But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,
Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me?
Men in whom {Or, vigor}ripe age is perished.
They are gaunt with want and famine;
{Or, They flee into the wilderness, into &c.}They gnaw the dry ground, {Or, which yesternight was Or, on the eve of}in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.
They pluck salt-wort by the bushes;
And the roots of the broom are {Or, to warm them}their food.
They are driven forth from the midst of men;
They cry after them as after a thief;
So that they dwell in frightful valleys,
In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
Among the bushes they bray;
Under the {Or, wild vetches}nettles they {Or, stretch themselves}are gathered together.
They are children of fools, yea, children of {Hebrew: men of no name.}base men;
They {Or, are outcasts from the land}were scouraged out of the land.
And now I am become their song,
Yea, I am a byword unto them.
They abhor me, they stand aloof from me,
And spare not to spit {Or, at the sight of me}in my face.
For he hath loosed {According to another reading, my cord (or, bowstring).}his cord, and afflicted me;
And they have cast off the bridle before me.
Upon my right hand rise the {Or, brood}rabble;
They thrust aside my feet,
And they cast up against me their ways of destruction.
They {Or, break up}mar my path,
They set forward my calamity,
Even men that have no helper.
{Or, As a wide breaking in of waters}As through a wide breach they come:
In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.
Terrors are turned upon me;
{Or, Thou chasest}They chase {Or, my nobility}mine honor as the wind;
And my welfare is passed away as a cloud.
And now my soul is poured out {Hebrew: upon.}within me;
Days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
In the night season my bones are {Or, corroded and drop away from me}pierced {Hebrew: from off.}in me,
And {Or, my sinews take &c.}the pains that gnaw me take no rest.
By God's great force is my garment disfigured;
It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
He hath cast me into the mire,
And I am become like dust and ashes.
I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me:
I stand up, and thou gazest at me.
Thou art turned to be cruel to me;
With the might of thy hand thou persecutest me.
Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride upon it;
And thou dissolvest me in the storm.
For I know that thou wilt bring me to death,
And {Or, the house of meeting for &c.}to the house appointed for all living.
Howbeit doth not one stretch out the hand in his fall?
Or in his calamity therefore cry for help?
Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
When I looked for good, then evil came;
And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
My heart is troubled, and resteth not;
Days of affliction are come upon me.
I go {Or, blackened, but not by the sun}mourning without the sun:
I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.
I am a brother to jackals,
And a companion to ostriches.
My skin is black, and falleth from me,
And my bones are burned with heat.
Therefore is my harp turned to mourning,
And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.
Querverweise zu Hiob 30,21 Hiob 30,21
If I have sinned, what {Or, can I do}do I unto thee, O thou {Or, preserver}watcher of men?Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee,So that I am a burden to myself?
Even that it would please God to crush me;That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?For now shall I lie down in the dust;And thou wilt seek me diligently, but I shall not be.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?Nay; {Or, he would only give heed}but he would give heed unto me.
If I sin, then thou markest me,And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.
If I be wicked, woe unto me;And if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head;Being filled with ignominy,And looking upon mine affliction.
And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion;And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me.
Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,And increasest thine indignation upon me: {Or, Host after host is against me}Changes and warfare are with me.
Thou hast {Hebrew: an arm with might.}a mighty arm;Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
For thou writest bitter things against me,And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth:
Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks,And markest all my paths;Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet:
{Hebrew: And he is like.}Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth,Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
He hath torn me in his wrath, and {Or, hated}persecuted me;He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth:Mine adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
They have gaped upon me with their mouth;They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully:They gather themselves together against me.
God delivereth me to the ungodly,And casteth me into the hands of the wicked.
I was at ease, and he brake me asunder;Yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces:He hath also set me up for his mark.
His {Or, arrows Or, mighty ones}archers compass me round about;He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare;He poureth out my gall upon the ground.
He breaketh me with breach upon breach;He runneth upon me like a {Or, mighty man}giant.
Know now that God hath {Or, overthrown me}subverted me in my cause,And hath compassed me with his net.
Behold, I {Or, cry out, Violence:}cry out of wrong, but I am not heard:I cry for help, but there is no justice.
He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass,And hath set darkness in my paths.
He hath stripped me of my glory,And taken the crown from my head.
Will the Lord cast off for ever?And will he be favorable no more?
Is his lovingkindness clean gone for ever?Doth his promise fail for evermore?
Hath God forgotten to be gracious?Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? [Selah
All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not: for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the {Or, multitude}greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased.