ^(B)days like the days of a hired hand?
²Like a slave who longs for ^(C)the shadow,
    and like ^(D)a hired hand who looks for his ^(E)wages,
³so I am allotted months of ^(F)emptiness,
    ^(G)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
⁴^(H)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
⁵My flesh is clothed with ^(I)worms and ^(J)dirt;
    my skin hardens, then ^(K)breaks out afresh.
⁶My days are ^(L)swifter than ^(M)a weaver's shuttle
    and come to their end without hope.

⁷“Remember that my life is a ^(N)breath;
    my eye will never again see good.
⁸^(O)The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more;
    while your eyes are on me, ^(P)I shall be gone.
⁹As ^(Q)the cloud fades and vanishes,
    so he who ^(R)goes down to Sheol does not come up;
¹⁰he ^(S)returns no more to his house,
    nor does his ^(T)place know him anymore.

¹¹“Therefore I will not ^(U)restrain my mouth;
    I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
    I will ^(V)complain in ^(W)the bitterness of my soul.
¹²Am I the sea, or ^(X)a sea monster,
    that you set a guard over me?
¹³^(Y)When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
    my couch will ease my complaint,’
¹⁴then you scare me with dreams
    and terrify me with visions,
¹⁵so that I would choose strangling
    and death rather than my ^(Z)bones.
¹⁶I ^(AA)loathe my life; I would not live forever.
    ^(AB)Leave me alone, for my days are ^(AC)a breath.
¹⁷^(AD)What is man, that you make so much of him,
    and that you set your heart on him,
¹⁸^(AE)visit him every morning
    and ^(AF)test him every moment?
¹⁹How long will you not ^(AG)look away from me,
    nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
²⁰If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind?
    Why have you made me ^(AH)your mark?
    Why have I become a burden to you?
²¹Why do you not pardon my transgression
    and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in ^(AI)the earth;
    you will ^(AJ)seek me, ^(AK)but I shall not be.”

Job 7

International Standard Version

Job Acknowledges the Brevity of Life

7 “Men have harsh servitude on earth, do they not?
    His days are like those of a hired laborer, are they not?^[a]
²I’m like a servant who longs for the shade,
    like a hired laborer who is looking for his wages.
³Truly I’ve been allotted months of emptiness;
    nights of trouble have been appointed for me.

⁴“When I lie down I ask,
    ‘When will I wake up?’
But the night continues
    and I keep tossing and turning until dawn.^[b]
⁵My skin^[c] is covered with worms and clods of dirt;
    my skin becomes rough and then breaks out afresh.
⁶My days pass as swiftly as a hand-loom;
    they come to their conclusion without hope.
⁷Remember that my life is a breath;
    my eyes won’t go back to seeing good things.^[d]
⁸The eyes of the one who sees me won’t see me anymore;
    your eyes will look^[e] for me
        but I won’t be around!^[f]
⁹As a cloud fades away and vanishes,
    the one who descends to the afterlife^[g] doesn’t return.^[h]
¹⁰He doesn’t return again to his house,
    and his place won’t recognize him anymore.”

Job Intends to Complain

¹¹“In addition, I won’t keep my opinion^[i] to myself;
    I’ll speak from my distressed spirit;
        I’ll complain with my bitter soul.
¹²Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
    that you keep watching me?
¹³For I’ve said, ‘My bed will comfort me;
    my couch will ease my burdens^[j] while I complain.’
¹⁴But then you scared me with dreams;
    you terrified me with visions.
¹⁵I would rather die by strangulation
    than continue living.^[k]
¹⁶I hate the thought of living forever!
    Leave me alone, because my days are pointless.”

Job Acknowledges Humankind’s Insignificance

¹⁷“What is a human being, that you make so much of him;
    that you set your affections on him,
¹⁸visit him every morning,
    and test him continually?
¹⁹Why won’t you look away from me?
    Why don’t you leave me alone so I can swallow my saliva?
²⁰So what if I sin? What have I done against you,
    you observer of humankind?
Why have you made me your target?
    Why burden yourself with me?
²¹Why haven’t you pardoned my transgression
    and taken away my iniquity?
Now I’m about to lie down in the dust.
    You will seek me diligently,
        but I won’t be around!”^[l]

Footnotes

Job 7:1 Or hireling
Job 7:4 Or twilight
Job 7:5 Or flesh
Job 7:7 The Heb. lacks things
Job 7:8 The Heb. lacks will look
Job 7:8 The Heb. lacks around
Job 7:9 Lit. Sheol; i.e. the dwelling place of the dead
Job 7:9 Lit. doesn’t come back up
Job 7:11 Lit. mouth
Job 7:13 Or carry
Job 7:15 Lit. my bones
Job 7:21 The Heb. lacks around

English Standard Version (ESV)

International Standard Version (ISV)

Job 7 English Standard Version