Study Desk

May the stars of its morning be dark; May it look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day;

For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I would have been at rest

With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built ruins for themselves,

Who long for death, but it does not come, And search for it more than hidden treasures;

For my sighing comes before I eat, [fn] And my groanings pour out like water.

For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.

I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes."

The old lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

For wrath kills a foolish man, And envy slays a simple one.

For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground;

"But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause--

For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.

For you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field, And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

Behold, this we have searched out; It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself."

For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea-- Therefore my words have been rash.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; My spirit drinks in their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

"Oh, that I might have my request, That God would grant me the thing that I long for!

Then I would still have comfort; Though in anguish I would exult, He will not spare; For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

The caravans of Tema look, The travelers of Sheba hope for them.

For now you are nothing, You see terror and are afraid.