5 Pray, call, is there any to answer thee? And unto which of the holy ones dost thou turn?

² For provocation slayeth the perverse, And envy putteth to death the simple,

³ I -- I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straightway,

⁴ Far are his sons from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.

⁵ Whose harvest the hungry doth eat, And even from the thorns taketh it, And the designing swallowed their wealth.

⁶ For sorrow cometh not forth from the dust, Nor from the ground springeth up misery.

⁷ For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.

⁸ Yet I -- I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,

⁹ Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.

¹⁰ Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.

¹¹ To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high [in] safety.

¹² Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.

¹³ Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,

¹⁴ By day they meet darkness, And as night -- they grope at noon.

¹⁵ And He saveth the wasted from their mouth, And from a strong hand the needy,

¹⁶ And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.

¹⁷ Lo, the happiness of mortal man, God doth reprove him: And the chastisement of the Mighty despise not,

¹⁸ For He doth pain, and He bindeth up, He smiteth, and His hands heal.

¹⁹ In six distresses He delivereth thee, And in seven evil striketh not on thee.

²⁰ In famine He hath redeemed thee from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.

²¹ When the tongue scourgeth thou art hid, And thou art not afraid of destruction, When it cometh.

²² At destruction and at hunger thou mockest, And of the beast of the earth, Thou art not afraid.

²³ (For with sons of the field [is] thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)

²⁴ And thou hast known that thy tent [is] peace, And inspected thy habitation, and errest not,

²⁵ And hast known that numerous [is] Thy seed, And thine offspring as the herb of the earth;

²⁶ Thou comest in full age unto the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.

²⁷ Lo, this -- we searched it out -- it [is] right, hearken; And thou, know for thyself!

6 And Job answereth and saith: --

² O that my provocation were thoroughly weighed, And my calamity in balances They would lift up together!

³ For now, than the sands of the sea it is heavier, Therefore my words have been rash.

⁴ For arrows of the Mighty [are] with me, Whose poison is drinking up my spirit. Terrors of God array themselves [for] me!

⁵ Brayeth a wild ass over tender grass? Loweth an ox over his provender?

⁶ Eaten is an insipid thing without salt? Is there sense in the drivel of dreams?

⁷ My soul is refusing to touch! They [are] as my sickening food.

⁸ O that my request may come, That God may grant my hope!

⁹ That God would please -- and bruise me, Loose His hand and cut me off!

¹⁰ And yet it is my comfort, (And I exult in pain -- He doth not spare,) That I have not hidden The sayings of the Holy One.

¹¹ What [is] my power that I should hope? And what mine end That I should prolong my life?

¹² Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brazen?

¹³ Is not my help with me, And substance driven from me?

¹⁴ To a despiser of his friends [is] shame, And the fear of the Mighty he forsaketh.

¹⁵ My brethren have deceived as a brook, As a stream of brooks they pass away.

¹⁶ That are black because of ice, By them doth snow hide itself.

¹⁷ By the time they are warm they have been cut off, By its being hot they have been Extinguished from their place.

¹⁸ Turn aside do the paths of their way, They ascend into emptiness, and are lost.

¹⁹ Passengers of Tema looked expectingly, Travellers of Sheba hoped for them.

²⁰ They were ashamed that one hath trusted, They have come unto it and are confounded.

²¹ Surely now ye have become the same! Ye see a downfall, and are afraid.

²² Is it because I said, Give to me? And, By your power bribe for me?

²³ And, Deliver me from the hand of an adversary? And, From the hand of terrible ones ransom me?

²⁴ Shew me, and I -- I keep silent, And what I have erred, let me understand.

²⁵ How powerful have been upright sayings, And what doth reproof from you reprove?

²⁶ For reproof -- do you reckon words? And for wind -- sayings of the desperate.

²⁷ Anger on the fatherless ye cause to fall, And are strange to your friend.

²⁸ And, now, please, look upon me, Even to your face do I lie?

²⁹ Turn back, I pray you, let it not be perverseness, Yea, turn back again -- my righteousness [is] in it.

³⁰ Is there in my tongue perverseness? Discerneth not my palate desirable things?

7 Is there not a warfare to man on earth? And as the days of an hireling his days?

² As a servant desireth the shadow, And as a hireling expecteth his wage,

³ So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.

⁴ If I lay down then I said, `When do I rise!' And evening hath been measured, And I have been full of tossings till dawn.

⁵ Clothed hath been my flesh [with] worms, And a clod of dust, My skin hath been shrivelled and is loathsome,

⁶ My days swifter than a weaving machine, And they are consumed without hope.

⁷ Remember Thou that my life [is] a breath, Mine eye turneth not back to see good.

⁸ The eye of my beholder beholdeth me not. Thine eyes [are] upon me -- and I am not.

⁹ Consumed hath been a cloud, and it goeth, So he who is going down to Sheol cometh not up.

¹⁰ He turneth not again to his house, Nor doth his place discern him again.

¹¹ Also I -- I withhold not my mouth -- I speak in the distress of my spirit, I talk in the bitterness of my soul.

¹² A sea-[monster] am I, or a dragon, That thou settest over me a guard?

¹³ When I said, `My bed doth comfort me,' He taketh away in my talking my couch.

¹⁴ And thou hast affrighted me with dreams, And from visions thou terrifiest me,

¹⁵ And my soul chooseth strangling, Death rather than my bones.

¹⁶ I have wasted away -- not to the age do I live. Cease from me, for my days [are] vanity.

¹⁷ What [is] man that Thou dost magnify him? And that Thou settest unto him Thy heart?

¹⁸ And inspectest him in the mornings, In the evenings dost try him?

¹⁹ How long dost Thou not look from me? Thou dost not desist till I swallow my spittle.

²⁰ I have sinned, what do I to Thee, O watcher of man? Why hast Thou set me for a mark to Thee, And I am for a burden to myself -- and what?

²¹ Thou dost not take away my transgression, And cause to pass away mine iniquity, Because now, for dust I lie down: And Thou hast sought me -- and I am not!