7:1 "Is not man forced to labor on earth, And {are not} his days like the days of a hired man? |
7:2 "As a slave who pants for the shade, And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages, |
7:3 So am I allotted months of vanity, And nights of trouble are appointed 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 worms and a crust of dirt, My skin hardens and runs. |
7:6 "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And come to an end without hope. |
7:7 "Remember that my life is {but} breath; My eye will not again see good. |
7:8 "The eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer; Your eyes {will be} on me, but I will not be. |
7:9 "When a cloud vanishes, it is gone, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. |
7:10 "He will not return again to his house, Nor will his place know 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 bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' |
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 pains. |
7:16 "I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are {but} a breath. |
7:17 "What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him, |
7:18 That You examine him every morning And try him every moment? |
7:19 "Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle? |
7:20 "Have 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? |
7:21 "Why 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, but I will not be." |