Job 17

1

My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me.

2

Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility.

3

"Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me?

4

You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph.

5

If a man denounces his friends for reward, the eyes of his children will fail.

6

"God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit.

7

My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow.

8

Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

9

Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.

10

"But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you.

11

My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart.

12

These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, `Light is near.'

13

If the only home I hope for is the grave, ^[1] if I spread out my bed in darkness,

14

if I say to corruption, `You are my father,' and to the worm, `My mother' or `My sister,'

15

where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?

16

Will it go down to the gates of death ^[2] ? Will we descend together into the dust?"

1. [13] Hebrew Sheol
2. [16] Hebrew Sheol