1 “ Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?

2 L ike a servant who earnestly desires the shade, And like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages,

3 S o I have been allotted months of futility, And wearisome nights have been appointed to me.

4 W hen I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, And the night be ended?’ For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn.

5 M y flesh is caked with worms and dust, My skin is cracked and breaks out afresh.

6 “ My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.

7 O h, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good.

8 T he eye of him who sees me will see me no more; While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be.

9 A s the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to the grave does not come up.

10 H e shall never return to his house, Nor shall 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 A m I a sea, or a sea serpent, That You set a guard over me?

13 W hen I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,’

14 T hen You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions,

15 S o that my soul chooses strangling And death rather than my body.

16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath.

17 “ What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him,

18 T hat You should visit him every morning, And test him every moment?

19 H ow long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?

20 H ave 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 W hy then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be. ”