1 “ My spirit is broken. My days are gone. The grave is ready for me.

¶ My breath is corrupt, my days are cut off, and the grave is ready for me.

2 F or sure those with me make fun of me. My eyes see how they laugh at me.

Now there are only mockers with me, upon whose bitterness my eye continues to gaze.

3 “ Promise that You will hear me. Who is there that will trust me?

Put up now, give me surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?

4 F or You have kept their heart from understanding, so You will not honor them.

For with these, thou hast hid their heart from understanding; therefore, thou shalt not exalt them.

5 I f one speaks against friends to get money, the eyes of his children also will become weak.

He that speaks flattery to his neighbour, even the eyes of his sons shall fail.

6 “ But He has made me an object of shame to the people. Men spit on me.

He has made me a byword of the peoples; and before them I have been as a tambourine.

7 M y eyes have become weak with sorrow. All the parts of my body are like a shadow.

My eyes are dim by reason of sorrow, and all my thoughts are as a shadow.

8 M en who are right and good will be surprised and afraid at this. He who is without guilt will be moved to go against the sinful.

Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.

9 B ut the one who is right with God will hold to his way. And he who has clean hands will become stronger and stronger.

The righteous shall hold on to his way, and he that has clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

10 B ut all of you try again, and I will not find a wise man among you.

¶ But return all of you, and come now; for I shall not find one that is wise among you.

11 M y days are past. My plans are torn apart, even the wishes of my heart.

My days are past, my thoughts were broken off, even the purposes of my heart.

12 T hey make night into day, saying, ‘The light is near,’ when there is darkness.

They changed the night into day; the light is short because of the darkness.

13 I f I look for the place of the dead as my home, I make my bed in the darkness.

If I wait, Sheol is my house; I have made my bed in the darkness.

14 I f I say to the grave, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother and my sister,’

I have said to the pit, Thou art my father; to the worms, my mother, and my sister.

15 t hen where is my hope? Who sees hope for me?

And where shall my hope be now? As for my hope, who shall see it?

16 W ill it go down with me to the place of the dead? Will we go down together into the dust?”

They shall go down to the bars of Sheol, and together they shall rest in the dust.