¹⁸ The Lord has punished me severely,
    but he did not give me over to death.^(A)

⁶     at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
    whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
    O Lord my God.^(A)

¹⁶ then he opens their ears
    and terrifies them with warnings,^(A)
17 that he may turn them aside from their deeds
    and keep them from pride,
¹⁸ to spare their souls from the Pit,
    their lives from traversing the River.
¹⁹ They are also chastened with pain upon their beds
    and with continual strife in their bones,^(B)
20 so that their lives loathe bread
    and their appetites dainty food.^(C)
21 Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
    and their bones, once invisible, now stick out.^(D)
22 Their souls draw near the Pit
    and their lives to those who bring death.^(E)
23 Then, if there should be for one of them an angel,
    a mediator, one of a thousand,
    one who declares a person upright,^(F)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says,
    ‘Deliver him from going down into the Pit;
    I have found a ransom;^(G)
25 let his flesh become fresh with youth;
    let him return to the days of his youthful vigor,’^(H)
26 then he prays to God and is accepted by him;
    he comes into his presence with joy,
and God^[a] repays him for his righteousness.^(I)
27     That person sings to others and says,
‘I sinned and perverted what was right,
    and it was not paid back to me.^(J)
28 He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
    and my life shall see the light.’^(K)