1 וַיַּעַן אִיֹּוב וַיֹּאמַר | 1 Then Job, answering, said: |
2 שָׁמַעְתִּי כְאֵלֶּה רַבֹּות מְנַחֲמֵי עָמָל כֻּלְּכֶם | 2 I have often heard such things; you are all aggravating comforters. |
3 הֲקֵץ לְדִבְרֵי־רוּחַ אֹו מַה־יַּמְרִיצְךָ כִּי תַעֲנֶה | 3 Will there be no end to windy words? Or is it at all a burden to you, if you speak? |
4 גַּם ׀ אָנֹכִי כָּכֶם אֲדַבֵּרָה לוּ־יֵשׁ נַפְשְׁכֶם תַּחַת נַפְשִׁי אַחְבִּירָה עֲלֵיכֶם בְּמִלִּים וְאָנִיעָה עֲלֵיכֶם בְּמֹו רֹאשִׁי | 4 I, too, can speak like you; and I also wish that your soul favored my soul. |
5 אֲאַמִּצְכֶם בְּמֹו־פִי וְנִיד שְׂפָתַי יַחְשֹׂךְ | 5 I would also comfort you with speeches and would wag my head over you. |
6 אִם־אֲדַבְּרָה לֹא־יֵחָשֵׂךְ כְּאֵבִי וְאַחְדְּלָה מַה־מִנִּי יַהֲלֹךְ | 6 I would strengthen you with my mouth, and would move my lips, as if being lenient to you. |
7 אַךְ־עַתָּה הֶלְאָנִי הֲשִׁמֹּותָ כָּל־עֲדָתִי | 7 But what can I do? When I am speaking, my grief will not be quiet; and if I am quiet, it will not withdraw from me. |
8 וַתִּקְמְטֵנִי לְעֵד הָיָה וַיָּקָם בִּי כַחֲשִׁי בְּפָנַי יַעֲנֶה | 8 But now my grief has crushed me, and all my limbs have been reduced to nothing. |
9 אַפֹּו טָרַף ׀ וַיִּשְׂטְמֵנִי חָרַק עָלַי בְּשִׁנָּיו צָרִי ׀ יִלְטֹושׁ עֵינָיו לִי | 9 My wrinkles bear witness against me, and a liar rises up against my face, contradicting me. |
10 פָּעֲרוּ עָלַי ׀ בְּפִיהֶם בְּחֶרְפָּה הִכּוּ לְחָיָי יַחַד עָלַי יִתְמַלָּאוּן | 10 He has gathered together his fury towards me, and, threatening me, he has roared against me with his teeth; my enemy has beheld me with terrible eyes. |
11 יַסְגִּירֵנִי אֵל אֶל עֲוִיל וְעַל־יְדֵי רְשָׁעִים יִרְטֵנִי | 11 They have opened their mouths against me, and, reproaching me, they have struck me on the cheek; they are nourished by my sufferings. |
12 שָׁלֵו הָיִיתִי ׀ וַיְפַרְפְּרֵנִי וְאָחַז בְּעָרְפִּי וַיְפַצְפְּצֵנִי וַיְקִימֵנִי לֹו לְמַטָּרָה | 12 God has confined me with the immoral, and he has delivered me into the hands of the impious. |
13 יָסֹבּוּ עָלַי ׀ רַבָּיו יְפַלַּח כִּלְיֹותַי וְלֹא יַחְמֹול יִשְׁפֹּךְ לָאָרֶץ מְרֵרָתִי | 13 I, who once was wealthy, am now crushed. He has grabbed me by my neck; he has broken me and has place me before him as a sign. |
14 יִפְרְצֵנִי פֶרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי־פָרֶץ יָרֻץ עָלַי כְּגִבֹּור | 14 He has surrounded me with his lances. He has severely wounded my lower back, he has not been lenient, and he has poured out my organs upon the earth. |
15 שַׂק תָּפַרְתִּי עֲלֵי גִלְדִּי וְעֹלַלְתִּי בֶעָפָר קַרְנִי | 15 He has cut me with wound after wound. He has rushed upon me like a giant. |
16 פָּנַי [חֳמַרְמְרָה כ] (חֳמַרְמְרוּ ק) מִנִּי־בֶכִי וְעַל עַפְעַפַּי צַלְמָוֶת | 16 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, and I have covered my body with ashes. |
17 עַל לֹא־חָמָס בְּכַפָּי וּתְפִלָּתִי זַכָּה | 17 My face is swollen from weeping, and my eyelids have dimmed my vision. |
18 אֶרֶץ אַל־תְּכַסִּי דָמִי וְאַל־יְהִי מָקֹום לְזַעֲקָתִי | 18 These things I have endured without iniquity in my hand, while I held pure prayers before God. |
19 גַּם־עַתָּה הִנֵּה־בַשָּׁמַיִם עֵדִי וְשָׂהֲדִי בַּמְּרֹומִים | 19 O earth, do not conceal my blood, nor let my outcry find a hiding place in you. |
20 מְלִיצַי רֵעָי אֶל־אֱלֹוהַ דָּלְפָה עֵינִי | 20 For behold, my witness is in heaven, and my confidante is on high. |
21 וְיֹוכַח לְגֶבֶר עִם־אֱלֹוהַּ וּבֶן־אָדָם לְרֵעֵהוּ | 21 My friends are full of words; my eye rains tears upon God. |
22 כִּי־שְׁנֹות מִסְפָּר יֶאֱתָיוּ וְאֹרַח לֹא־אָשׁוּב אֶהֱלֹךְ | 22 And I wish that a man might be so judged before God, just as the son of man is judged with his assistant! |
| 23 For behold, a few years pass by, and I am walking a path by which I will not return. |