¹Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

¹Ni li vojna služba človekovo življenje na zemlji in dnevi njegovi enaki dnevom najemnikovim?

²As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:

²Kakor si suženj želi sence in kakor najemnik pričakuje mezde:

³So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

³tako sem dobil v delež mesece ničemurnosti in trudapolne noči so mi odmenjene.

⁴When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

⁴Kadar ležem, pravim: Kdaj vstanem? A večer se vleče prepočasno in dosita mi je premetavanja po postelji do svita.

⁵My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.

⁵Moje meso je oblečeno s črvadjo in prašno skorjo, koža se mi grbanči in iznova prepušča gnoj.

⁶My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

⁶Dnevi moji so hitrejši nego tkalčev čolnek in minevajo brez nade.

⁷O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.

⁷Pomni, da je življenje moje sapa! Ne bo zopet sreče gledalo moje oko.

⁸The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.

⁸Ne bo me gledalo oko tistega, ki me vidi; obrneš li oči svoje vame, ne bo me več!

⁹As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

⁹Kakor oblak gine in izgine, tako ne pride več gori, kdor stopi v šeol [T. j. kraj, kjer bivajo duše mrtvih, država smrti, smrtno kraljestvo.];

¹⁰He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

¹⁰ne vrne se več v hišo svojo, ne pozna ga več kraj njegov.

¹¹Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

¹¹Zato ne morem tudi jaz braniti ustom svojim, govoril bom v duha svojega stiski, žaloval v duše svoje bridkosti.

¹²Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

¹²Sem li mar morje ali pošast morska, da si postavil stražo zoper mene?

¹³When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaints;

¹³Kadar si rečem: Postelja moja me potolaži, ležišče moje mi pomore trpeti žalovanje:

¹⁴Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:

¹⁴tedaj me strašiš s sanjami in s prikaznimi me spravljaš v trepet,

¹⁵So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

¹⁵da voli duša moja zadušenje in bi rajši bil mrtev nego suho okostje.

¹⁶I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

¹⁶Zamrzelo mi je življenje – ne hotel bi živeti vekomaj. Odnehaj! kajti kakor sapa so dnevi moji.

¹⁷What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

¹⁷Kaj je človek, da ga toliko ceniš in da ga imaš v mislih

¹⁸And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

¹⁸in ga vsako jutro obiskuješ in vsak hip izkušaš?

¹⁹How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

¹⁹Kako dolgo se ne ozreš stran od mene, ne odnehaš, da požrem svojo slino?

²⁰I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

²⁰Ako sem grešil, kaj morem storiti tebi, o opazovalec ljudi! Zakaj si me postavil za cilj svojim pšicam, da sem postal breme samemu sebi?Zakaj ne odpustiš prestopka mojega in ne odpraviš krivice moje? Kajti sedaj ležem v prah, in če me boš iskal jutri, me ne bode.

²¹And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

²¹Zakaj ne odpustiš prestopka mojega in ne odpraviš krivice moje? Kajti sedaj ležem v prah, in če me boš iskal jutri, me ne bode.