[1] “My spirit is crushed, and my life is nearly snuffed out. The grave is ready to receive me.
[2] I am surrounded by mockers. I watch how bitterly they taunt me.
[3] “You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me.
[4] You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph.
[5] They betray their friends for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger.
[6] “God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face.
[7] My eyes are swollen with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self.
[8] The virtuous are horrified when they see me. The innocent rise up against the ungodly.
[9] The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
[10] “As for all of you, come back with a better argument, though I still won’t find a wise man among you.
[11] My days are over. My hopes have disappeared. My heart’s desires are broken.
[12] These men say that night is day; they claim that the darkness is light.
[13] What if I go to the grave and make my bed in darkness?
[14] What if I call the grave my father, and the maggot my mother or my sister?
[15] Where then is my hope? Can anyone find it?
[16] No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust!”