Job 7

1 Πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; καὶ ὥσπερ μισθίου αὐθημερινοῦ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ;

2 Ἢ ὥσπερ θεράπων δεδοικὼς τὸν Κύριον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τετευχὼς σκιᾶς; ἢ ὥσπερ μισθωτὸς ἀναμένων τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ;

3 Οὕτως κᾀγὼ ὑπέμεινα μῆνας κενοὺς, νύκτες δὲ ὀδυνῶν δεδομέναι μοι εἰσίν.

4 Ἐὰν κοιμηθῶ, λέγω, πότε ἡμέρα; ὡς δʼ ἂν ἀναστῶ, πάλιν, πότε ἑσπέρα; πλήρης δὲ γίνομαι ὀδυνῶν ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἕως πρωΐ.

5 Φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων, τήκω δὲ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξύων.

6 Ὁ δὲ βίος μου ἔστιν ἐλαφρότερος λαλιᾶς, ἀπόλωλε δὲ ἐν κενῇ ἐλπίδι.

7 Μνήσθητι οὖν ὅτι πνεῦμά μου ἡ ζωὴ, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ἐπανελεύσεται ὀφθαλμός μου ἰδεῖν ἀγαθόν.

8 Οὐ περιβλέψεταί με ὀφθαλμὸς ὁρῶντός με, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι εἰμί·

9 Ὥσπερ νέφος ἀποκαθαρθὲν ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ· ἐὰν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος καταβῇ εἰς ᾅδην, οὐκ ἔτι μὴ ἀναβῇ,

10 οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ ἐπιστρέψῃ εἰς τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον, οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ ἐπιγνῶ αὐτὸν ἔτι ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ.

11 Ἀτὰρ οὖν οὐδὲ ἐγὼ φείσομαι τῷ στόματί μου, λαλήσω ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ὤν, ἀνοίξω πικρίαν ψυχῆς μου συνεχόμενος.

12 Πότερον θάλασσα εἰμὶ ἢ δράκων, ὅτι κατέταξας ἐπʼ ἐμὲ φυλακήν;

13 Εἴπα ὅτι παρακαλέσει με ἡ κλίνη μου, ἀνοίσω δὲ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ἰδίᾳ λόγον τῇ κοίτῃ μου.

14 Ἐκφοβεῖς με ἐνυπνίοις, καὶ ὁράμασί με καταπλήσσεις.

15 Ἀπαλλάξεις ἀπὸ πνεύματός μου τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἀπὸ δὲ θανάτου τὰ ὀστᾶ μου.

16 Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζήσομαι, ἵνα μακροθυμήσω· ἀπόστα ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, κενὸς γάρ μου ὁ βίος.

17 Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνας αὐτόν; ἢ ὅτι προσέχεις τὸν νοῦν εἰς αὐτόν;

18 Ἢ ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ ποιήσῃ ἕως τὸ πρωΐ; καὶ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτὸν κρινεῖς;

19 Ἕως τίνος οὐκ ἐᾷς με, οὐδὲ προΐῃ με, ἕως ἂν καταπίω τὸν πτύελόν μου;

20 Εἰ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, τί δυνήσομαι πρᾶξαι, ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων; διατί ἔθου με κατεντευκτήν σου, εἰμὶ δὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ φορτίον;

21 Διατί οὐκ ἐποιήσω τῆς ἀνομίας μου λήθην, καὶ καθαρισμὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου; νυνὶ δὲ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσομαι, ὀρθρίζων δὲ οὐκ ἔτι εἰμί.

1 Is not the life of man upon earth a state of trial? and his existence as that of a hireling by the day?

2 Or as a servant that fears his master, and one who has grasped a shadow? or as a hireling waiting for his pay?

3 So have I also endured months of vanity, and nights of pain have been appointed me.

4 Whenever I lie down, I say, When will it be day? and whenever I rise up, again I say when will it be evening? and I am full of pains from evening to morning.

5 And my body is covered with loathsome worms; and I waste away, scraping off clods of dust from my eruption.

6 And my life is lighter than a word, and has perished in vain hope.

7 Remember then that my life is breath, and mine eye shall not yet again see good.

8 The eye of him that sees me shall not see me again : thine eyes are upon me, and I am no more.

9 I am as a cloud that is cleared away from the sky: for if a man go down to the grave, he shall not come up again:

10 and he shall surely not return to his own house, neither shall his place know him any more.

11 Then neither will I refrain my mouth: I will speak being in distress; being in anguish I will disclose the bitterness of my soul.

12 Am I a sea, or a serpent, that thou hast set a watch over me?

13 I said that my bed should comfort me, and I would privately counsel with myself on my couch.

14 Thou scarest me with dreams, and dost terrify me with visions.

15 Thou wilt separate life from my spirit; and yet keep my bones from death.

16 For I shall not live for ever, that I should patiently endure: depart from me, for my life is vain.

17 For what is man, that thou hast magnified him? or that thou givest heed to him?

18 Wilt thou visit him till the morning, and judge him till the time of rest?

19 How long dost thou not let me alone, nor let me go, until I shall swallow down my spittle?

20 If I have sinned, what shall I be able to do, O thou that understandest the mind of men? why hast thou made me as thine accuser, and why am I a burden to thee?

21 Why hast thou not forgotten my iniquity, and purged my sin? but now I shall depart to the earth; and in the morning, I am no more.