Job 16:8–17:9

⁸People can see the condition he has put me in.

My thin body stands as a witness against me.

⁹God is angry with me.

He attacks me and tears me up.

He grinds his teeth at me.

He stares at me as if he were my enemy.

¹⁰People make fun of me.

They slap my face and laugh at me.

All of them join together against me.

¹¹God has turned me over to sinful people.

He has handed me over to them.

¹²Everything was going well with me.

But he broke me into pieces like a clay pot.

He grabbed me by the neck and crushed me.

He has taken aim at me.

¹³He shoots his arrows at me from all sides.

Without pity, he stabs me in the kidneys.

He spills my insides on the ground.

¹⁴He smashes through me as if I were a wall.

He rushes at me like a fighting man.

¹⁵“I’ve sewed black cloth over my skin.

All I can do is sit here in the dust.

¹⁶My face is red from crying.

I have deep circles under my eyes.

¹⁷But I haven’t harmed anyone.

My prayers to God are pure.

¹⁸“Earth, please don’t cover up my blood!

May God always hear my cry for help!

¹⁹Even now my witness is in heaven.

The one who speaks up for me is there.

²⁰My go-between is my friend

as I pour out my tears to God.

²¹He makes his appeal to God to help me

as a man begs someone to help his friend.

²²“Only a few years will pass by.

Then I’ll go on a journey I won’t return from.

17My strength is almost gone.

I won’t live much longer.

A grave is waiting for me.

²People who make fun of me are all around me.

I’m forced to watch as they attack me with their words.

³“God, please pay the price to have me set free.

Who else would put up money for me?

⁴You have closed the minds of those who are trying to comfort me.

They don’t understand that I haven’t done anything wrong.

So don’t let them win the argument.

⁵Suppose a man tells lies about his friends to get a reward.

Then his own children will suffer for it.

⁶“God has made everyone laugh at me.

People spit in my face.

⁷My eyes have grown weak because I’m so sad.

My body is so thin it hardly casts a shadow.

⁸Those who claim to be honest

are shocked when they see me.

Those who think they haven’t sinned

are stirred up against me.

They think I’m ungodly.

⁹But godly people will keep doing what is right.

Those who have clean hands will grow stronger.