Job 7

¹The life of man upon earth is a warfare, and his days, as the days of an hired man.

²As a servant desireth the shadow, and as the hired man tarrieth for the end of his work:

³so I also have had vain months, & have numbered to myself laborious nights.

⁴If I sleep, I shall say: When shall I arise? & again I shall expect the evening, & shall be replenished with sorrows even until darkness.

⁵My flesh is clothed with rottenness & filth of dust, my skin is withered, & drawn together.

⁶My days have passed more swiftly, than the web is cut of the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.

⁷Remember that my life is a wind, & mine eye shall not return to see good things.

⁸Neither shall the sight of man behold me: thine eyes upon me, and I shall not stand.

⁹As a cloud is consumed, and passeth away: so he that shall descend to hell shall not ascend.

¹⁰Neither shall he return any more into his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

¹¹Wherefore I also will not spare my mouth, I will speak in the tribulation of my spirit: I will talk with the bitterness of my soul.

¹²Why, am I a sea, or a whale, that thou hast compassed me with a prison?

¹³If I say: My little bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved speaking with myself in my couch:

¹⁴Thou wilt terrify me by dreams, and by visions shake me with horror.

¹⁵For the which thing my soul hath chosen hanging, and my bones death.

¹⁶I have despaired. I shall now live no longer: Spare me, for my days are nothing.

¹⁷What is man that thou magnifiest him? Or why settest thou thy heart toward him?

¹⁸Thou doest visit him early, and suddenly thou provest him:

¹⁹How long doest thou not spare me, nor suffer me that I swallow my spittle?

²⁰I have sinned, what shall I do to thee, o keeper of men? Why hast thou set me contrary to thee, and I am become burdenous to myself?

²¹Why doest thou not take away my sin, and why doest thou not take away mine iniquity? Behold now I shall sleep in the dust: and if thou seek me in the morning, I shall not be.