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

¹“Isn’t a man forced to labor on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?

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

²As a servant who earnestly desires the shadow, as a hireling who looks for his wages,

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

³so am I made to possess months of misery, wearisome nights are appointed to me.

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

⁴When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, and the night be gone?’ I toss and turn until the dawning of the day.

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

⁵My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust. My skin closes up, and breaks out afresh.

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

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

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

⁷Oh remember that my life is a breath. My eye shall no more see good.

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

⁸The eye of him who sees me shall see me no more. Your eyes shall be on me, but I shall not be.

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.];

⁹As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. shall come up no more.

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

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

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

¹¹“Therefore I will not keep silent. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

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

¹²Am I a sea, or a sea monster, that you put a guard over me?

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

¹³When I say, ‘My bed shall comfort me. My couch shall ease my complaint;’

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

¹⁴then you scare me with dreams, and terrify me through visions:

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

¹⁵so that my soul chooses strangling, death rather than my bones.

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

¹⁶I loathe my life. I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

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

¹⁷What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,

¹⁸in ga vsako jutro obiskuješ in vsak hip izkušaš?

¹⁸that you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?

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

¹⁹How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?

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.

²⁰If I have sinned, what do I do to you, you watcher of men? Why have you set me as a mark for you, so that I am a burden to myself?

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

²¹Why do you not pardon my disobedience, and take away my iniquity? For now shall I lie down in the dust. You will seek me diligently, but I shall not be.”