Job Continues: My Life Has No Hope

“Has not man (A)a hard service on earth,
    and are not his (B)days like the days of a hired hand?
Like a slave who longs for (C)the shadow,
    and like (D)a hired hand who looks for his (E)wages,
so I am allotted months of (F)emptiness,
    (G)and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
(H)When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’
    But the night is long,
    and I am full of tossing till the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with (I)worms and (J)dirt;
    my skin hardens, then (K)breaks out afresh.

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Job Acknowledges the Brevity of Life

“Men have harsh servitude on earth, do they not?
    His days are like those of a hired laborer, are they not?[a]
I’m like a servant who longs for the shade,
    like a hired laborer who is looking for his wages.
Truly I’ve been allotted months of emptiness;
    nights of trouble have been appointed for me.

“When I lie down I ask,
    ‘When will I wake up?’
But the night continues
    and I keep tossing and turning until dawn.[b]
My skin[c] is covered with worms and clods of dirt;
    my skin becomes rough and then breaks out afresh.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 7:1 Or hireling
  2. Job 7:4 Or twilight
  3. Job 7:5 Or flesh