1"But now those who are younger than I am laugh at me. I didn't think their fathers were fit to sit with the dogs of my flock.

2Of what use to me was the strength of their hands? Their strength is gone.

3Shriveled up from need and hunger, they gnaw at the dry and barren ground during the night.

4They pick saltwort from the underbrush, and the roots of the broom plant are their food.

5They are driven from the community. People shout at them in the same way they shout at thieves.

6They have to live in dry riverbeds, in holes in the ground, and among rocks.

7They howl in bushes and huddle together under thornbushes.

8Godless fools and worthless people are forced out of the land with whips.

9"And now they make fun of me with songs. I have become a joke to them.

10Since they consider me disgusting, they keep their distance from me and don't hesitate to spit in my face.

11Because God has untied my cord and has made me suffer, they are no longer restrained in my presence.

12They have attacked me on my right side like a mob. They trip my feet and then prepare ways to destroy me.

13Yes, they remove all traces of my path in order to destroy me. No one is there to help me against them.

14They come through a wide hole [in the wall]. They crawl through the ruins.

15Terrors are directed toward me. They blow away my dignity like the wind. My prosperity vanishes like a cloud.

16"Now my life is pouring out of me. Days of suffering seize me.

17At night God pierces my bones. My body doesn't rest.

18With great strength he grabs my clothes. He seizes me by the collar of my robe.

19He throws me into the dirt so that I become like dust and ashes.

20"I call to you for help, but you don't answer me. I stand up, but you just look at me.

21You have begun to treat me cruelly. With your mighty hand you assault me.

22You pick me up and let the wind carry me away. You toss me around with a storm.

23I know you will lead me to death, to the dwelling place appointed for all living beings.

24"But God doesn't stretch out his hand against one who is ruined when that person calls for help in his disaster.

25Didn't I cry for the person whose days were difficult? Didn't my soul grieve for the poor?

26When I waited for good, evil came. When I looked for light, darkness came.

27My insides are churning and won't calm down. Days of misery are ahead of me.

28I walk in the dark without the sun. I stand up in public and call for help.

29I'm a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches.

30My skin turns dark and peels. My body burns with fever.

31So my lyre is used for mourning and my flute for loud weeping.