1 רוּחִי חֻבָּלָה יָמַי נִזְעָכוּ קְבָרִים לִי | 1 My breathing is growing weaker and the gravediggers are gathering for me. |
2 אִם־לֹא הֲתֻלִים עִמָּדִי וּבְהַמְּרֹותָם תָּלַן עֵינִי | 2 Scoffers are my only companions, their harshness haunts my nights. |
3 שִׂימָה־נָּא עָרְבֵנִי עִמָּךְ מִי הוּא לְיָדִי יִתָּקֵעַ | 3 So you must go bail for me to yourself, for which of them cares to clap his hand on mine? |
4 כִּי־לִבָּם צָפַנְתָּ מִּשָּׂכֶל עַל־כֵּן לֹא תְרֹמֵם | 4 For you have shut their hearts to reason, hence not a hand is lifted. |
5 לְחֵלֶק יַגִּיד רֵעִים וְעֵינֵי בָנָיו תִּכְלֶנָה | 5 Just so is a man who invites his friends to share his property while the eyes of his own childrenlanguish. |
6 וְהִצִּגַנִי לִמְשֹׁל עַמִּים וְתֹפֶת לְפָנִים אֶהְיֶה | 6 I have become a byword among foreigners, and a creature on whose face to spit, |
7 וַתֵּכַהּ מִכַּעַשׂ עֵינִי וִיצֻרַי כַּצֵּל כֻּלָּם | 7 since I am nearly blind with grief and my limbs are reduced to a shadow. |
8 יָשֹׁמּוּ יְשָׁרִים עַל־זֹאת וְנָקִי עַל־חָנֵף יִתְעֹרָר | 8 Any honest person is appal ed at the sight, the innocent is indignant at the sinner. |
9 וְיֹאחֵז צַדִּיק דַּרְכֹּו וּטֳהָר־יָדַיִם יֹסִיף אֹמֶץ | 9 Anyone upright grows stronger step by step: and anyone whose hands are clean grows ever in vigour! |
10 וְאוּלָם כֻּלָּם תָּשֻׁבוּ וּבֹאוּ נָא וְלֹא־אֶמְצָא בָכֶם חָכָם | 10 Come on then, al of you, back to the attack! I shall not find one wise man among you! |
11 יָמַי עָבְרוּ זִמֹּתַי נִתְּקוּ מֹורָשֵׁי לְבָבִי | 11 My days are over, so are my plans, my heart-strings are broken; |
12 לַיְלָה לְיֹום יָשִׂימוּ אֹור קָרֹוב מִפְּנֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ | 12 yet they would have me believe that night is day, that light to dispel the darkness is at hand, |
13 אִם־אֲקַוֶּה שְׁאֹול בֵּיתִי בַּחֹשֶׁךְ רִפַּדְתִּי יְצוּעָי | 13 when al I want, in fact, is to dwel in Sheol and in that darkness there to make my bed! |
14 לַשַּׁחַת קָרָאתִי אָבִי אָתָּה אִמִּי וַאֲחֹתִי לָרִמָּה | 14 To the tomb, I cry, 'You are my father!' -- to the worm, 'You are my mother-you, my sister!' |
15 וְאַיֵּה אֵפֹו תִקְוָתִי וְתִקְוָתִי מִי יְשׁוּרֶנָּה | 15 Where then is my hope? Who can see any happiness for me? |
16 בַּדֵּי שְׁאֹל תֵּרַדְנָה אִם־יַחַד עַל־עָפָר נָחַת׃ ס | 16 unless they come down to Sheol with me, all of us sinking into the dust together? |