Is not the life of man upon earth a state of trial? and his existence as that of a hireling by the day?
Πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; καὶ ὥσπερ μισθίου αὐθημερινοῦ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ;
The Old Testament
ΙΩΒ · 7
21 Brenton verses
Is not the life of man upon earth a state of trial? and his existence as that of a hireling by the day?
Πότερον οὐχὶ πειρατήριόν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; καὶ ὥσπερ μισθίου αὐθημερινοῦ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ;
Or as a servant that fears his master, and one who has grasped a shadow? or as a hireling waiting for his pay?
Ἢ ὥσπερ θεράπων δεδοικὼς τὸν Κύριον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τετευχὼς σκιᾶς; ἢ ὥσπερ μισθωτὸς ἀναμένων τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ;
So have I also endured months of vanity, and nights of pain have been appointed me.
Οὕτως κᾀγὼ ὑπέμεινα μῆνας κενοὺς, νύκτες δὲ ὀδυνῶν δεδομέναι μοι εἰσίν.
Whenever I lie down, I say, When will it be day? and whenever I rise up, again I say when will it be evening? and I am full of pains from evening to morning.
Ἐὰν κοιμηθῶ, λέγω, πότε ἡμέρα; ὡς δʼ ἂν ἀναστῶ, πάλιν, πότε ἑσπέρα; πλήρης δὲ γίνομαι ὀδυνῶν ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἕως πρωΐ.
And my body is covered with loathsome worms; and I waste away, scraping off clods of dust from my eruption.
Φύρεται δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων, τήκω δὲ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξύων.
And my life is lighter than a word, and has perished in vain hope.
Ὁ δὲ βίος μου ἔστιν ἐλαφρότερος λαλιᾶς, ἀπόλωλε δὲ ἐν κενῇ ἐλπίδι.
Remember then that my life is breath, and mine eye shall not yet again see good.
Μνήσθητι οὖν ὅτι πνεῦμά μου ἡ ζωὴ, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ἐπανελεύσεται ὀφθαλμός μου ἰδεῖν ἀγαθόν.
The eye of him that sees me shall not see me again: thine eyes are upon me, and I am no more.
Οὐ περιβλέψεταί με ὀφθαλμὸς ὁρῶντός με, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι εἰμί·
I am as a cloud that is cleared away from the sky: for if a man go down to the grave, he shall not come up again:
Ὥσπερ νέφος ἀποκαθαρθὲν ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ· ἐὰν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος καταβῇ εἰς ᾅδην, οὐκ ἔτι μὴ ἀναβῇ,
and he shall surely not return to his own house, neither shall his place know him any more.
οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ ἐπιστρέψῃ εἰς τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον, οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ ἐπιγνῶ αὐτὸν ἔτι ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ.
Then neither will I refrain my mouth: I will speak being in distress; being in anguish I will disclose the bitterness of my soul.
Ἀτὰρ οὖν οὐδὲ ἐγὼ φείσομαι τῷ στόματί μου, λαλήσω ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ὤν, ἀνοίξω πικρίαν ψυχῆς μου συνεχόμενος.
Am I a sea, or a serpent, that thou hast set a watch over me?
Πότερον θάλασσα εἰμὶ ἢ δράκων, ὅτι κατέταξας ἐπʼ ἐμὲ φυλακήν;
I said that my bed should comfort me, and I would privately counsel with myself on my couch.
Εἴπα ὅτι παρακαλέσει με ἡ κλίνη μου, ἀνοίσω δὲ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ἰδίᾳ λόγον τῇ κοίτῃ μου.
Thou scarest me with dreams, and dost terrify me with visions.
Ἐκφοβεῖς με ἐνυπνίοις, καὶ ὁράμασί με καταπλήσσεις.
Thou wilt separate life from my spirit; and yet keep my bones from death.
Ἀπαλλάξεις ἀπὸ πνεύματός μου τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἀπὸ δὲ θανάτου τὰ ὀστᾶ μου.
For I shall not live for ever, that I should patiently endure: depart from me, for my life is vain.
Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζήσομαι, ἵνα μακροθυμήσω· ἀπόστα ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, κενὸς γάρ μου ὁ βίος.
For what is man, that thou hast magnified him? or that thou givest heed to him?
Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνας αὐτόν; ἢ ὅτι προσέχεις τὸν νοῦν εἰς αὐτόν;
Wilt thou visit him till the morning, and judge him till the time of rest?
Ἢ ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ ποιήσῃ ἕως τὸ πρωΐ; καὶ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτὸν κρινεῖς;
How long dost thou not let me alone, nor let me go, until I shall swallow down my spittle?
Ἕως τίνος οὐκ ἐᾷς με, οὐδὲ προΐῃ με, ἕως ἂν καταπίω τὸν πτύελόν μου;
If I have sinned, what shall I be able to do, O thou that understandest the mind of men? why hast thou made me as thine accuser, and why am I a burden to thee?
Εἰ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, τί δυνήσομαι πρᾶξαι, ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων; διατί ἔθου με κατεντευκτήν σου, εἰμὶ δὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ φορτίον;
Why hast thou not forgotten my iniquity, and purged my sin? but now I shall depart to the earth; and in the morning, I am no more.
Διατί οὐκ ἐποιήσω τῆς ἀνομίας μου λήθην, καὶ καθαρισμὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου; νυνὶ δὲ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσομαι, ὀρθρίζων δὲ οὐκ ἔτι εἰμί.
Brenton supplied wording, small capitals, translation notes, Greek wording, and edition-specific verse identifiers are retained. Parallel passages keep each edition's own references. Editions and sources.