¹⁸ They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
    and they were knocking on death’s door.

³ For my life is full of troubles,
    and death^[a] draws near.

¹³ Lord, have mercy on me.
    See how my enemies torment me.
    Snatch me back from the jaws of death.

¹⁹ “Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds,
    with ceaseless aching in their bones.
²⁰ They lose their appetite
    for even the most delicious food.
²¹ Their flesh wastes away,
    and their bones stick out.
²² They are at death’s door;
    the angels of death wait for them.

¹⁰ I said, “In the prime of my life,
    must I now enter the place of the dead?^[a]
    Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?”

¹⁷ Do you know where the gates of death are located?
    Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?