1 נָקְטָה נַפְשִׁי בְּחַיָּי אֶעֶזְבָה עָלַי שִׂיחִי אֲדַבְּרָה בְּמַר נַפְשִׁי | 1 I loathe my life. I will give myself up to complaint; I will speak from the bitterness of my soul. |
2 אֹמַר אֶל־אֱלֹוהַּ אַל־תַּרְשִׁיעֵנִי הֹודִיעֵנִי עַל מַה־תְּרִיבֵנִי | 2 I will say to God: Do not put me in the wrong! Let me know why you oppose me. |
3 הֲטֹוב לְךָ ׀ כִּי־תַעֲשֹׁק כִּי־תִמְאַס יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ וְעַל־עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים הֹופָעְתָּ | 3 Is it a pleasure for you to oppress, to spurn the work of your hands, and smile on the plan of the wicked? |
4 הַעֵינֵי בָשָׂר לָךְ אִם־כִּרְאֹות אֱנֹושׁ תִּרְאֶה | 4 Have you eyes of flesh? Do you see as man sees? |
5 הֲכִימֵי אֱנֹושׁ יָמֶיךָ אִםשְׁ־נֹותֶיךָ כִּימֵי גָבֶר | 5 Are your days as the days of a mortal, and are your years as a man's lifetime, |
6 כִּי־תְבַקֵּשׁ לַעֲוֹנִי וּלְחַטָּאתִי תִדְרֹושׁ | 6 That you seek for guilt in me and search after my sins, |
7 עַל־דַּעְתְּךָ כִּי־לֹא אֶרְשָׁע וְאֵין מִיָּדְךָ מַצִּיל | 7 Even though you know that I am not wicked, and that none can deliver me out of your hand? |
8 יָדֶיךָ עִצְּבוּנִי וַיַּעֲשׂוּנִי יַחַד סָבִיב וַתְּבַלְּעֵנִי | 8 Your hands have formed me and fashioned me; will you then turn and destroy me? |
9 זְכָר־נָא כִּי־כַחֹמֶר עֲשִׂיתָנִי וְאֶל־עָפָר תְּשִׁיבֵנִי | 9 Oh, remember that you fashioned me from clay! Will you then bring me down to dust again? |
10 הֲלֹא כֶחָלָב תַּתִּיכֵנִי וְכַגְּבִנָּה תַּקְפִּיאֵנִי | 10 Did you not pour me out as milk, and thicken me like cheese? |
11 עֹור וּבָשָׂר תַּלְבִּישֵׁנִי וּבַעֲצָמֹות וְגִידִים תְּסֹכְכֵנִי | 11 With skin and flesh you clothed me, with bones and sinews knit me together. |
12 חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי וּפְקֻדָּתְךָ שָׁמְרָה רוּחִי | 12 Grace and favor you granted me, and your providence has preserved my spirit. |
13 וְאֵלֶּה צָפַנְתָּ בִלְבָבֶךָ יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־זֹאת עִמָּךְ | 13 Yet these things you have hidden in your heart; I know that they are your purpose: |
14 אִם־חָטָאתִי וּשְׁמַרְתָּנִי וּמֵעֲוֹנִי לֹא תְנַקֵּנִי | 14 If I should sin, you would keep a watch against me, and from my guilt you would not absolve me. |
15 אִם־רָשַׁעְתִּי אַלְלַי לִי וְצָדַקְתִּי לֹא־אֶשָּׂא רֹאשִׁי שְׂבַע קָלֹון וּרְאֵה עָנְיִי | 15 If I should be wicked, alas for me! if righteous, I dare not hold up my head, filled with ignominy and sodden with affliction! |
16 וְיִגְאֶה כַּשַּׁחַל תְּצוּדֵנִי וְתָשֹׁב תִּתְפַּלָּא־בִי | 16 Should it lift up, you hunt me like a lion: repeatedly you show your wondrous power against me, |
17 תְּחַדֵּשׁ עֵדֶיךָ ׀ נֶגְדִּי וְתֶרֶב כַּעַשְׂךָ עִמָּדִי חֲלִיפֹות וְצָבָא עִמִּי | 17 You renew your attack upon me and multiply your harassment of me; in waves your troops come against me. |
18 וְלָמָּה מֵרֶחֶם הֹצֵאתָנִי אֶגְוַע וְעַיִן לֹא־תִרְאֵנִי | 18 Why then did you bring me forth from the womb? I should have died and no eye have seen me. |
19 כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָיִיתִי אֶהְיֶה מִבֶּטֶן לַקֶּבֶר אוּבָל | 19 I should be as though I had never lived; I should have been taken from the womb to the grave. |
20 הֲלֹא־מְעַט יָמַי [יֶחְדָּל כ] (וַחֲדָל ק) [יָשִׁית כ] (וְשִׁית ק) מִמֶּנִּי וְאַבְלִיגָה מְּעָט | 20 Are not the days of my life few? Let me alone, that I may recover a little |
21 בְּטֶרֶם אֵלֵךְ וְלֹא אָשׁוּב אֶל־אֶרֶץ חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת | 21 Before I go whence I shall not return, to the land of darkness and of gloom, |
22 אֶרֶץ עֵיפָתָה ׀ כְּמֹו אֹפֶל צַלְמָוֶת וְלֹא סְדָרִים וַתֹּפַע כְּמֹו־אֹפֶל׃ פ | 22 The black, disordered land where darkness is the only light. |