Job 10

Job Continues: A Plea to God

1  "I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2  I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
let me know why you contend against me.
3  Does it seem good to you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands
and favor the designs of the wicked?
4  Have you eyes of flesh?
Do you see as man sees?
5  Are your days as the days of man,
or your years as a man's years,
6  that you seek out my iniquity
and search for my sin,
7  although you know that I am not guilty,
and there is none to deliver out of your hand?
8  Your hands fashioned and made me,
and now you have destroyed me altogether.
9  Remember that you have made me like clay;
and will you return me to the dust?
10  Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese?
11  You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
12  You have granted me life and steadfast love,
and your care has preserved my spirit.
13  Yet these things you hid in your heart;
I know that this was your purpose.
14  If I sin, you watch me
and do not acquit me of my iniquity.
15  If I am guilty, woe to me!
If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
and look on my affliction.
16  And were my head lifted up,t you would hunt me like a lion
and again work wonders against me.
17  You renew your witnesses against me
and increase your vexation toward me;
you bring fresh troops against me.

18  "Why did you bring me out from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
19  and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
20  Are not my days few?
Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
21  before I go—and I shall not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
22  the land of gloom like thick darkness,
like deep shadow without any order,
where light is as thick darkness."

Job 10

An Appeal for Revelation

1 “It am wearyt of my life;
I will complain without restraint;t
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemnt me;
tell met why you are contendingt with me.’

3 Is it good for yout to oppress,t
tot despise the work of your hands,
whilet you smilet
on the schemes of the wicked?

Motivations of God

4 “Do you have eyes of flesh,t
or do you sees as a human being sees?s

5 Are your days like the days of a mortal,
or your years like the yearsts of a mortal,

6 thatt you must search outt my iniquity,
and inquire about my sin,

7 although you knows that I am not guilty,
and that there is no one who can deliverts
out of your hand?

Contradictions in God’s Dealings

8 “Your hands have shapedt me and made me,
butt now you destroy me completely.t

9 Remember that you have made me as witht the clay;
willt you return me to dust?

10 Did you not pourt me out like milk,
and curdlet me like cheese?ts

11 You clothedt me with skin and flesh
and knit me togethert with bones and sinews.

12 You gave met life and favor,t
and your interventiont watched over my spirit.

13 “But these thingss you have concealed in your heart;
I know that thiss is with you:s

14 If I sinned, then you would watch me
and you would not acquit me of my iniquity.

15 If I am guilty,s woet to me,
and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head;s
I am full of shame,t
and satiated with my affliction.t

16 If I lift myself up,t
you hunt me as a fierce lion,s
and againt you display your powert against me.

17 You bring new witnessest against me,
and increase your anger against me;
relief troopst come against me.

An Appeal for Relief

18 “Why then did you bring me out from the womb?
I should have diedt
and no eye would have seen me!

19 I should have been as though I had never existed;s
I should have been carried
right from the womb to the grave!

20 Are not my days few?t
Cease,t then, and leavet me alone,t
that I may find a little comfort,t

21 before I depart, never to return,s
to the land of darkness
and the deepest shadow,t

22 to the land of utter darkness,
like the deepest darkness,
and the deepest shadow and disorder,t
where even the lightt is like darkness.”t