Study Desk

Then Job responded,

"^(C1)Oh if only my grief were actually weighed And laid in the balances together with my disaster!

-"For then it would be ^(C1)heavier than the sand of the seas; For that reason my words have been rash.

-"For the ^(C1)arrows of the Almighty are within me, ^(F1)My spirit drinks their ^(C2)poison; The ^(C3)terrors of God line up against me.

-"Does the ^(C1)wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his feed?

-"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the ^(F1)juice of an alkanet plant?

-"My soul ^(C1)refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.

"Oh, that my request might come to pass, And that God would grant my hope!

-"Oh, that God would ^(C1)decide to crush me, That He would let loose His hand and cut me off!

-"But it is still my comfort, And I rejoice in unsparing pain, That I ^(C1)have not ^(F1)denied the words of the Holy One.

-"What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should ^(F1)(C1)endure?

-"Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

-"Is it that my ^(C1)help is not within me, And that a ^(C2)good outcome is driven away from me?

"For the ^(C1)despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not ^(C2)abandon the ^(F1)fear of the Almighty.

-"My brothers have acted ^(C1)deceitfully like a ^(F1)wadi, Like the torrents of ^(F1)wadis which drain away,

Which are darkened because of ice, And into which the snow ^(F1)melts.

-"When ^(C1)they dry up, they vanish; When it is hot, they disappear from their place.

-"The ^(F1)paths of their course wind along, They go up into wasteland and perish.

-"The caravans of ^(C1)Tema looked, The travelers of ^(C2)Sheba hoped for them.

-"They ^(C1)were put to shame, for they had trusted, They came there and were humiliated.

-"Indeed, you have now become such, ^(C1)You see terrors and are afraid.

-"Have I said, 'Give me something,' Or, 'Offer a bribe for me from your wealth,'

Or, 'Save me from the hand of the enemy,' Or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants'?

"Teach me, and ^(C1)I will be silent; And show me how I have done wrong.

-"How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?

-"Do you intend to rebuke my words, When the ^(C1)words of one in despair belong to the wind?

-"You would even ^(C1)cast lots for ^(C2)the orphans, And ^(C3)barter over your friend.

-"Now please look at me, And see if I am ^(C1)lying to your face.

-"Please turn away, let there be no injustice; Turn away, ^(C1)my righteousness is still in it.

-"Is there injustice on my tongue? Does ^(C1)my palate not discern disasters?

"^(F1)Is a person not ^(C1)forced to labor on earth, And are his days not like the days of ^(C2)a hired worker?

-"As a slave pants for the shade, And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,

So I am allotted worthless months, And ^(C1)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.

-"When I ^(C1)lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise?' But the night continues, And I am continually tossing until dawn.

-"My ^(C1)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and ^(F1)oozes.

-"My days are ^(C1)swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And they come to an end ^(C2)without hope.

"Remember that my life ^(C1)is a mere breath; My eye will ^(C2)not see goodness again.

-"The ^(C1)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me; Your eyes will be on me, but ^(C2)I will not exist.

-"When a ^(C1)cloud vanishes, it is gone; In the same way ^(C2)one who goes down to ^(F1)(C3)Sheol does not come up.

-"He will not return to his house again, Nor will ^(C1)his place know about him anymore.

"Therefore ^(C1)I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

-"Am I the sea, or ^(C1)the sea monster, That You set a guard over me?

-"If I say, '^(C1)My couch will comfort me, My bed will ^(F1)ease my complaint,'

Then You frighten me with dreams, And terrify me by visions,

So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my ^(F1)pains.

-"I ^(F1)(C1)waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, ^(C2)for my days are only a breath.

-"^(C1)What is man that You exalt him, And that You ^(F1)are concerned about him,

That ^(C1)You examine him every morning And put him to the test every moment?

-"^(F1)(C1)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?

-"^(C1)Have I sinned? What have I done to You, ^(C2)Watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?

-"Why then ^(C1)do You not forgive my wrongdoing And take away my ^(F1)guilt? For now I will ^(C2)lie down in the dust; And You will search for me, ^(C3)but I will no longer exist."