Beginning

5 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee, and to which of the kadoshim (holy ones) wilt thou turn?

² For ka’as (anger) killeth the foolish man, and kinah (envy) slayeth the simple one.

³ I have seen the fool taking shoresh (root), but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

⁴ His banim are far from yesha (safety, salvation), and they are crushed in the sha’ar (gate, before the public), neither is there any to deliver them.

⁵ Whose katzir (harvest) the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even from among of the tzinnim (thorns), and the intriguer pants after their wealth.

⁶ Although affliction springeth not forth of the aphar (dust), neither doth amal (trouble, tzoros) sprout out of the adamah;

⁷ Yet adam is born unto amal (trouble, tzoros), even as sparks fly upward.

⁸ I would seek El (G-d), and before Elohim would I lay my cause;

⁹ Who doeth gedolot unsearchable, marvellous things without mispar;

¹⁰ Who giveth matar upon eretz, and sendeth mayim upon the fields;

¹¹ To set up on high those that be the shefalim (the lowly ones); that those which mourn may be exalted to safety,

¹² Thwarting the machshevot of the arumim (crafty ones), so that their hands cannot accomplish tushiyyah (success).

¹³ He taketh the chachamim in their own arum (craftiness), and the etzah of the wily is swiftly swept away.

¹⁴ They meet with choshech in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the lailah,

¹⁵ But He saveth the needy from the cherev of their mouth, and from the yad chazak.

¹⁶ So the poor hath tikveh, and olatah (perversity, wickedness) stoppeth her mouth.

¹⁷ Hinei, ashrei is the enosh whom Eloah correcteth; therefore despise not thou the musar (chastening) of Shaddai;

¹⁸ For He woundeth, and bindeth up; He injureth, and His yadayim (hands) heal.

¹⁹ He shall deliver thee in shesh tzoros; yea, in shivah there shall no rah touch thee.

²⁰ In ra’av (famine) He shall redeem thee from mavet; and in milchamah from the power of the cherev.

²¹ Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the leshon, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

²² At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh; neither shalt thou be afraid of the chayyat ha’aretz.

²³ For thou shalt be in league with the avanim of the sadeh, and the chayyat sadeh shall be hashelemah (at peace) with thee.

²⁴ And thou shalt know that shalom shall be thy ohel; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and find nothing wanting.

²⁵ Thou shalt know also that thy zera shall be rav, and thine offspring as the esev ha’aretz.

²⁶ Thou shalt come to thy kever in a ripe age, like a shock of grain cometh in its season.

²⁷ Hinei zot, this we have searched out, so it is; hear it, and apply thou it for thy good.

6 But Iyov answered and said,

² Oh that my ka’as (vexation) were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the scales together!

³ For now it would be heavier than the chol of the seas; therefore my words are impetuous.

⁴ For the khitzim (arrows) of Shaddai are in me, the poison whereof drinketh my ruach; the terrors of Eloah do set themselves in array against me.

⁵ Doth the pereh (wild donkey) bray when he hath desheh? Or loweth the ox over his fodder?

⁶ Can that which is tasteless be eaten without melach? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

⁷ The things that my nefesh refused to touch are like my loathsome lechem.

⁸ Who will grant that I might have my she’elah (request); oh that Eloah would grant me my tikveh!

⁹ Even that it would please Eloah to crush me; that He would let loose His yad, and cut me off!

¹⁰ Then should I yet have nechamah (consolation); yea, I would exult in chilah (pain); let him not spare; for I have not concealed the imrei Kadosh (words of the Holy One).

¹¹ What is my koach, that I should wait? And what is mine end, that I should make patient my nefesh?

¹² Is my koach the koach of avanim? Or is my basar bronze?

¹³ Is it that my help is not within me? And is tushiyyah (success) driven from me?

¹⁴ To him that is afflicted, chesed should be shown from his friend; otherwise, he forsaketh the fear of Shaddai.

¹⁵ Achai (my brethren) have dealt deceitfully as a wadi, and as the torrents of wadis they vanish away;

¹⁶ Which are blackish muddy by reason of the kerakh (ice), and wherein the sheleg (snow) is melted.

¹⁷ What season they become warm, they vanish; when it is hot, they disappear from their makom.

¹⁸ The paths of their derech wind about; they go up to tohu [Gn 1:2], and perish.

¹⁹ The caravans of Tema looked for them; the halichot (traveling companies) of Sheva hoped for them.

²⁰ They were disappointed because of their bitachon; they come there and are confounded.

²¹ For now ye are become such; ye see my chatat (casting down), and are afraid.

²² Did I say, Bring unto me? Or, Give a present for me of your ko’ach (power, wealth)?

²³ Or, Deliver me from the yad tzar (hand of the enemy, oppressor)? Or, Redeem me with a ransom from the yad of the tyrants?

²⁴ Teach me, and I will hold my tongue, and cause me to have binah wherein I have erred.

²⁵ How forcible are the imrei yosher (words of rectitude)! But what doth your hokhiach (reproof) reprove?

²⁶ Do ye think to reprove words? The words of one in despair, which are as ruach?

²⁷ Yea, ye cast lots for the yatom, and over your friend ye barter.

²⁸ Now therefore be pleased to look upon me; for it is evident unto you if in me there is kazav (falsity).

²⁹ Turn, now, let there be no iniquity; yea, turn again; at issue is my tzedek (righteousness).

³⁰ Is there iniquity on my leshon? Cannot my palate discern havvot (perverse things)?

7 Is there not a tzava (forced hard service in the army) to enosh (man) upon earth? Are not his days also like the yamim of a sachir (hired laborer)?

² As an eved earnestly longeth for tzel (shade), and as a sachir waiteth for the wage of his work,

³ So am I made to possess months of shav (vanity, futility), and lailot amal (nights of weariness) are appointed to me.

⁴ When I lie down, I say, Mosai (how long) till I arise? But the erev drags on, and I am full of tossings to and fro unto dawn.

⁵ My basar is clothed with worm and clod of aphar; my ohr (skin) is broken, and become loathsome.

⁶ My yamim are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without tikveh.

⁷ O remember that my life is ruach (wind); mine eye shall no more see tov.

⁸ The ayin (eye) of him that hath seen me shall see me no longer; thine eyes are upon me, and I am no more.

⁹ Like the anan that fades and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.

¹⁰ He shall return no more to his bais, neither shall his makom know him any more.

¹¹ Therefore I will not curb my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my ruach; I will complain in the mar (bitterness) of my nefesh.

¹² Am I a yam, or a tannin (monster of the yam [sea]), that Thou settest a mishmar (guard watch) over me?

¹³ When I say, My bed shall give me nachamah (comfort), my couch shall ease my complaint,

¹⁴ Then Thou frightenest me with chalomot (dreams), and terrifiest me through chezyonot (visions),

¹⁵ So that my nefesh chooseth machanak (strangling) and mavet (death) rather than this skeleton.

¹⁶ I loathe it; I would not live l’olam, let me alone; for my yamim are hevel (vanity, meaningless).

¹⁷ What is enosh (man), that Thou shouldest make much of him? And that Thou shouldest set Thine lev upon him?

¹⁸ And that Thou shouldest visit him every boker, and try him every moment?

¹⁹ How long dost Thou not look away from me? Nor let me alone till I swallow down my rok (spittle)?

²⁰ Chatati (I have sinned); what shall I do unto Thee, O Thou Notzer HaAdam (Observer of men)? Why hast Thou set me as a mifgah (mark, target, something to be hit) to Thee, so that I am a massa (burden) to Thee?

²¹ And why dost Thou not pardon my peysha (transgression), and take away my avon (iniquity)? For now shall I sleep in the aphar; and Thou shalt search for me, but I shall be no more.