1 Ora invece si fanno beffe di me i più giovani di me in età, i cui padri avrei rifiutato di lasciare tra i cani del mio gregge. | 1 But now, those younger in years scorn me, whose fathers I would not have seen fit to place with the dogs of my flock, |
2 Del resto, a che cosa mi sarebbe servita la forza delle loro mani? In esse è spento ogni vigore. | 2 the strength of whose hands was nothing to me, and they were considered unworthy of life itself. |
3 Disfatti per la miseria e la fame, andavano brucando l'arido deserto, lugubre e vasta solitudine; | 3 They were barren from poverty and hunger; they gnawed in solitude, layered with misfortune and misery. |
4 raccoglievano l'erba salsa accanto ai cespugli, alimentandosi delle radici di ginestra. | 4 And they chewed grass and the bark from trees, and the root of junipers was their food. |
5 Cacciati via dal consorzio umano, si urlava dietro a loro, come a ladri. | 5 They took these things from the steep valleys, and when they discovered one of these things, they rushed to the others with a cry. |
6 Abitavano nei dirupi delle valli, nelle caverne del suolo e nelle rocce. | 6 They lived in the parched desert and in caves underground or above the rocks. |
7 Gridavano fra gli arbusti, accalcandosi sotto i roveti. | 7 They rejoiced among these kinds of things, and they considered it delightful to be under thorns. |
8 Razza di stolti e gente senza nome, cacciati dal paese. | 8 These are the sons of foolish and base men, not even paying any attention to the land. |
9 Ora sono diventato io la loro canzone, sono il tema delle loro burle. | 9 Now I become their song, and I have been made into their proverb. |
10 Mi aborriscono, si distanziano da me; non hanno risparmiato gli sputi al mio volto. | 10 They loathe me, and so they flee far from me, and they are not reluctant to spit in my face. |
11 Dio ha sciolto la corda del mio arco e mi ha umiliato, rompendo ogni freno davanti a me. | 11 For he has opened his quiver and has afflicted me, and he has placed a bridle in my mouth. |
12 Alla mia destra insorge la canaglia, smuovono i miei passi e preparano il cammino al mio sterminio. | 12 Immediately, upon rising, my calamities rise up to the right. They have overturned my feet and have pressed me down along their way like waves. |
13 Demoliscono il mio sentiero, cospirando per la mia disfatta, senza che nessuno si opponga loro. | 13 They have diverted my journeys; they have waited to ambush me, and they have prevailed, and there was no one who might bring help. |
14 Irrompono per una vasta breccia, strisciano in mezzo alle macerie. | 14 They have rushed upon me, as when a wall is broken or a gate opened, and they have been pulled down into my miseries. |
15 Mi piombano addosso gli spaventi, si dissipa come il vento la mia dignità, si dilegua come nube la mia felicità. | 15 I have been reduced to nothing. You have taken away my desire like a wind, and my health has passed by like a cloud. |
16 Ora io mi struggo nell'intimo; mi opprimono giorni di tristezza. | 16 But now my soul withers within myself, and the days of affliction take hold of me. |
17 Di notte mi si slogano le ossa e i dolori che mi rodono non hanno tregua. | 17 At night, my bone is pierced with sorrows, and those who feed on me, do not sleep. |
18 A gran forza mi afferra per la veste, mi stringe il collo della tunica. | 18 By the sheer number of them my clothing is worn away, and they have closed in on me like the collar of my coat. |
19 Mi getta nel fango e mi confondo con la polvere e la cenere. | 19 I have been treated like dirt, and I have been turned into embers and ashes. |
20 Io grido a te e tu non rispondi; mi presento e tu non badi a me. | 20 I cry to you, and you do not heed me. I stand up, and you do not look back at me. |
21 Ti sei fatto crudele con me e mi perseguiti con tutta la forza del tuo braccio. | 21 You have changed me into hardness, and, with the hardness of your hand, you oppose me. |
22 Mi sollevi e mi poni a cavallo del vento, mi fai travolgere dalla bufera. | 22 You have lifted me up, and, placing me as if on the wind, you have thrown me down powerfully. |
23 So bene che mi conduci alla morte, dove convengono tutti i viventi. | 23 I know that you will hand me over to death, where a home has been established for all the living. |
24 Pertanto io non portavo la mano contro il povero, se nella sua sventura gridava verso di me. | 24 Truly, then, you do not extend your hand in order to consume them, and if they fall down, you will save them. |
25 Non ho io forse pianto con l'oppresso, non ho avuto compassione del povero? | 25 Once, I wept over him who was afflicted, and my soul had compassion on the poor. |
26 Mi aspettavo la felicità e venne la sventura; aspettavo la luce e venne il buio. | 26 I expected good things, but evil things have come to me. I stood ready for light, yet darkness burst forth. |
27 Le mie viscere ribollono senza posa, e giorni di affanno mi sono venuti incontro. | 27 My insides have seethed, without any rest, for the days of affliction have prevented it. |
28 Cammino triste, senza conforto, mi alzo nell'assemblea per invocare aiuto. | 28 I went forth mourning, without anger, and rising up, I cried out in confusion. |
29 Sono diventato fratello degli sciacalli e compagno degli struzzi. | 29 I was the brother of snakes, and the companion of ostriches. |
30 La mia pelle annerita mi si stacca e le mie ossa bruciano per la febbre. | 30 My skin has become blackened over me, and my bones have dried up because of the heat. |
31 La mia cetra serve per lamenti e il mio flauto per la voce di chi piange. | 31 My harp has been turned into mourning, and my pipes have been turned into a voice of weeping. |