Job 7

7Human life is like forced army service,

like a life of hard manual labour,

²like slaves longing for cool shade;

like workers waiting for their pay.

³Month after month I have nothing to live for;

night after night brings me grief.

⁴When I lie down to sleep, the hours drag;

I toss all night and long for dawn.

⁵My body is full of worms;

it is covered with scabs;

pus runs out of my sores.

⁶My days pass by without hope,

pass faster than a weaver’s shuttle.^p

⁷Remember, O God, my life is only a breath;

my happiness has already ended.

⁸You see me now, but never again.

If you look for me, I’ll be gone.

^9–10Like a cloud that fades and is gone,

people die and never return;

they are forgotten by all who knew them.

¹¹No! I can’t be quiet!

I am angry and bitter.

I have to speak.

¹²Why do you keep me under guard?

Do you think I am a sea monster?^q

¹³I lie down and try to rest;

I look for relief from my pain.

¹⁴But you—you terrify me with dreams;

you send me visions and nightmares

¹⁵until I would rather be strangled

than live in this miserable body.

¹⁶I give up; I am tired of living.

Leave me alone. My life makes no sense.

^17*Why are human beings so important to you?

Why pay attention to what they do?

¹⁸You inspect them every morning

and test them every minute.

¹⁹Won’t you look away long enough

for me to swallow my spittle?

²⁰Are you harmed by my sin, you jailer?

Why use me for your target practice?

Am I so great a burden to you?

²¹Can’t you ever forgive my sin?

Can’t you pardon the wrong I do?

Soon I will be in my grave,

and I’ll be gone when you look for me.