Job 7 New American Standard Bible

Job’s Life Seems Futile

7 “^[a]Is a person not ^(A)forced to labor on earth,
And are his days not like the days of ^(B)a hired worker?
²As a slave pants for the shade,
And as a hired worker who eagerly waits for his wages,
³So I am allotted worthless months,
And ^(C)nights of trouble are apportioned to me.
⁴When I ^(D)lie down, I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until dawn.
⁵My ^(E)flesh is clothed with maggots and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and ^[b]oozes.
⁶My days are ^(F)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And they come to an end ^(G)without hope.

⁷“Remember that my life ^(H)is a mere breath;
My eye will ^(I)not see goodness again.
⁸The ^(J)eye of him who sees me will no longer look at me;
Your eyes will be on me, but ^(K)I will not exist.
⁹When a ^(L)cloud vanishes, it is gone;
In the same way ^(M)one who goes down to ^[c]^(N)Sheol does not come up.
¹⁰He will not return to his house again,
Nor will ^(O)his place know about him anymore.

¹¹“Therefore ^(P)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
¹²Am I the sea, or ^(Q)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
¹³If I say, ‘^(R)My couch will comfort me,
My bed will ^[d]ease my complaint,’
¹⁴Then You frighten me with dreams,
And terrify me by visions,
¹⁵So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my ^[e]pains.
¹⁶I ^[f]^(S)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, ^(T)for my days are only a breath.
¹⁷^(U)What is man that You exalt him,
And that You ^[g]are concerned about him,
¹⁸That ^(V)You examine him every morning
And put him to the test every moment?
¹⁹^[h]^(W)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?
²⁰^(X)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
^(Y)Watcher of mankind?
Why have You made me Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
²¹Why then ^(Z)do You not forgive my wrongdoing
And take away my ^[i]guilt?
For now I will ^(AA)lie down in the dust;
And You will search for me, ^(AB)but I will no longer exist.”