Chapter 17
Job Prepares for Death
1
[“]My spirit is broken; my days are extinguished; the grave awaits me.
𐤓𐤅𐤇𐤉 𐤇𐤁𐤋𐤄 𐤉𐤌𐤉 𐤍𐤆𐤏𐤊𐤅 𐤒𐤁𐤓𐤉𐤌 𐤋𐤉
רוּחִ֣י חֻ֭בָּלָה יָמַ֥י נִזְעָ֗כוּ קְבָרִ֥ים לִֽי׃ rū·ḥî ḥub·bā·lāh yā·may niz·‘ā·ḵū qə·ḇā·rîm lî — WLC · 1
2
Surely… mockers surround me, and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion.
𐤀𐤌 𐤋𐤀 𐤄𐤕𐤋𐤉𐤌 𐤏𐤌𐤃𐤉 𐤏𐤉𐤍𐤉 𐤕𐤋𐤍 𐤅𐤁𐤄𐤌𐤓𐤅𐤕𐤌
אִם־ לֹ֣א הֲ֭תֻלִים עִמָּדִ֑י עֵינִֽי׃ תָּלַ֥ן וּ֝בְהַמְּרוֹתָ֗ם ’im- lō hă·ṯu·lîm ‘im·mā·ḏî ‘ê·nî tā·lan ū·ḇə·ham·mə·rō·w·ṯām — WLC · 2
3
Give [me], I pray, the pledge You [demand]. Who else… will be my guarantor…?
𐤔𐤉𐤌𐤄 𐤍𐤀 𐤏𐤓𐤁𐤍𐤉 𐤏𐤌𐤊 𐤌𐤉 𐤄𐤅𐤀 𐤋𐤉𐤃𐤉 𐤉𐤕𐤒𐤏
שִֽׂימָה־ נָּ֭א עָרְבֵ֣נִי עִמָּ֑ךְ מִֽי ה֝֗וּא לְיָדִ֥י יִתָּקֵֽעַ׃ śî·māh- nā ‘ā·rə·ḇê·nî ‘im·māḵ mî hū lə·yā·ḏî yit·tā·qê·a‘ — WLC · 3
4
- You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore… You will not exalt them.
𐤊𐤉 𐤑𐤐𐤍𐤕 𐤋𐤁𐤌 𐤌𐤔𐤊𐤋 𐤏𐤋 𐤊𐤍 𐤋𐤀 𐤕𐤓𐤌𐤌
כִּֽי־ צָפַ֣נְתָּ לִ֭בָּם מִּשָּׂ֑כֶל עַל־ כֵּ֝֗ן לֹ֣א תְרֹמֵֽם׃ kî- ṣā·p̄an·tā lib·bām miś·śā·ḵel ‘al- kên lō ṯə·rō·mêm — WLC · 4
5
If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail.
𐤉𐤂𐤉𐤃 𐤓𐤏𐤉𐤌 𐤋𐤇𐤋𐤒 𐤅𐤏𐤉𐤍𐤉 𐤁𐤍𐤉𐤅 𐤕𐤊𐤋𐤍𐤄
יַגִּ֣יד רֵעִ֑ים לְ֭חֵלֶק וְעֵינֵ֖י בָנָ֣יו תִּכְלֶֽנָה׃ yag·gîḏ rê·‘îm lə·ḥê·leq wə·‘ê·nê ḇā·nāw tiḵ·le·nāh — WLC · 5
6
He has made me a byword among the people, [a man] in whose face they spit.
𐤅𐤄𐤑𐤂𐤍𐤉 𐤋𐤌𐤔𐤋 𐤏𐤌𐤉𐤌 𐤀𐤄𐤉𐤄 𐤋𐤐𐤍𐤉𐤌 𐤅𐤕𐤐𐤕
וְֽ֭הִצִּגַנִי לִמְשֹׁ֣ל עַמִּ֑ים אֶֽהְיֶֽה׃ לְפָנִ֣ים וְתֹ֖פֶת wə·hiṣ·ṣi·ḡa·nî lim·šōl ‘am·mîm ’eh·yeh lə·p̄ā·nîm wə·ṯō·p̄eṯ — WLC · 6
7
My eyes have grown dim with grief, and my whole body is but a shadow.
𐤏𐤉𐤍𐤉 𐤅𐤕𐤊𐤄 𐤌𐤊𐤏𐤔 𐤊𐤋𐤌 𐤅𐤉𐤑𐤓𐤉 𐤊𐤑𐤋
עֵינִ֑י וַתֵּ֣כַהּ מִכַּ֣עַשׂ כֻּלָּֽם׃ וִֽיצֻרַ֖י כַּצֵּ֣ל ‘ê·nî wat·tê·ḵah mik·ka·‘aś kul·lām wî·ṣu·ray kaṣ·ṣêl — WLC · 7
8
The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent are stirred against the godless.
𐤉𐤔𐤓𐤉𐤌 𐤉𐤔𐤌𐤅 𐤏𐤋 𐤆𐤀𐤕 𐤅𐤍𐤒𐤉 𐤉𐤕𐤏𐤓𐤓 𐤏𐤋 𐤇𐤍𐤐
יְשָׁרִ֣ים יָשֹׁ֣מּוּ עַל־ זֹ֑את וְ֝נָקִ֗י יִתְעֹרָֽר׃ עַל־ חָנֵ֥ף yə·šā·rîm yā·šōm·mū ‘al- zōṯ wə·nā·qî yiṯ·‘ō·rār ‘al- ḥā·nêp̄ — WLC · 8
9
Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands… grows stronger.
𐤑𐤃𐤉𐤒 𐤅𐤉𐤀𐤇𐤆 𐤃𐤓𐤊𐤅 𐤉𐤃𐤉𐤌 𐤅𐤈𐤄𐤓 𐤉𐤎𐤉𐤐 𐤀𐤌𐤑
צַדִּ֣יק וְיֹאחֵ֣ז דַּרְכּ֑וֹ יָ֝דַ֗יִם וּֽטֳהָר־ יֹסִ֥יף אֹֽמֶץ׃ ṣad·dîq wə·yō·ḥêz dar·kōw yā·ḏa·yim ū·ṭo·hār- yō·sîp̄ ’ō·meṣ — WLC · 9
10
But come back… and try again, all of you. For I will not find a wise man among you.
𐤅𐤀𐤅𐤋𐤌 𐤅𐤁𐤀𐤅 𐤍𐤀 𐤕𐤔𐤁𐤅 𐤊𐤋𐤌 𐤅𐤋𐤀 𐤀𐤌𐤑𐤀 𐤇𐤊𐤌 𐤁𐤊𐤌
וְֽאוּלָ֗ם וּבֹ֣אוּ נָ֑א תָּ֭שֻׁבוּ כֻּלָּ֣ם וְלֹֽא־ אֶמְצָ֖א חָכָֽם׃ בָכֶ֣ם wə·’ū·lām ū·ḇō·’ū nā tā·šu·ḇū kul·lām wə·lō- ’em·ṣā ḥā·ḵām ḇā·ḵem — WLC · 10
11
My days have passed; my plans are broken off— even the desires of my heart.
𐤉𐤌𐤉 𐤏𐤁𐤓𐤅 𐤆𐤌𐤕𐤉 𐤍𐤕𐤒𐤅 𐤌𐤅𐤓𐤔𐤉 𐤋𐤁𐤁𐤉
יָמַ֣י עָ֭בְרוּ זִמֹּתַ֣י נִתְּק֑וּ מ֖וֹרָשֵׁ֣י לְבָבִֽי׃ yā·may ‘ā·ḇə·rū zim·mō·ṯay nit·tə·qū mō·w·rā·šê lə·ḇā·ḇî — WLC · 11
12
They have turned night into day, [making] light seem near in the face of darkness.
𐤉𐤔𐤉𐤌𐤅 𐤋𐤉𐤋𐤄 𐤋𐤉𐤅𐤌 𐤀𐤅𐤓 𐤒𐤓𐤅𐤁 𐤌𐤐𐤍𐤉 𐤇𐤔𐤊
יָשִׂ֑ימוּ לַ֭יְלָה לְי֣וֹם א֝֗וֹר קָר֥וֹב מִפְּנֵי־ חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃ yā·śî·mū lay·lāh lə·yō·wm ’ō·wr qā·rō·wḇ mip·pə·nê- ḥō·šeḵ — WLC · 12
13
If I look for Sheol as my home, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
𐤀𐤌 𐤀𐤒𐤅𐤄 𐤔𐤀𐤅𐤋 𐤁𐤉𐤕𐤉 𐤓𐤐𐤃𐤕𐤉 𐤉𐤑𐤅𐤏𐤉 𐤁𐤇𐤔𐤊
אִם־ אֲ֭קַוֶּה שְׁא֣וֹל בֵּיתִ֑י רִפַּ֥דְתִּי יְצוּעָֽי׃ בַּ֝חֹ֗שֶׁךְ ’im- ’ă·qaw·weh šə·’ō·wl bê·ṯî rip·paḏ·tî yə·ṣū·‘āy ba·ḥō·šeḵ — WLC · 13
14
and say to corruption, ‘You [are] my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
𐤒𐤓𐤀𐤕𐤉 𐤋𐤔𐤇𐤕 𐤀𐤕𐤄 𐤀𐤁𐤉 𐤋𐤓𐤌𐤄 𐤀𐤌𐤉 𐤅𐤀𐤇𐤕𐤉
קָ֭רָאתִי לַשַּׁ֣חַת אָ֑תָּה אָ֣בִי לָֽרִמָּֽה׃ אִמִּ֥י וַ֝אֲחֹתִ֗י qā·rā·ṯî laš·ša·ḥaṯ ’āt·tāh ’ā·ḇî lā·rim·māh ’im·mî wa·’ă·ḥō·ṯî — WLC · 14
15
where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?
𐤅𐤀𐤉𐤄 𐤀𐤐𐤅 𐤕𐤒𐤅𐤕𐤉 𐤌𐤉 𐤉𐤔𐤅𐤓𐤍𐤄 𐤅𐤕𐤒𐤅𐤕𐤉
וְ֭אַיֵּה אֵפ֣וֹ תִקְוָתִ֑י מִ֣י יְשׁוּרֶֽנָּה׃ וְ֝תִקְוָתִ֗י wə·’ay·yêh ’ê·p̄ōw ṯiq·wā·ṯî mî yə·šū·ren·nāh wə·ṯiq·wā·ṯî — WLC · 15
16
Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?”
𐤕𐤓𐤃𐤍𐤄 𐤁𐤃𐤉 𐤔𐤀𐤋 𐤀𐤌 𐤍𐤇𐤕𐤎 𐤉𐤇𐤃 𐤏𐤋 𐤏𐤐𐤓
תֵּרַ֑דְנָה בַּדֵּ֣י שְׁאֹ֣ל אִם־ נָֽחַת׃ס יַ֖חַד עַל־ עָפָ֣ר tê·raḏ·nāh bad·dê šə·’ōl ’im- nā·ḥaṯ ya·ḥaḏ ‘al- ‘ā·p̄ār — WLC · 16