Job 30
Ἰώβ
1 ΝΥΝΙ δὲ κατεγέλασάν μου ἐλάχιστοι, νῦν νουθετοῦσί με ἐν μέρει ὧν ἐξουδένουν τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν, οὓς οὐχ ἡγησάμην ἀξίους κυνῶν τῶν ἐμῶν νομάδων.
But now the youngest have laughed me to scorn, now they reprove me in [their] turn, whose fathers I set at nothing; whom I did not deem worthy [to be with] my shepherd dogs.
2 καί γε ἰσχὺς χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἱνατί μοι; ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἀπώλετο συντέλεια.
Yes, why had I the strength of their hands? for them the full term [of life] was lost.
3 ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ λιμῷ ἄγονος· οἱ φεύγοντες ἄνυδρον ἐχθὲς συνοχὴν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν,
[One is] childless in lack and famine, [such as] they that fled but lately the distress and misery of drought.
4 οἱ περικυκλοῦντες ἅλιμα ἐπὶ ἠχοῦντι, οἵτινες ἅλιμα ἦν αὐτῶν τὰ σῖτα, ἄτιμοι δὲ καὶ πεφαυλισμένοι, ἐνδεεῖς παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, οἳ καὶ ρίζας ξύλων ἐμασσῶντο ὑπὸ λιμοῦ μεγάλου.
Who compass the salt places on the sounding [shore], who had salt [herbs] for their food, and were dishonourable and of no repute, in lack of every good thing; who also ate roots of trees by reason of great hunger.
5 ἐπανέστησάν μοι κλέπται,
Thieves have risen up against me,
6 ὧν οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν ἦσαν τρῶγλαι πετρῶν,
whose houses were the caves of the rocks, who lived under the wild shrubs.
7 ἀνὰ μέσον εὐήχων βοήσονται· οἳ ὑπὸ φρύγανα ἄγρια διῃτῶντο,
They will cry out amongst the rustling [bushes].
8 ἀφρόνων υἱοὶ καὶ ἀτίμων, ὄνομα καὶ κλέος ἐσβεσμένον ἀπὸ γῆς.
[They are] sons of fools and vile men, [whose] name and glory [are] quenched from off the earth.
9 νυνὶ δὲ κιθάρα ἐγώ εἰμι αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμὲ θρύλλημα ἔχουσιν·
But now I am their music, and they have me for a byword.
10 ἐβδελύξαντο δέ με ἀποστάντες μακρὰν ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ προσώπου μου οὐκ ἐφείσαντο πτύελον.
And they stood aloof and abhorred me, and spared not to spit in my face.
11 ἀνοίξας γὰρ φαρέτραν αὐτοῦ ἐκάκωσέ με, καὶ χαλινὸν τοῦ προσώπου μου ἐξαπέστειλαν.
For he has opened his quiver and afflicted me: they also have cast off the restraint of my presence.
12 ἐπὶ δεξιῶν βλαστοῦ ἐξανέστησαν, πόδα αὐτῶν ἐξέτειναν καὶ ὡδοποίησαν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τρίβους ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν.
They have risen up against [me] on the right hand of [their] offspring; they have stretched out their foot, and directed against me the ways of their destruction.
13 ἐξετρίβησαν τρίβοι μου, ἐξέδυσαν γάρ μου τὴν στολήν· βέλεσιν αὐτοῦ κατηκόντισέ με,
My paths are ruined; for they have stripped off my raiment: he has shot at me with his weapons.
14 κέχρηται δέ μοι ὡς βούλεται, ἐν ὀδύναις πέφυρμαι.
And he has pleaded against me as he will: I am overwhelmed with pains.
15 ἐπιστρέφονταί μου αἱ ὀδύναι, ᾤχετό μου ἡ ἐλπὶς ὥσπερ πνεῦμα καὶ ὥσπερ νέφος ἡ σωτηρία μου.
My pains return upon [me]; my hope is gone like the wind, and my safety as a cloud.
16 καὶ νῦν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ἐκχυθήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου, ἔχουσι δέ με ἡμέραι ὀδυνῶν·
Even now my life shall be poured forth upon me; and days of anguish seize me.
17 νυκτί δέ μου τὰ ὀστᾶ συγκέχυται, τὰ δὲ νεῦρά μου διαλέλυται.
And by night my bones are confounded; and my sinews are relaxed.
18 ἐν πολλῇ ἰσχύϊ ἐπελάβετό μου τῆς στολῆς, ὥσπερ τὸ περιστόμιον τοῦ χιτῶνός μου περιέσχε με.
With great force [my disease] has taken hold of my garment: it has compassed me as the collar of my coat.
19 ἥγησαι δέ με ἴσα πηλῷ, ἐν γῇ καὶ σποδῷ μου ἡ μερίς·
And you have counted me as clay; my portion in dust and ashes.
20 κέκραγα δὲ πρός σε καὶ οὐκ ἀκούεις μου, ἔστησαν δὲ καὶ κατενόησάν με·
And I have cried to you, but you hear me not: but they stood still, and observed me.
21 ἐπέβης δέ μοι ἀνελεημόνως, χειρὶ κραταιᾷ με ἐμαστίγωσας·
They attacked me also without mercy: you have scourged me with a strong hand.
22 ἔταξας δέ με ἐν ὀδύναις, καὶ ἀπέρριψάς με ἀπὸ σωτηρίας.
And you have put me to grief, and have cast me away from safety.
23 οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι θάνατός με ἐκτρίψει, οἰκία γὰρ παντὶ θνητῷ γῆ.
For I know that death will destroy me: for the earth is the house [appointed] for every mortal.
24 εἰ γὰρ ὄφελον δυναίμην ἐμαυτὸν χειρώσασθαι, ἢ δεηθείς γε ἑτέρου, καὶ ποιήσει μοι τοῦτο.
Oh then that I might lay hands upon myself, or at least ask another, and he should do this for me.
25 ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ παντὶ ἀδυνάτῳ ἔκλαυσα, ἐστέναξα ἰδὼν ἄνδρα ἐν ἀνάγκαις.
Yet I wept over every helpless man; I groaned when I saw a man in distress.
26 ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπέχων ἀγαθοῖς, ἰδοὺ συνήντησάν μοι μᾶλλον ἡμέραι κακῶν.
But I, when I waited for good things, behold, days of evils came the more upon me.
27 ἡ κοιλία μου ἐξέζεσε καὶ οὐ σιωπήσεται, προέφθασάν με ἡμέραι πτωχείας.
My belly boiled, and would not cease: the days of poverty prevented me.
28 στένων πεπόρευμαι ἄνευ φιμοῦ, ἕστηκα δὲ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ κεκραγώς.
I went mourning without restraint: and I have stood and cried out in the assembly.
29 ἀδελφὸς γέγονα σειρήνων, ἑταῖρος δὲ στρουθῶν.
I am become a brother of monsters, and a companion of ostriches.
30 τὸ δὲ δέρμα μου ἐσκότωται μεγάλως, τὰ δὲ ὀστᾶ μου ἀπὸ καύματος.
And my skin has been greatly blackened, and my bones are burnt with heat.
31 ἀπέβη δὲ εἰς πένθος μου ἡ κιθάρα, ὁ δὲ ψαλμός μου εἰς κλαυθμὸν ἐμοί.
My harp also has been turned into mourning, and my song into my weeping.
Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.