Job 7

¹Is there not a warfare to man upon earth? And are not his days like the days of a hireling?

²As a servant that earnestly desireth the shadow, And as a hireling that looketh for his wages:

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

⁴When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

⁵My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; My skin closeth up, and breaketh out afresh.

⁶My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.

⁷Oh remember that my life is a breath: Mine eye shall no more see good.

⁸The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me no more; Thine eyes shall be upon me, but I shall not be.

⁹As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, So he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.

¹⁰He shall return no more to his house, Neither shall his place know him any more.

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

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

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

¹⁴Then thou scarest me with dreams, And terrifiest me through visions:

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

¹⁶I loathe my life; I would not live alway: Let me alone; for my days are vanity.

¹⁷What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, And that thou shouldest set thy mind upon him,

¹⁸And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, And try him every moment?

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

²⁰If I have sinned, what do I unto thee, O thou watcher of men? Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee, So that I am a burden to myself?

²¹And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For now shall I lie down in the dust; And thou wilt seek me diligently, but I shall not be.

Job 7

¹“Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand?

²Like a slave he longs for shade; like a hireling he waits for his wages.

³So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed me.

⁴When I lie down I think: ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.

⁵My flesh is clothed with worms and encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.

⁶My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.

⁷Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness.

⁸The eye that beholds me will no longer see me. You will look for me, but I will be no more.

⁹As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come back up.

¹⁰He never returns to his house; his place remembers him no more.

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.

¹²Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that You must keep me under guard?

¹³When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint,

¹⁴then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,

¹⁵so that I would prefer strangling and death over my life in this body.

¹⁶I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

¹⁷What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him,

¹⁸that You attend to him every morning, and test him every moment?

¹⁹Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?

²⁰If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so that I am a burden to You?

²¹Why do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For soon I will lie down in the dust; You will seek me, but I will be no more.”