Job 7

1The life of man upon earth is a warfare, and his days are like the days of a hireling.

1Hath not man a life of labour upon earth? and are not his days like the days of a hireling?

1Has not man his ordered time of trouble on the earth? and are not his days like the days of a servant working for payment?

2As a servant longeth for the shade, as the hireling looketh for the end of his work;

2As a bondman earnestly desireth the shadow, and a hireling expecteth his wages,

2As a servant desiring the shades of evening, and a workman looking for his payment:

3So I also have had empty months, and have numbered to myself wearisome nights.

3So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

3So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me.

4If I lie down to sleep, I shall say: When shall I rise? and again, I shall look for the evening, and shall be filled with sorrows even till darkness.

4If I lie down, I say, When shall I rise up, and the darkness be gone? and I am full of tossings until the dawn.

4When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light.

5My flesh is clothed with rottenness and the filth of dust; my skin is withered and drawn together.

5My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and suppurates.

5My flesh is covered with worms and dust; my skin gets hard and then is cracked again.

6My days have passed more swiftly than the web is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.

6My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

6My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.

7Remember that my life is but wind, and my eye shall not return to see good things.

7Remember thou that my life is wind; mine eye shall no more see good.

7O, keep in mind that my life is wind: my eye will never again see good.

8Nor shall the sight of man behold me: thy eyes are upon me, and I shall be no more.

8The eye of him that hath seen me shall behold me no [more]: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.

8The eye of him who sees me will see me no longer: your eyes will be looking for me, but I will be gone.

9As a cloud is consumed, and passeth away: so he that shall go down to hell shall not come up.

9The cloud consumeth and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to Sheol shall not come up.

9A cloud comes to an end and is gone; so he who goes down into the underworld comes not up again.

10Nor shall he return any more into his house, neither shall his place know him any more

10He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him again.

10He will not come back to his house, and his place will have no more knowledge of him.

11Wherefore, I will not spare my mouth, I will speak in the affliction of my spirit: I will talk with the bitterness of my soul.

11Therefore I will not restrain my mouth: I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

11So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry.

12Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou hast enclosed me in a prison?

12Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, that thou settest a watch over me?

12Am I a sea, or a sea-beast, that you put a watch over me?

13If I say: My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved, speaking with myself on my couch:

13When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;

13When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;

14Thou wilt frighten me with dreams, and terrify me with visions.

14Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions;

14Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear;

15So that my soul rather chooseth hanging, and my bones death.

15So that my soul chooseth strangling, death, rather than my bones.

15So that a hard death seems better to my soul than my pains.

16I have done with hope, I shall now live no longer: spare me, for my days are nothing.

16I loathe it; I shall not live always: let me alone, for my days are a breath.

16I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.

17What is a man, that thou shouldst magnify him or why dost thou set thy heart upon him?

17What is man, that thou makest much of him? and that thou settest thy heart upon him?

17What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him,

18Thou visitest him early in the morning, and thou provest him suddenly.

18And that thou visitest him every morning, triest him every moment?

18And that your hand is on him every morning, and that you are testing him every minute?

19How long wilt thou not spare me, nor suffer me to swallow down my spittle?

19How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

19How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space?

20I have sinned: what shall I do to thee, O keeper of men? why hast thou set me opposite to thee. and am I become burdensome to myself?

20Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?

20If I have done wrong, what have I done to you, O keeper of men? why have you made me a mark for your blows, so that I am a weariness to myself?

21Why dost thou not remove my sin, and why dost thou not take away my iniquity? Behold now I shall sleep in the dust: and if thou seek me in the morning, I shall not be.

21And why dost not thou forgive my transgression and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I lie down in the dust, and thou shalt seek me early, and I shall not be.

21And why do you not take away my sin, and let my wrongdoing be ended? for now I go down to the dust, and you will be searching for me with care, but I will be gone.