¹“Isn’t a man forced to labour on earth?

Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?

²As a servant who earnestly desires the shadow ,

as a hireling who looks for his wages ,

³so I am made to possess months of misery ,

wearisome nights are appointed to me.

⁴When I lie down , I say,

‘When will I arise , and the night be gone ?’

I toss and turn until the dawning of the day .

⁵My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust .

My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh.

⁶My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,

and are spent without hope .

⁷Oh remember that my life is a breath .

My eye will no more see good .

⁸The eye of him who sees me will see me no more .

Your eyes will be on me , but I will not be .

⁹As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away ,

so he who goes down to Sheol will come up no more .

¹⁰He will return no more to his house ,

neither will his place know him any more .

¹¹“Therefore I will not keep silent .

I will speak in the anguish of my spirit .

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul .

¹²Am I a sea , or a sea monster ,

that you put a guard over me ?

¹³When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me .

My couch will ease my complaint,’

¹⁴then you scare me with dreams

and terrify me through visions ,

¹⁵so that my soul chooses strangling ,

death rather than my bones .

¹⁶I loathe my life .

I don’t want to live forever .

Leave me alone , for my days are but a breath .

¹⁷What is man , that you should magnify him ,

that you should set your mind on him ,

¹⁸that you should visit him every morning ,

and test him every moment ?

¹⁹How long will you not look away from me ,

nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle ?

²⁰If I have sinned , what do I do to you , you watcher of men?

Why have you set me as a mark for you ,

so that I am a burden to myself?

²¹Why do you not pardon my disobedience, and take away my iniquity ?

For now will I lie down in the dust .

You will seek me diligently , but I will not be .”