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."