Job 6

¹Then Job replied:

²“If only my grief could be weighed and placed with my calamity on the scales.

³For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been rash.

⁴For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

⁵Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass, or an ox low over its fodder?

⁶Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg?

⁷My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me.

⁸If only my request were granted and God would fulfill my hope:

⁹that God would be willing to crush me, to unleash His hand and cut me off!

¹⁰It still brings me comfort, and joy through unrelenting pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

¹¹What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient?

¹²Is my strength like that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze?

¹³Is there any help within me now that success is driven from me?

¹⁴A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

¹⁵But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow,