1 νυνὶ δὲ κατεγέλασάν μου, ἐλάχιστοι νῦν νουθετοῦσίν με ἐν μέρει,* ὧν ἐξουδένουν πατέρας αὐτῶν,‡ οὓς οὐχ ἡγησάμην εἶναι ἀξίους κυνῶν τῶν ἐμῶν νομάδων.
2 καί γε ἰσχὺς χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἵνα τί μοι;* ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἀπώλετο συντέλεια
3 ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ λιμῷ ἄγονος·* οἱ φεύγοντες ἄνυδρον ἐχθὲς συνοχὴν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν,
4 οἱ περικλῶντες ἅλιμα ἐπὶ ἠχοῦντι,‡ οἵτινες ἅλιμα ἦν αὐτῶν τὰ σῖτα, ἄτιμοι δὲ καὶ πεφαυλισμένοι, ἐνδεεῖς παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, οἳ καὶ ῥίζας ξύλων ἐμασῶντο ὑπὸ λιμοῦ μεγάλου.
5 ἐπανέστησάν μοι κλέπται,
6 ὧν οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν ἦσαν τρῶγλαι πετρῶν·
7 ἀνὰ μέσον εὐήχων βοήσονται·‡ οἳ ὑπὸ φρύγανα ἄγρια διῃτῶντο,
8 ἀφρόνων υἱοὶ καὶ ἀτίμων ὄνομα καὶ κλέος ἐσβεσμένον ἀπὸ γῆς.
9 νυνὶ δὲ κιθάρα ἐγώ εἰμι αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμὲ θρύλημα ἔχουσιν·
10 ἐβδελύξαντο δέ με ἀποστάντες μακράν, ἀπὸ δὲ προσώπου μου οὐκ ἐφείσαντο πτύελον.
11 ἀνοίξας γὰρ φαρέτραν αὐτοῦ ἐκάκωσέν με,* καὶ χαλινὸν τοῦ προσώπου μου ἐξαπέστειλαν.
12 ἐπὶ δεξιῶν βλαστοῦ ἐπανέστησαν,* πόδα αὐτῶν ἐξέτειναν καὶ ὡδοποίησαν ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ τρίβους ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν.
13 ἐξετρίβησαν τρίβοι μου,‡ ἐξέδυσεν γάρ μου τὴν στολήν·
14 βέλεσιν αὐτοῦ κατηκόντισέν με, κέχρηταί μοι ὡς βούλεται, ἐν ὀδύναις πέφυρμαι.
15 ἐπιστρέφονται δέ μου αἱ ὀδύναι, ᾤχετό μου ἡ ἐλπὶς ὥσπερ πνεῦμα καὶ ὥσπερ νέφος ἡ σωτηρία μου.
16 καὶ νῦν ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ ἐκχυθήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου,‡ ἔχουσιν δέ με ἡμέραι ὀδυνῶν·
17 νυκτὶ δέ μου τὰ ὀστᾶ συγκέκαυται, τὰ δὲ νεῦρά μου διαλέλυται.
18 ἐν πολλῇ ἰσχύι ἐπελάβετό μου τῆς στολῆς,* ὥσπερ τὸ περιστόμιον τοῦ χιτῶνός μου περιέσχεν με.‡
19 ἥγησαι δέ με ἴσα πηλῷ, ἐν γῇ καὶ σποδῷ μου ἡ μερίς·
20 κέκραγα δὲ πρὸς σὲ καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούεις μου,* ἔστησαν καὶ κατενόησάν με·‡
21 ἐπέβης δέ μοι ἀνελεημόνως, χειρὶ κραταιᾷ με ἐμαστίγωσας·
22 ἔταξας δέ με ἐν ὀδύναις* καὶ ἀπέρριψάς με ἀπὸ σωτηρίας.‡
23 οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι θάνατός με ἐκτρίψει· οἰκία γὰρ παντὶ θνητῷ γῆ.
24 εἰ γὰρ ὄφελον δυναίμην ἐμαυτὸν χειρώσασθαι, ἢ δεηθείς γε ἑτέρου, καὶ ποιήσει μοι τοῦτο.
25 ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ παντὶ ἀδυνάτῳ ἔκλαυσα, ἐστέναξα δὲ ἰδὼν ἄνδρα ἐν ἀνάγκαις.
26 ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπέχων ἀγαθοῖς, ἰδοὺ συνήντησάν μοι μᾶλλον ἡμέραι κακῶν.
27 ἡ κοιλία μου ἐξέζεσεν καὶ οὐ σιωπήσεται,* προέφθασάν με ἡμέραι πτωχείας.‡
28 στένων πεπόρευμαι ἄνευ φιμοῦ, ἕστηκα δὲ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ κεκραγώς.
29 ἀδελφὸς γέγονα σειρήνων, ἑταῖρος δὲ στρουθῶν.
30 τὸ δὲ δέρμα μου ἐσκότωται μεγάλως, τὰ δὲ ὀστᾶ μου ἀπὸ καύματος.
31 ἀπέβη δὲ εἰς πάθος μου ἡ κιθάρα, ὁ δὲ ψαλμός μου εἰς κλαυθμὸν ἐμοί.
1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. 2 Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished? 3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. 4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat. 5 They were driven forth from among men , (they cried after them as after a thief;) 6 To dwell in the clifts of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks. 7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together. 8 They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth. 9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword. 10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face. 11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me. 12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction. 13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper. 14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me .
15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud. 16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me. 17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest. 18 By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. 19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes. 20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not . 21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me. 22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it , and dissolvest my substance. 23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living. 24 Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction. 25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor? 26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness. 27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me. 28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation. 29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. 30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat. 31 My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.