¹"Is not man forced 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 waits for his wages, ³So am I allotted months of vanity, And nights of trouble are appointed me. ⁴"When I lie down I say, 'When shall I arise?' But the night continues, And I am continually tossing until dawn. ⁵"My flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and runs. ⁶"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And come to an end without hope. ⁷"Remember that my life is but breath; 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"When a cloud vanishes, 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 know him anymore. ¹¹"Therefore 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 the sea monster, That You set a guard over me? ¹³"If I say, ' My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' ¹⁴Then You frighten me with dreams And terrify me by visions; ¹⁵So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my pains. ¹⁶"I waste away; 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 are concerned about him, ¹⁸That You examine him every morning And try him every moment? ¹⁹" Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle? 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 pardon my transgression And take away my iniquityNULL For now I will lie down in the dust; And You will seek me, but I will not be."

"If I say, ' My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' Then You frighten me with dreams And terrify me by visions; So that my soul would choose suffocation, Death rather than my pains.