1 But now those who are younger than I make sport of me; those whose fathers I would not have put with the dogs of my flocks.
2 Of what use is the strength of their hands to me? all force is gone from them.
3 They are wasted for need of food, biting the dry earth; their only hope of life is in the waste land.
4 They are pulling off the salt leaves from the brushwood, and making a meal of roots.
5 They are sent out from among their townsmen, men are crying after them as thieves
6 They have to get a resting-place in the hollows of the valleys, in holes of the earth and rocks.
7 They make noises like asses among the brushwood; they get together under the thorns.
8 They are sons of shame, and of men without a name, who have been forced out of the land.
9 And now I have become their song, and I am a word of shame to them.
10 I am disgusting to them; they keep away from me, and put marks of shame on me.
11 For he has made loose the cord of my bow, and put me to shame; he has sent down my flag to the earth before me.
12 The lines of his men of war put themselves in order, and make high their ways of destruction against me:
13 They have made waste my roads, with a view to my destruction; his bowmen come round about me;
14 As through a wide broken place in the wall they come on, I am overturned by the shock of their attack.
15 Fears have come on me; my hope is gone like the wind, and my well-being like a cloud.
16 But now my soul is turned to water in me, days of trouble overtake me:
17 The flesh is gone from my bones, and they give me no rest; there is no end to my pains.
18 With great force he takes a grip of my clothing, pulling me by the neck of my coat.
19 Truly God has made me low, even to the earth, and I have become like dust.
20 You give no answer to my cry, and take no note of my prayer.
21 You have become cruel to me; the strength of your hand is hard on me.
22 Lifting me up, you make me go on the wings of the wind; I am broken up by the storm.
23 For I am certain that you will send me back to death, and to the meeting-place ordered for all living.
24 Has not my hand been stretched out in help to the poor? have I not been a saviour to him in his trouble?
25 Have I not been weeping for the crushed? and was not my soul sad for him who was in need?
26 For I was looking for good, and evil came; I was waiting for light, and it became dark.
27 My feelings are strongly moved, and give me no rest; days of trouble have overtaken me.
28 I go about in dark clothing, uncomforted; I get up in the public place, crying out for help.
29 I have become a brother to the jackals, and go about in the company of ostriches.
30 My skin is black and dropping off me; and my bones are burning with the heat of my disease.
31 And my music has been turned to sorrow, and the sound of my pipe into the noise of weeping.
1 א ועתה שחקו עלי-- צעירים ממני לימים br אשר-מאסתי אבותם-- לשית עם-כלבי צאני br
2 ב גם-כח ידיהם למה לי עלימו אבד כלח br
3 ג בחסר ובכפן גלמוד הערקים ציה--אמש שואה ומשאה br
4 ד הקטפים מלוח עלי-שיח ושרש רתמים לחמם br
5 ה מן-גו יגרשו יריעו עלימו כגנב br
6 ו בערוץ נחלים לשכן חרי עפר וכפים br
7 ז בין-שיחים ינהקו תחת חרול יספחו br
8 ח בני-נבל גם-בני בלי-שם-- נכאו מן-הארץ br
9 ט ועתה נגינתם הייתי ואהי להם למלה br
10 י תעבוני רחקו מני ומפני לא-חשכו רק br
11 יא כי-יתרו (יתרי) פתח ויענני ורסן מפני שלחו br
12 יב על-ימין פרחח יקומו רגלי שלחו ויסלו עלי ארחות אידם br
13 יג נתסו נתיבתי להותי יעילו לא עזר למו br
14 יד כפרץ רחב יאתיו תחת שאה התגלגלו br
15 טו ההפך עלי בלהות br תרדף כרוח נדבתי וכעב עברה ישעתי br
16 טז ועתה--עלי תשתפך נפשי יאחזוני ימי-עני br
17 יז לילה--עצמי נקר מעלי וערקי לא ישכבון br
18 יח ברב-כח יתחפש לבושי כפי כתנתי יאזרני br
19 יט הרני לחמר ואתמשל כעפר ואפר br
20 כ אשוע אליך ולא תענני עמדתי ותתבנן בי br
21 כא תהפך לאכזר לי בעצם ידך תשטמני br
22 כב תשאני אל-רוח תרכיבני ותמגגני תשוה (תשיה) br
23 כג כי-ידעתי מות תשיבני ובית מועד לכל-חי br
24 כד אך לא-בעי ישלח-יד אם-בפידו להן שוע br
25 כה אם-לא בכיתי לקשה-יום עגמה נפשי לאביון br
26 כו כי טוב קויתי ויבא רע ואיחלה לאור ויבא אפל br
27 כז מעי רתחו ולא-דמו קדמני ימי-עני br
28 כח קדר הלכתי בלא חמה קמתי בקהל אשוע br
29 כט אח הייתי לתנים ורע לבנות יענה br
30 ל עורי שחר מעלי ועצמי-חרה מני-חרב br
31 לא ויהי לאבל כנרי ועגבי לקול בכים