[1] “Is not man conscripted to labor on earth, And are not his days like the days of a hired man? [2] “As a slave who pants for the shade, And as a hired man who eagerly hopes for his wages, [3] So am I apportioned months of worthlessness, And nights of trouble are appointed me. [4] “If I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the twilight continues, And I am saturated with tossing until dawn. [5] “My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt; My skin scabs over and flows out again. [6] “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And come to an end without hope. [7] “Remember that my life is but wind; My eye will not again see good. [8] “The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer; Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be. [9] “A cloud vanishes, and it is gone, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. [10] “He will not return again to his house, Nor will his place recognize him anymore. [11] “Indeed I will not hold back my mouth; I will speak in the distress of my spirit; I will muse on the bitterness of my soul. [12] “Am I the sea or the sea monster, That You set a guard over me? [13] “If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me; My couch will ease my bitter musing,’ [14] Then You frighten me with dreams And terrify me by visions, [15] So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my pains. [16] “I have rejected everything; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath. [17] “What is man that You magnify him, And that You set Your heart on him, [18] That You examine him every morning And test him every moment? [19] “Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spit? [20] “Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? [21] “Why then do You not forgive my transgression And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust; And You will seek me earnestly, but I will not be.”
