1 My soul is weary of my life: I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.2 I will say unto +God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou strivest with me.3 Doth it please thee to oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?4 Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?5 Are thy days as the days of a mortal? are thy years as a man's days,6 That thou searchest after mine iniquity, and inquirest into my sin;7 Since thou knowest that I am not wicked, and that there is none that delivereth out of thy hand?8 Thy hands have bound me together and made me as one, round about; yet dost thou swallow me up!9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as clay, and wilt bring me into dust again.10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews;12 Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy care hath preserved my spirit;13 And these things didst thou hide in thy heart; I know that this was with thee.14 If I sinned, thou wouldest mark me, and thou wouldest not acquit me of mine iniquity.15 If I were wicked, woe unto me! and righteous, I will not lift up my head, being {so} full of shame, and beholding mine affliction; -16 And it increaseth: thou huntest me as a fierce lion; and ever again thou shewest thy marvellous power upon me.17 Thou renewest thy witnesses before me and increasest thy displeasure against me; successions {of evil} and a time of toil are with me.18 And wherefore didst thou bring me forth out of the womb? I had expired, and no eye had seen me.19 I should be as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.20 Are not my days few? cease then and let me alone, that I may revive a little,21 Before I go, and never to return, -to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;22 A land of gloom, as darkness itself; of the shadow of death, without any order, where the light is as thick darkness.

1 Ek walg van my lewe; ek wil my geklaag die vrye loop gee; ek wil spreek in die bitterheid van my siel.2 Ek sê tot God: Veroordeel my nie; laat my weet waarom U met my twis.3 Is dit voordeel vir U dat U verdruk; dat U die arbeid van u hande verwerp, terwyl U oor die planne van die goddelose lig laat skyn?4 Het U vleeslike oë? Of sien U soos 'n mens sien?5 Is u dae soos die dae van 'n mens, of u jare soos die dae van 'n man?6 dat U soek na my ongeregtigheid en vra na my sonde,7 ofskoon U weet dat ek nie skuldig is nie en dat daar niemand is wat uit u hand kan red nie?8 U hande het my geformeer en my gemaak, heeltemal rondom; en U vernietig my!9 Bedink tog dat U my soos klei gevorm het, en wil U my tot stof laat terugkeer?10 Het U my nie soos melk uitgegiet en my soos kaas laat dik word nie?11 Met vel en vlees het U my beklee, en met beendere en senings het U my deurvleg.12 Die lewe, ja, guns het U aan my bewys, en u sorg het my gees bewaak.13 Maar daarby het U d¡t verberg in u hart, ek weet dat d¡t u toeleg was:14 As ek gesondig het, sou U my waarneem en my nie vryspreek van my ongeregtigheid nie.15 Was ek skuldig -- wee my! En was ek regverdig, ek sou my hoof nie kon ophef nie, sat van skande en bewus van my ellende.16 En as my hoof hom ophef, sou U my jaag soos 'n leeu en U opnuut wonderbaarlik teenoor my gedra.17 U sou altyd nuwe getuies teen my bring en u grimmigheid teen my vermeerder -- altyd nuwe leërafdelings teen my!18 Waarom tog het U my uit die moederskoot laat uitgaan? Ek moes gesterf het sonder dat 'n oog my gesien het.19 Ek moes gewees het of ek daar nie was nie; van die moederskoot af moes ek na die graf gedra gewees het.20 Is my dae nie min nie? Laat Hy ophou, my laat staan, dat ek 'n bietjie vrolik kan wees,21 voordat ek heengaan -- en nie terugkom nie -- na die land van duisternis en doodskaduwee,22 'n land van donkerheid, soos middernag, van doodskaduwee en wanorde, en dit gee 'n skynsel -- soos middernag!