Job 7
Expanded Bible
7 “·People have [L Do not people have…?] a hard ·task [service] on earth,
and their days are like those of a [L hired] laborer [C hard work with little profit].
2 They are like a ·slave [servant] ·wishing [L panting] for the evening shadows,
like a [L hired] laborer waiting to be paid.
3 But I ·am given [L inherit] months that are ·empty [vain; futile],
and nights of ·misery [or toil] have been ·given [L allotted] to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, ‘How long until I get up?’
The night is long, and I toss until dawn.
5 My body is covered with worms and ·scabs [L clods of dust/dirt],
and my skin ·is broken and full of sores [L crusts over and oozes].
6 “My days go by faster than a weaver’s ·tool [shuttle],
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, God, that my life is only a breath.
My eyes will never see happy times again.
8 ·Those who [L The eyes that] see me now will see me no more;
you will look for me, but I will ·be gone [L be no more; not exist].
9 As a cloud ·disappears [fades] and is gone,
people go to ·the grave [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld] and never return.
10 They will never come back to their houses again,
and their places will not know them anymore.
11 “So I will not ·stay quiet [L restrain my mouth];
I will speak out in the ·suffering [distress; L pinch] of my spirit.
I will ·complain [groan] ·because I am so unhappy [L in the bitterness of my soul].
12 ·I am not [L Am I…?] ·the sea [L Yam] or ·the sea monster [L Tannin; C Yam and Tannin are legendary sea monsters representing chaos].
·So why have you […that you] set a guard over me?
13 Sometimes I think my bed will comfort me
or that my couch will ·stop my complaint [ease my groans].
14 Then you ·frighten [terrorize] me with dreams
and ·terrify [scare] me with visions.
15 My throat prefers to be choked;
my bones welcome death.
16 I ·hate [L reject] my life; I don’t want to live forever.
Leave me alone, because my days have no meaning.
17 “Why do you make people so important
and ·give them so much attention [L set your heart on them; C contrast Ps. 8:4]?
18 You ·examine [visit] them every morning
and test them ·every moment [all the time].
19 Will you never look away from me
or leave me alone even long enough to swallow [L my saliva]?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
you watcher of humans?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a ·heavy load [burden] for you?
21 Why don’t you ·pardon [forgive] my ·wrongs [transgressions]
and ·forgive my sins [carry away my guilt]?
I will soon lie down in the dust of death.
Then you will ·search [look] for me, but I will be no more.”
Job 7
Amplified Bible
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “Is not man forced to labor on earth?
And are not his days like the days of a hired man?
2
“As a slave earnestly longs for the shade,
And as a hired man eagerly awaits his wages,
3
So am I allotted months of futility and suffering,
And [long] nights of trouble and misery are appointed to me.
4
“When I lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise [and the night be gone]?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until the dawning of day.
5
“My body is clothed with worms and a crust of dust;
My skin is hardened [and broken and loathsome], and [breaks out and] runs.
6
“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
7
“Remember that my life is but breath [a puff of wind, a sigh];
My eye will not see good again.
8
“The eye of him who sees me [now] will see me no more;
Your eyes will be upon me, but I will not be.
9
“As a cloud vanishes and is gone,
So he who goes down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) does not come up.
10
“He will not return again to his house,
Nor will his place know about him anymore.
11
“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul [O Lord].
12
“Am I the sea, or the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13
“When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,’
14
Then You frighten me with dreams
And terrify me through visions,
15
So that I would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [a]pain.
16
“I waste away and loathe my life; I will not live forever.
Let me alone, for my days are but a breath [futile and without substance].
17
“What is man that You [should] magnify him [and think him important]?
And that You are concerned about him?(A)
18
“And that You examine him every morning
And try and test him every moment?
19
“Will You never turn Your gaze away from me [it plagues me],
Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20
“If I have sinned, what [harm] have I done to You,
O Watcher of mankind?
Why have You set me as a target for You,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21
“Why then do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my sin and guilt?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me [diligently], but I will not be.”
Footnotes
- Job 7:15 Lit bones.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
