² “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,
And my calamity laid with it on the scales!
³ For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea—
Therefore my words have been rash.
^4 (A)For the arrows of the Almighty are within me;
My spirit drinks in their poison;
^(B)The terrors of God are arrayed ^(C)against me.
⁵ Does the ^(D)wild donkey bray when it has grass,
Or does the ox low over its fodder?
⁶ Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?
Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
⁷ My soul refuses to touch them;
They are as loathsome food to me.

⁸ “Oh, that I might have my request,
That God would grant me the thing that I long for!
⁹ That it would please God to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and ^(E)cut me off!
¹⁰ Then I would still have comfort;
Though in anguish I would exult,
He will not spare;
For ^(F)I have not concealed the words of ^(G)the Holy One.

¹¹ “What strength do I have, that I should hope?
And what is my end, that I should prolong my life?
¹² Is my strength the strength of stones?
Or is my flesh bronze?
¹³ Is my help not within me?
And is success driven from me?

¹⁴ “To^(H) him who is ^[a]afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend,
Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
^15 (I)My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook,
^(J)Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,
¹⁶ Which are dark because of the ice,
And into which the snow vanishes.
¹⁷ When it is warm, they cease to flow;
When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
¹⁸ The paths of their way turn aside,
They go nowhere and perish.
¹⁹ The caravans of ^(K)Tema look,
The travelers of ^(L)Sheba hope for them.
²⁰ They are ^(M)disappointed^[b] because they were confident;
They come there and are confused.
²¹ For now ^(N)you are nothing,
You see terror and ^(O)are afraid.
²² Did I ever say, ‘Bring something to me’?
Or, ‘Offer a bribe for me from your wealth’?
²³ Or, ‘Deliver me from the enemy’s hand’?
Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of oppressors’?

²⁴ “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
²⁵ How forceful are right words!
But what does your arguing prove?
²⁶ Do you intend to rebuke my words,
And the speeches of a desperate one, which are as wind?
²⁷ Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless,
And you ^(P)undermine your friend.
²⁸ Now therefore, be pleased to look at me;
For I would never lie to your face.
^29 (Q)Yield now, let there be no injustice!
Yes, concede, my ^(R)righteousness ^[c]still stands!
³⁰ Is there injustice on my tongue?
Cannot my ^[d]taste discern the unsavory?

⁶ “My^(W) days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And are spent without hope.
⁷ Oh, remember that ^(X)my life is a breath!
My eye will never again see good.
^8 (Y)The eye of him who sees me will see me no more;
While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be.
⁹ As the cloud disappears and vanishes away,
So ^(Z)he who goes down to the grave does not come up.
¹⁰ He shall never return to his house,
^(AA)Nor shall his place know him anymore.

¹¹ “Therefore I will ^(AB)not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will ^(AC)complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹² Am I a sea, or a sea serpent,
That You set a guard over me?
^13 (AD)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,
¹⁵ So that my soul chooses strangling
And death rather than ^[f]my body.
^16 (AE)I loathe my life;
I would not live forever.
^(AF)Let me alone,
For ^(AG)my days are but ^[g]a breath.

¹⁷ “What^(AH) is man, that You should exalt him,
That You should set Your heart on him,
¹⁸ That You should ^[h]visit him every morning,
And test him every moment?
¹⁹ How long?
Will You not look away from me,
And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?
²⁰ Have I sinned?
What have I done to You, ^(AI)O watcher of men?
Why ^(AJ)have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden ^[i]to myself?
²¹ Why then do You not pardon my transgression,
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust,
And You will seek me diligently,
But I will no longer be.”

² “How long will you speak these things,
And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
^3 (AK)Does God subvert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
⁴ If ^(AL)your sons have sinned against Him,
He has cast them away ^[j]for their transgression.
^5 (AM)If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty,
⁶ If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would ^[k]awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
⁷ Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would ^(AN)increase abundantly.

⁸ “For^(AO) inquire, please, of the former age,
And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
⁹ For ^(AP)we were born yesterday, and know ^[l]nothing,
Because our days on earth are a shadow.
¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their heart?

¹¹ “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the reeds flourish without water?
^12 (AQ)While it is yet green and not cut down,
It withers before any other plant.
¹³ So are the paths of all who ^(AR)forget God;
And the hope of the ^(AS)hypocrite shall perish,
¹⁴ Whose confidence shall be cut off,
And whose trust is ^[m]a spider’s web.
^15 (AT)He leans on his house, but it does not stand.
He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
¹⁶ He grows green in the sun,
And his branches spread out in his garden.
¹⁷ His roots wrap around the rock heap,
And look for a place in the stones.
^18 (AU)If he is destroyed from his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’

¹⁹ “Behold, this is the joy of His way,
And ^(AV)out of the earth others will grow.
²⁰ Behold, ^(AW)God will not ^[n]cast away the blameless,
Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
²¹ He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with ^[o]rejoicing.
²² Those who hate you will be ^(AX)clothed with shame,
And the dwelling place of the wicked ^[p]will come to nothing.”