1 “But now those who are younger than I am laugh at me.
2 Of what use to me was the strength of their hands?
3 Shriveled up from need and hunger,
4 They pick saltwort from the underbrush,
5 They are driven from the community.
6 They have to live in dry riverbeds,
7 They howl in bushes
8 Godless fools and worthless people
9 “And now they make fun of me with songs.
10 Since they consider me disgusting, they keep their distance from me
11 Because God has untied my cord and has made me suffer,
12 They have attacked me on my right side like a mob.
13 Yes, they remove all traces of my path in order to destroy me.
14 They come through a wide hole ⌞in the wall⌟.
15 Terrors are directed toward me.
16 “Now my life is pouring out of me.
17 At night God pierces my bones.
18 With great strength he grabs my clothes.
19 He throws me into the dirt
20 “I call to you for help,
21 You have begun to treat me cruelly.
22 You pick me up and let the wind carry me away.
23 I know you will lead me to death,
24 “But God doesn’t stretch out his hand against one who is ruined
25 Didn’t I cry for the person whose days were difficult?
26 When I waited for good, evil came.
27 My insides are churning and won’t calm down.
28 I walk in the dark without the sun.
29 I’m a brother to jackals
30 My skin turns dark and peels.
31 So my lyre is used for mourning