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Job's Life Seems Futile

¹ "^(F1)Is a person not ^(C1)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of ^(C2)a hired worker?

² "As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,

³ So I am allotted worthless months,
And ^(C1)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.

⁴ "When I ^(C1)lie down, I say,
'When shall I arise?'
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.

⁵ "My ^(C1)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and ^(F1)oozes.

⁶ "My days are ^(C1)swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
And they come to an end ^(C2)without hope.

⁷ "Remember that my life ^(C1)is a mere breath;
My eye will ^(C2)not see goodness again.

⁸ "The ^(C1)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but ^(C2)I will not exist.

⁹ "When a ^(C1)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way ^(C2)one who goes down to ^(F1)(C3)Sheol does not come up.

¹⁰ "He will not return to his house again,
Nor will ^(C1)his place know about him anymore.

¹¹ "Therefore ^(C1)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

¹² "Am I the sea, or ^(C1)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?

¹³ "If I say, '^(C1)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will ^(F1)ease my complaint,'

¹⁴ Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,

¹⁵ So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my ^(F1)pains.

¹⁶ "I ^(F1)(C1)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, ^(C2)for my days are only a breath.

¹⁷ "^(C1)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You ^(F1)are concerned about him,

¹⁸ That ^(C1)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?

¹⁹ "^(F1)(C1)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?

²⁰ "^(C1)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
^(C2)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?

²¹ "Why then ^(C1)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my ^(F1)guilt?
For now I will ^(C2)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, ^(C3)but I will no longer exist."