Job 17

17My spirit is broken;

the days of my life are almost gone.

The grave is waiting for me.

²Those who laugh at me surround me;

I watch them insult me.

³“God, make me a promise.

No one will make a pledge for me.

⁴You have closed their minds to understanding.

Do not let them win over me.

⁵People might speak against their friends for money,

but if they do, the eyes of their children go blind.

⁶“God has made my name a curse word;

people spit in my face.

⁷My sight has grown weak because of my sadness,

and my body is as thin as a shadow.

⁸Honest people are upset about this;

innocent people are upset with those who do wrong.

⁹But those who do right will continue to do right,

and those whose hands are not dirty with sin will grow stronger.

¹⁰“But, all of you, come and try again!

I do not find a wise person among you.

¹¹My days are gone, and my plans have been destroyed,

along with the desires of my heart.

¹²These men think night is day;

when it is dark, they say, ‘Light is near.’

¹³If the only home I hope for is the grave,

if I spread out my bed in darkness,

¹⁴if I say to the grave, ‘You are my father,’

and to the worm, ‘You are my mother’ or ‘You are my sister,’

¹⁵where, then, is my hope?

Who can see any hope for me?

¹⁶Will hope go down to the gates of death?

Will we go down together into the dust?”