2 “How long will you torment my soul,
And break me in pieces with words?

3 These ten times you have¹ reproached me;
You are not ashamed that you¹ have wronged me. ‡

4 And if indeed I have erred,
My error remains with me.

5 If indeed you ^aexalt yourselves against me,
And plead my disgrace against me, ‡

6 Know then that ^aGod has wronged me,
And has surrounded me with His net. ‡

7 “If I cry out concerning¹ wrong, I am not heard.
If I cry aloud, there is no justice. ‡

8 ^aHe has¹ fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass;
And He has set darkness in my paths. ‡

9 ^aHe has stripped me of my glory,
And taken the crown from my head. ‡

10 He breaks me down on every side,
And I am gone;
My ^ahope He has uprooted like a tree. ‡

11 He has also kindled His wrath against me,
And ^aHe counts me as one of His enemies. ‡

12 His troops come together
And build up their road against me;
They encamp all around my tent.

13 “He^a has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. ‡

14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.

15 Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants,
Count me as a stranger;
I am an alien in their sight.

16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer;
I beg him with my mouth.

17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am¹ repulsive to the children of my own body. ‡

18 Even ^ayoung children despise me;
I arise, and they speak against me. ‡

19 ^aAll my close friends abhor me,
And those whom I love have turned against me. ‡

20 ^aMy bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. ‡

21 “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends,
For the hand of God has struck me!