| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1"Men have harsh servitude on earth, do they not? His days are like those of a hired laborer, are they not? | 1Isn't mankind consigned to forced labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand? |
| 2I'm like a servant who longs for the shade, like a hired laborer who is looking for his wages. | 2Like a slave he longs for shade; like a hired man he waits for his pay. |
| 3Truly I've been allotted months of emptiness; nights of trouble have been appointed for me. | 3So I have been made to inherit months of futility, and troubled nights have been assigned to me. |
| 4"When I lie down I ask, 'When will I wake up?' But the night continues and I keep tossing and turning until dawn. | 4When I lie down I think: When will I get up? But the evening drags on endlessly, and I toss and turn until dawn. |
| 5My skin is covered with worms and clods of dirt; my skin becomes rough and then breaks out afresh. | 5My flesh is clothed with maggots and encrusted with dirt. My skin forms scabs and then oozes. |
| 6My days pass as swiftly as a hand-loom; they come to their conclusion without hope. | 6My days pass more swiftly than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope. |
| 7Remember that my life is a breath; my eyes won't go back to seeing good things. | 7Remember that my life is but a breath. My eye will never again see anything good. |
| 8The eyes of the one who sees me won't see me anymore; your eyes will look for me but I won't be around! | 8The eye of anyone who looks on me will no longer see me. Your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone. |
| 9As a cloud fades away and vanishes, the one who descends to the afterlife doesn't return. | 9As a cloud fades away and vanishes, so the one who goes down to Sheol will never rise again. |
| 10He doesn't return again to his house, and his place won't recognize him anymore." | 10He will never return to his house; his hometown will no longer remember him. |
| 11"In addition, I won't keep my opinion to myself; I'll speak from my distressed spirit; I'll complain with my bitter soul. | 11Therefore I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. |
| 12Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you keep watching me? | 12Am I the sea or a sea monster, that You keep me under guard? |
| 13For I've said, 'My bed will comfort me; my couch will ease my burdens while I complain.' | 13When I say: My bed will comfort me, and my couch will ease my complaint, |
| 14But then you scared me with dreams; you terrified me with visions. | 14then You frighten me with dreams, and terrify me with visions, |
| 15I would rather die by strangulation than continue living. | 15so that I prefer strangling-- death rather than life in this body. |
| 16I hate the thought of living forever! Leave me alone, because my days are pointless." | 16I give up! I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. |
| 17"What is a human being, that you make so much of him; that you set your affections on him, | 17What is man, that You think so highly of him and pay so much attention to him? |
| 18visit him every morning, and test him continually? | 18You inspect him every morning, and put him to the test every moment. |
| 19Why won't you look away from me? Why don't you leave me alone so I can swallow my saliva? | 19Will You ever look away from me, or leave me alone long enough to swallow? |
| 20So what if I sin? What have I done against you, you observer of humankind? Why have you made me your target? Why burden yourself with me? | 20If I have sinned, what have I done to You, Watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so that I have become a burden to You? |
| 21Why haven't you pardoned my transgression and taken away my iniquity? Now I'm about to lie down in the dust. You will seek me diligently, but I won't be around!" | 21Why not forgive my sin and pardon my transgression? For soon I will lie down in the grave. You will eagerly seek me, but I will be gone. |
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