1I am disgusted with my life. a

I will express my complaint

and speak in the bitterness of my soul.

2I will say to God:

“Do not declare me ^•guilty!

Let me know why You prosecute me.

3Is it good for You to oppress,

to reject the work of Your hands, b

and favor c the plans of the wicked? d

4Do You have eyes of flesh,

or do You see as a human sees?

5Are Your days like those of a human,

or Your years like those of a man, e

6that You look for my wrongdoing f

and search for my sin,

7even though You know that I am not wicked

and that there is no one who can deliver from Your hand? g

8“Your hands shaped me and formed me. h

Will You now turn and destroy me?

9Please remember that You formed me like clay.

Will You now return me to dust? i

10Did You not pour me out like milk

and curdle me like cheese?

11You clothed me with skin and flesh,

and wove me together with bones and tendons. j

12You gave me life and faithful love,

and Your care has guarded my life.

13“Yet You concealed these thoughts in Your heart;

I know that this was Your hidden plan: k

14if I sin, You would notice, l

and would not acquit me of my wrongdoing. m

15If I am wicked, woe to me!

And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head.

I am filled with shame n

and aware of my affliction. o

16If I am proud, p You hunt me like a lion

and again display Your miraculous power against me. q

17You produce new witnesses r against me

and multiply Your anger toward me.

Hardships assault me, wave after wave. s

18“Why did You bring me out of the womb? t

I should have died and never been seen.

19I wish u I had never existed

but had been carried from the womb to the grave. v

20Are my days not few? Stop it! w

Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little

21before I go to a land of darkness and gloom, x

never to return.

22It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness,

gloomy and chaotic,

where even the light is like y the darkness.”