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Then Job responded,

But Job answered and said,

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

Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

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

For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.

"For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, My spirit drinks their poison; The terrors of God line up against me.

For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

"Does the wild donkey bray over his grass, Or does the ox low over his feed?

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

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

Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

"My soul refuses to touch them; They are like loathsome food to me.

The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.

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

Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

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

Even that it would please God to destroy 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 have not denied the words of the Holy One.

Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

"What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure?

What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

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

Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

"Is it that my help is not within me, And that a good outcome is driven away from me?

Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

"For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not abandon the fear of the Almighty.

To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

"My brothers have acted deceitfully like a wadi, Like the torrents of wadis which drain away,

My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

Which are darkened because of ice, And into which the snow melts.

Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:

"When they dry up, they vanish; When it is hot, they disappear from their place.

What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

"The paths of their course wind along, They go up into wasteland and perish.

The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

"The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

"They were put to shame, for they had trusted, They came there and were humiliated.

They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.

"Indeed, you have now become such, You see terrors and are afraid.

For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.

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

Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?

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

Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

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

Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

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

How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?

"Do you intend to rebuke my words, When the words of one in despair belong to the wind?

Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?

"You would even cast lots for the orphans, And barter over your friend.

Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.

"Now please look at me, And see if I am lying to your face.

Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.

"Please turn away, let there be no injustice; Turn away, my righteousness is still in it.

Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.

"Is there injustice on my tongue? Does my palate not discern disasters?

Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?

"Is a person not forced to labor on earth, And are his days not like the days of a hired worker?

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

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

As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:

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

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

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

When 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.

"My flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and oozes.

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

"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And they come to an end without hope.

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

"Remember that my life is a mere breath; My eye will not see goodness again.

O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.

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

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

"When a cloud vanishes, it is gone; In the same way one who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

"He will not return to his house again, Nor will his place know about him anymore.

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

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

Therefore I will not refrain 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 the sea monster, That You set a guard over me?

Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

"If I say, 'My couch will comfort me, My bed will ease my complaint,'

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

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

Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:

So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my pains.

So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

"I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are only a breath.

I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

"What is man that You exalt him, And that You are concerned about him,

What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

That You examine him every morning And put him to the test every moment?

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

"Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?

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

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

I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

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

And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.