7:1 “ ①Is a person not forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of a hired worker?
▷ ①Lit Has not man compulsory labor
7:2 As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
7:3 So I am allotted worthless months,
And nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
7:4 When I lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
7:5 My flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and ①oozes.
▷ ①Lit melts
7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end without hope.
7:7 “Remember that my life is a mere breath;
My eye will not see goodness again.
7:8 The eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but I will not exist.
7:9 When a cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way one who goes down to ①Sheol does not come up.
▷ ①I.e., the netherworld
7:10 He will not return to his house again,
Nor will his place know about him anymore.
7:11 “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.
7:12 Am I the sea, or the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
7:13 If I say, ‘My couch will comfort me,
My bed will ①ease my complaint,’
▷ ①Lit bear
7:14 Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
7:15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my ①pains.
▷ ①Lit bones
7:16 I ①waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are only a breath.
▷ ①Or loathe
7:17 What is man that You exalt him,
And that You ①are concerned about him,
▷ ①Lit set Your heart on
7:18 That You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
7:19 ①Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
▷ ①Lit How long will You not
7:20 Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
7:21 Why then do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my ①guilt?
For now I will lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, but I will no longer exist.”
▷ ①Or unjust deed