¹

Weary in my soul, I will pour my words with groans upon him: I will speak being straitened in the bitterness of my soul.

¹

ΚΑΜΝΩΝ τῇ ψυχῇ μου, στένων ἐπαφήσω ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν τὰ ρήματά μου· λαλήσω πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς μου συνεχόμενος

²

And I will say to the Lord, Do not teach me to be impious; and wherefore hast thou thus judged me?

²

καὶ ἐρῶ πρὸς Κύριον· μή με ἀσεβεῖν δίδασκε· καὶ διατί με οὕτως ἔκρινας;

³

Is it good before thee if I be unrighteous? for thou hast disowned the work of thy hands, and attended to the counsel of the ungodly.

³

ἦ καλόν σοι, ἐὰν ἀδικήσω, ὅτι ἀπείπω ἔργα χειρῶν σου, βουλῇ δὲ ἀσεβῶν προσέσχες;

⁴

Or dost thou see as a mortal sees? or wilt thou look as a man sees?

⁴

ἦ ὥσπερ βροτὸς ὁρᾷ καθορᾷς ἢ καθὼς ὁρᾷ ἄνθρωπος βλέψῃ;

⁵

Or is thy life human, or thy years the years of a man,

⁵

ἦ ὁ βίος σου ἀνθρώπινός ἐστιν ἢ τὰ ἔτη σου ἀνδρός;

⁶

that thou hast enquired into mine iniquity, and searched out my sins?

⁶

ὅτι ἀνεζήτησας τὴν ἀνομίαν μου καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου ἐξιχνίασας;

⁷

For thou knowest that I have not committed iniquity: but who is he that can deliver out of thy hands?

⁷

οἶδας γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἠσέβησα· ἀλλὰ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου ἐξαιρούμενος;

⁸

Thy hands have formed me and made me; afterwards thou didst change thy mind, and smite me.

⁸

αἱ χεῖρές σου ἔπλασάν με καὶ ἐποίησάν με, μετὰ ταῦτα μεταβαλών με ἔπαισας.

⁹

Remember that thou hast made me as clay, and thou dost turn me again to earth.

⁹

μνήσθητι ὅτι πηλόν με ἔπλασας, εἰς δὲ γῆν με πάλιν ἀποστρέφεις.

¹⁰

Hast thou not poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese?

¹⁰

ἦ οὐχ ὥσπερ γάλα με ἤμελξας, ἐτύρωσας δέ με ἴσα τυρῷ;

¹¹

And thou didst clothe me with skin and flesh, and frame me with bones and sinews.

¹¹

δέρμα δὲ καὶ κρέας με ἐνέδυσας, ὀστέοις δὲ καὶ νεύροις με ἐνεῖρας.

¹²

And thou didst bestow upon me life and mercy, and thy oversight has preserved my spirit.

¹²

ζωὴν δὲ καὶ ἔλεος ἔθου παρ᾿ ἐμοί, ἡ δὲ ἐπισκοπή σου ἐφύλαξέ μου τὸ πνεῦμα.

¹³

Having these things in thyself, I know that thou canst do all things; for nothing is impossible with thee.

¹³

ταῦτα ἔχων ἐν σεαυτῷ οἶδα ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι, ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐθέν.

¹⁴

And if I should sin, thou watchest me; and thou hast not cleared me from iniquity.

¹⁴

ἐάν τε γὰρ ἁμάρτω, φυλάσσεις με, ἀπὸ δὲ ἀνομίας οὐκ ἀθῷόν με πεποίηκας.

¹⁵

Or if I should be ungodly, woe is me: and if I should be righteous, I cannot lift myself up, for I am full of dishonour.

¹⁵

ἐάν τε γὰρ ἀσεβήσω, οἴμοι· ἐὰν δὲ ὦ δίκαιος, οὐ δύναμαι ἀνακύψαι, πλήρης γὰρ ἀτιμίας εἰμί.

¹⁶

For I am hunted like a lion for slaughter; for again thou hast changed and art terribly destroying me;

¹⁶

ἀγρεύομαι γὰρ ὥσπερ λέων εἰς σφαγήν, πάλιν γὰρ μεταβαλὼν δεινῶς με ὀλέκεις

¹⁷

renewing against me my torture: and thou hast dealt with me in great anger, and thou hast brought trials upon me.

¹⁷

ἐπανακαινίζων ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὴν ἔτασίν μου· ὀργῇ δὲ μεγάλῃ μοι ἐχρήσω, ἐπήγαγες δὲ ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ πειρατήρια.

¹⁸

Why then didst thou bring me out of the womb? and why did I not die, and no eye see me,

¹⁸

ἱνατί οὖν ἐκ κοιλίας με ἐξήγαγες, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέθανον, ὀφθαλμὸς δέ με οὐκ εἶδε,

¹⁹

and I become as if I had not been? for why was I not carried from the womb to the grave?

¹⁹

καὶ ὥσπερ οὐκ ὢν ἐγενόμην; διατί γὰρ ἐκ γαστρὸς εἰς μνῆμα οὐκ ἀπηλλάγην;

²⁰

Is not the time of my life short? suffer me to rest a little,

²⁰

ἦ οὐκ ὀλίγος ἐστὶν ὁ χρόνος τοῦ βίου μου; ἔασόν με ἀναπαύσασθαι μικρὸν

²¹

before I go whence I shall not return, to a land of darkness and gloominess;

²¹

πρὸ τοῦ με πορευθῆναι ὅθεν οὐκ ἀναστρέψω, εἰς γῆν σκοτεινὴν καὶ γνοφεράν,

²²

to a land of perpetual darkness, where there is no light, neither can any one see the life of mortals.

²²

εἰς γῆν σκότους αἰωνίου, οὗ οὐκ ἔστι φέγγος, οὐδὲ ὁρᾶν ζωὴν βροτῶν.