1 My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me. |
2 Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility. |
3 "Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me? |
4 You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph. |
5 If a man denounces his friends for reward, the eyes of his children will fail. |
6 "God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit. |
7 My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow. |
8 Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly. |
9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger. |
10 "But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you. |
11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart. |
12 These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.' |
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness, |
14 if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,' |
15 where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? |
16 Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?" |