| 17:1 |
My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me. |
| 17:2 |
Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility. |
| 17:3 |
"Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me? |
| 17:4 |
You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph. |
| 17:5 |
If a man denounces his friends for reward, the eyes of his children will fail. |
| 17:6 |
"God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit. |
| 17:7 |
My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow. |
| 17:8 |
Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly. |
| 17:9 |
Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger. |
| 17:10 |
"But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you. |
| 17:11 |
My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart. |
| 17:12 |
These men turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, 'Light is near.' |
| 17:13 |
If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness, |
| 17:14 |
if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,' |
| 17:15 |
where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? |
| 17:16 |
Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?" |
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