1 My soul is cut off in my life; therefore, I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; cause me to understand why thou dost contend with me. 3 Is it good unto thee that thou should oppress, that thou should reject the work of thine hands and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? 4 Hast thou eyes of flesh? Dost thou see as man sees? 5 Are thy days as the days of man? Are thy years as man’s days, 6 that thou dost enquire after my iniquity and search after my sin? 7 Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is no one that can deliver out of thy hand. 8 Thine hands have formed me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. 9 Remember now that thou hast formed me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? 10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk and curdled me like cheese? 11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and hast hedged me with bones and sinews. 12 Thou hast granted me life and mercy, and thy visitation has kept my spirit. 13 And these things thou hast hid in thine heart; I know that this is with thee. 14 If I sinned, wilt thou mark me and not cleanse me from my iniquity? 15 If I am wicked, woe unto me; and if I am righteous, I will not lift up my head, being full of dishonour and of seeing my affliction. 16 And thou dost increase. Thou dost hunt me as a fierce lion; turning and doing marvels in me. 17 Thou dost renew thy plagues against me and increase thine indignation upon me, bringing up armies against me.
18 Why then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the spirit and no eye had seen me! 19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, 21 before I go, to not return, to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; 22 land of darkness, as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.