Job 7
New American Standard Bible
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “[a]Is a person not (A)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of (B)a hired worker?
2 As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So I am allotted worthless months,
And (C)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
4 When I (D)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
5 My (E)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and [b]oozes.
6 My days are (F)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end (G)without hope.
7 “Remember that my life (H)is a mere breath;
My eye will (I)not see goodness again.
8 The (J)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but (K)I will not exist.
9 When a (L)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way (M)one who goes down to [c](N)Sheol does not come up.
10 He will not return to his house again,
Nor will (O)his place know about him anymore.
11 “Therefore (P)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I the sea, or (Q)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 If I say, ‘(R)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will [d]ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [e]pains.
16 I [f](S)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, (T)for my days are only a breath.
17 (U)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You [g]are concerned about him,
18 That (V)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
19 [h](W)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 (X)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
(Y)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 Why then (Z)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my [i]guilt?
For now I will (AA)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, (AB)but I will no longer exist.”
Job 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job: My Suffering Is without End
7 “Do not human beings have a hard service on earth,
and are not their days like the days of a laborer?(A)
2 Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
and like laborers who look for their wages,(B)
3 so I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.(C)
4 When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I rise?’
But the night is long,
and I am full of tossing until dawn.(D)
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt;
my skin hardens, then breaks out again.
6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle
and come to their end without hope.[a](E)
7 “Remember that my life is a breath;
my eye will never again see good.(F)
8 The eye that beholds me will see me no more;
while your eyes are upon me, I shall be gone.(G)
9 As the cloud fades and vanishes,
so those who go down to Sheol do not come up;(H)
10 they return no more to their houses,
nor do their places know them any more.(I)
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.(J)
12 Am I the Sea or the Dragon
that you set a guard over me?(K)
13 When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
my couch will ease my complaint,’
14 then you scare me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,(L)
15 so that I would choose strangling
and death rather than this body.
16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever.
Let me alone, for my days are a breath.(M)
17 What are humans, that you make so much of them,
that you set your mind on them,(N)
18 visit them every morning,
test them every moment?
19 Will you not look away from me for a while,
let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of humanity?
Why have you made me your target?
Why have I become a burden to you?(O)
21 Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be.”(P)
Footnotes
- 7.6 Or as the thread runs out
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.