Job — Chapter 30

1“But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs.

2What use to me was the strength of their hands, since their vigor had left them?

3Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.

4They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.

5They were banished from among men, shouted at like thieves,

6so that they lived on the slopes of the wadis, among the rocks and in holes in the ground.

7They cried out among the shrubs and huddled beneath the nettles.

8A senseless and nameless brood, they were driven off the land.

9And now they mock me in song; I have become a byword among them.

10They abhor me and keep far from me; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

11Because God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me, they have cast off restraint in my presence.

12The rabble arises at my right; they lay snares for my feet and build siege ramps against me.

13They tear up my path; they profit from my destruction, with no one to restrain them.

14They advance as through a wide breach; through the ruins they keep rolling in.

15Terrors are turned loose against me; they drive away my dignity as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed like a cloud.

16And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction grip me.

17Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing pains never rest.

18With great force He grasps my garment; He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.

19He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.

20I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

21You have ruthlessly turned on me; You oppose me with Your strong hand.

22You snatch me up into the wind and drive me before it; You toss me about in the storm.

23Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.

24Yet no one stretches out his hand against a ruined man when he cries for help in his distress.

25Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?

26But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.

27I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me.

28I go about blackened, but not by the sun. I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

29I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of ostriches.

30My skin grows black and peels, and my bones burn with fever.

31My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

1But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.

2Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?

3For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

4Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

5They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)

6To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.

7Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.

8They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.

9And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

10They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

11Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.

12Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.

13They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.

14They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.

15Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

16And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

17My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.

18By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

19He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

20I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.

21Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.

22Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.

23For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

24Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.

25Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?

26When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

27My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.

28I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.

29I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

30My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

31My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

1But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.

2Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age is perished.

3They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.

4They pluck salt-wort by the bushes; And the roots of the broom are their food.

5They are driven forth from the midst [of men]; They cry after them as after a thief;

6So that they dwell in frightful valleys, In holes of the earth and of the rocks.

7Among the bushes they bray; Under the nettles they are gathered together.

8[They are] children of fools, yea, children of base men; They were scourged out of the land.

9And now I am become their song, Yea, I am a byword unto them.

10They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, And spare not to spit in my face.

11For he hath loosed his cord, and afflicted me; And they have cast off the bridle before me.

12Upon my right hand rise the rabble; They thrust aside my feet, And they cast up against me their ways of destruction.

13They mar my path, They set forward my calamity, [Even] men that have no helper.

14As through a wide breach they come: In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves [upon me].

15Terrors are turned upon me; They chase mine honor as the wind; And my welfare is passed away as a cloud.

16And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

17In the night season my bones are pierced in me, And the [pains] that gnaw me take no rest.

18By [God`s] great force is my garment disfigured; It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

19He hath cast me into the mire, And I am become like dust and ashes.

20I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me: I stand up, and thou gazest at me.

21Thou art turned to be cruel to me; With the might of thy hand thou persecutest me.

22Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride [upon it]; And thou dissolvest me in the storm.

23For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living.

24Howbeit doth not one stretch out the hand in his fall? Or in his calamity therefore cry for help?

25Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?

26When I looked for good, then evil came; And when I waited for light, there came darkness.

27My heart is troubled, and resteth not; Days of affliction are come upon me.

28I go mourning without the sun: I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.

29I am a brother to jackals, And a companion to ostriches.

30My skin is black, [and falleth] from me, And my bones are burned with heat.

31Therefore is my harp [turned] to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

1“But now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs.

2Moreover, the strength of their hands— what use was it to me? Those whose strength had perished,

3gaunt with want and hunger, they would roam the parched land, by night a desolate waste.

4By the brush they would gather herbs from the salt marshes, and the root of the broom tree was their food.

5They were banished from the community— people shouted at them as they would shout at thieves—

6so that they had to live in the dry stream beds, in the holes of the ground, and among the rocks.

7They brayed like animals among the bushes and were huddled together under the nettles.

8Sons of senseless and nameless people, they were driven out of the land with whips.

9“And now I have become their taunt song; I have become a byword among them.

10They detest me and maintain their distance; they do not hesitate to spit in my face.

11Because God has untied my tent cord and afflicted me, people throw off all restraint in my presence.

12On my right the young rabble rise up; they drive me from place to place and build up siege ramps against me.

13They destroy my path; they succeed in destroying me without anyone assisting them.

14They come in as through a wide breach; amid the crash they come rolling in.

15Terrors are turned loose on me; they drive away my honor like the wind, and as a cloud my deliverance has passed away.

16“And now my soul pours itself out within me; days of suffering take hold of me.

17Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never cease.

18With great power God grasps my clothing; he binds me like the collar of my tunic.

19He has flung me into the mud, and I have come to resemble dust and ashes.

20I cry out to you, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you only look at me.

21You have become cruel to me; with the strength of your hand you attack me.

22You pick me up on the wind and make me ride on it; you toss me about in the storm.

23I know that you are bringing me to death, to the meeting place for all the living.

24“Surely one does not stretch out his hand against a broken man when he cries for help in his distress.

25Have I not wept for the unfortunate? Was not my soul grieved for the poor?

26But when I hoped for good, trouble came; when I expected light, then darkness came.

27My heart is in turmoil unceasingly; the days of my affliction confront me.

28I go about blackened, but not by the sun; in the assembly I stand up and cry for help.

29I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches.

30My skin has turned dark on me; my body is hot with fever.

31My harp is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.

1“But now those who are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs.

2Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, men in whom ripe age has perished?

3They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation.

4They pluck salt herbs by the bushes. The roots of the broom are their food.

5They are driven out from among men. They cry after them as after a thief;

6So that they dwell in frightful valleys, and in holes of the earth and of the rocks.

7Among the bushes they bray; and under the nettles they are gathered together.

8They are children of fools, yes, children of wicked men. They were flogged out of the land.

9“Now I have become their song. Yes, I am a byword to them.

10They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, and don’t hesitate to spit in my face.

11For he has untied his cord, and afflicted me; and they have thrown off restraint before me.

12On my right hand rise the rabble. They thrust aside my feet, They cast up against me their ways of destruction.

13They mar my path, They set forward my calamity, without anyone’s help.

14As through a wide breach they come, in the middle of the ruin they roll themselves in.

15Terrors have turned on me. They chase my honor as the wind. My welfare has passed away as a cloud.

16“Now my soul is poured out within me. Days of affliction have taken hold on me.

17In the night season my bones are pierced in me, and the pains that gnaw me take no rest.

18By great force is my garment disfigured. It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

19He has cast me into the mire. I have become like dust and ashes.

20I cry to you, and you do not answer me. I stand up, and you gaze at me.

21You have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of your hand you persecute me.

22You lift me up to the wind, and drive me with it. You dissolve me in the storm.

23For I know that you will bring me to death, To the house appointed for all living.

24“However doesn’t one stretch out a hand in his fall? Or in his calamity therefore cry for help?

25Didn’t I weep for him who was in trouble? Wasn’t my soul grieved for the needy?

26When I looked for good, then evil came; When I waited for light, there came darkness.

27My heart is troubled, and doesn’t rest. Days of affliction have come on me.

28I go mourning without the sun. I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.

29I am a brother to jackals, and a companion to ostriches.

30My skin grows black and peels from me. My bones are burned with heat.

31Therefore my harp has turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of those who weep.