And

…at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling.

But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?

But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?

As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,

As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,

…so a man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no more, he will not be awakened or roused from sleep.

If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me!

If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me!

You will call, and I will answer; You will desire the work of Your hands.

My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.

But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place,

But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place,

…as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope.

You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.

You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.

He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”

But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before Him.

For your iniquity instructs your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.

Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side—men much older than your father.

Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,

…so that you turn your spirit against God and pour such words from your mouth?

…how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?

Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,

…what was declared by wise men and was not concealed from their fathers,

Distress and anguish terrify him, overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.

For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,

Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with flesh,

He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.

For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.

They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”

I could also speak like you if you were in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you.

But I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.

Even if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I hold back, how will it go away?

You have bound me, and it has become a witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me.

You have bound me, and it has become a witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me.

His anger has torn me and opposed me; He gnashes His teeth at me. My adversary pierces me with His eyes.

They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.

I was at ease, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His target;

His archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground.

My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes;

…yet my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure.

Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.

Surely mockers surround me, and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.

My eyes have grown dim with grief, and my whole body is but a shadow.

The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent are stirred against the godless.

Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger.

But come back and try again, all of you. For I will not find a wise man among you.

…and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’

…and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’

“How long until you end these speeches? Show some sense, and then we can talk.

The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him goes out.

His vigorous stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up.

For his own feet lead him into a net, and he wanders into its mesh.

A noose is hidden in the ground, and a trap lies in his path.

Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his every step.

His strength is depleted, and calamity is ready at his side.

He is torn from the shelter of his tent and is marched off to the king of terrors.

The roots beneath him dry up, and the branches above him wither away.

The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the land.

He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world.

Surely such is the dwelling of the wicked and the place of one who does not know God.”

“How long will you torment me and crush me with your words?

If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my disgrace against me,

…then understand that it is God who has wronged me and drawn His net around me.

He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.

His anger burns against me, and He counts me among His enemies.

His troops advance together; they construct a ramp against me and encamp around my tent.

My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.

My guests and maidservants count me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight.

My breath is repulsive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own family.

All my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me.

My skin and flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

I wish that my words were recorded and inscribed in a book,

But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.

I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!

I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding prompts a reply.

…the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?

Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds,

The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his place will no longer behold him.

Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,

…though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,

He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.

Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.

The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.

Look at me and be appalled; put your hand over your mouth.

When I remember, terror takes hold, and my body trembles in horror.

Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?

Their descendants are established around them, and their offspring before their eyes.

Their bulls breed without fail; their cows bear calves and do not miscarry.

…singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute.

…singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute.

They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’

One man dies full of vigor, completely secure and at ease.

His body is well nourished, and his bones are rich with marrow.

But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both.

For you say, ‘Where now is the nobleman’s house, and where are the tents in which the wicked dwell?’

He is carried to the grave, and watch is kept over his tomb.