1 נָקְטָה נַפְשִׁי בְּחַיָּי אֶעֶזְבָה עָלַי שִׂיחִי אֲדַבְּרָה בְּמַר נַפְשִׁי | 1 My soul is weary of my life. I will release my words against myself. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. |
2 אֹמַר אֶל־אֱלֹוהַּ אַל־תַּרְשִׁיעֵנִי הֹודִיעֵנִי עַל מַה־תְּרִיבֵנִי | 2 I will say to God: Do not be willing to condemn me. Reveal to me why you judge me this way. |
3 הֲטֹוב לְךָ ׀ כִּי־תַעֲשֹׁק כִּי־תִמְאַס יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ וְעַל־עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים הֹופָעְתָּ | 3 Does it seem good to you, if you find fault with me and oppress me, the work of your own hands, and assist the counsel of the impious? |
4 הַעֵינֵי בָשָׂר לָךְ אִם־כִּרְאֹות אֱנֹושׁ תִּרְאֶה | 4 Do you have bodily eyes? Or, just as man sees, will you see? |
5 הֲכִימֵי אֱנֹושׁ יָמֶיךָ אִםשְׁ־נֹותֶיךָ כִּימֵי גָבֶר | 5 Are your days just like the days of man, and are your years as the times of humans, |
6 כִּי־תְבַקֵּשׁ לַעֲוֹנִי וּלְחַטָּאתִי תִדְרֹושׁ | 6 so that you would inquire about my iniquity and examine my sin? |
7 עַל־דַּעְתְּךָ כִּי־לֹא אֶרְשָׁע וְאֵין מִיָּדְךָ מַצִּיל | 7 And you know that I have done nothing impious, yet there is no one who can deliver from your hand. |
8 יָדֶיךָ עִצְּבוּנִי וַיַּעֲשׂוּנִי יַחַד סָבִיב וַתְּבַלְּעֵנִי | 8 Your hands have made me and formed me all around, and, in this way, do you suddenly throw me away? |
9 זְכָר־נָא כִּי־כַחֹמֶר עֲשִׂיתָנִי וְאֶל־עָפָר תְּשִׁיבֵנִי | 9 Remember, I ask you, that you have fashioned me like clay, and you will reduce me to dust. |
10 הֲלֹא כֶחָלָב תַּתִּיכֵנִי וְכַגְּבִנָּה תַּקְפִּיאֵנִי | 10 Have you not extracted me like milk and curdled me like cheese? |
11 עֹור וּבָשָׂר תַּלְבִּישֵׁנִי וּבַעֲצָמֹות וְגִידִים תְּסֹכְכֵנִי | 11 You have clothed me with skin and flesh. You have put me together with bones and nerves. |
12 חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי וּפְקֻדָּתְךָ שָׁמְרָה רוּחִי | 12 You have assigned to me life and mercy, and your visitation has preserved my spirit. |
13 וְאֵלֶּה צָפַנְתָּ בִלְבָבֶךָ יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־זֹאת עִמָּךְ | 13 Though you may conceal this in your heart, yet I know that you remember everything. |
14 אִם־חָטָאתִי וּשְׁמַרְתָּנִי וּמֵעֲוֹנִי לֹא תְנַקֵּנִי | 14 If I have sinned, and you have spared me for an hour, why do you not endure me to be clean from my iniquity? |
15 אִם־רָשַׁעְתִּי אַלְלַי לִי וְצָדַקְתִּי לֹא־אֶשָּׂא רֹאשִׁי שְׂבַע קָלֹון וּרְאֵה עָנְיִי | 15 And if I should be impious, woe to me, and if I should be just, I will not lift up my head, being drenched with affliction and misery. |
16 וְיִגְאֶה כַּשַּׁחַל תְּצוּדֵנִי וְתָשֹׁב תִּתְפַּלָּא־בִי | 16 And because of pride, you will seize me like a lioness, and having returned, you torment me to an extraordinary degree. |
17 תְּחַדֵּשׁ עֵדֶיךָ ׀ נֶגְדִּי וְתֶרֶב כַּעַשְׂךָ עִמָּדִי חֲלִיפֹות וְצָבָא עִמִּי | 17 You renew your testimony against me, and you multiply your wrath against me, and these punishments make war within me. |
18 וְלָמָּה מֵרֶחֶם הֹצֵאתָנִי אֶגְוַע וְעַיִן לֹא־תִרְאֵנִי | 18 Why did you lead me out of the womb? If only I had been consumed, so that no eye would ever see me! |
19 כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָיִיתִי אֶהְיֶה מִבֶּטֶן לַקֶּבֶר אוּבָל | 19 I should have been as if I had not been: transferred from the womb to the tomb. |
20 הֲלֹא־מְעַט יָמַי [יֶחְדָּל כ] (וַחֲדָל ק) [יָשִׁית כ] (וְשִׁית ק) מִמֶּנִּי וְאַבְלִיגָה מְּעָט | 20 Will not my few days be completed soon? Release me, therefore, so that I may lament my sorrows a little, |
21 בְּטֶרֶם אֵלֵךְ וְלֹא אָשׁוּב אֶל־אֶרֶץ חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת | 21 before I depart and return no more to a land that is dark and covered with the fog of death, |
22 אֶרֶץ עֵיפָתָה ׀ כְּמֹו אֹפֶל צַלְמָוֶת וְלֹא סְדָרִים וַתֹּפַע כְּמֹו־אֹפֶל׃ פ | 22 a land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and nothing else but everlasting horror, dwells. |