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6:1  Then Job answered and said,
6:2  “Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!
6:3  “For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; Therefore my words have been incoherent,
6:4  Because the arrows of the Almighty are within me, My spirit drinks their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
6:5  “Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over his fodder?
6:6  “Can something that has no taste to it be eaten without salt? Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg?
6:7  “My soul refuses to touch them; Such things are like loathsome food to me [sickening and repugnant].
6:8  “Oh that my request would come to pass, And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
6:9  “I wish that it would please God to crush me, That He would let loose His hand and cut me off.
6:10  “Then I would still have consolation, And I would jump for joy amid unsparing pain, That I have not denied or hidden the words of the Holy One.
6:11  “What strength do I have left, that I should wait [and hope]? And what is ahead of me, that I should be patient and endure?
6:12  “Is my strength and endurance that of stones, Or is my flesh made of bronze?
6:13  “Is it that I have no help within myself, And that success and wisdom have been driven from me?
6:14  “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not abandon (turn away from) the fear of the Almighty.
6:15  “My brothers have acted deceitfully like a brook, Like the torrents of brooks that vanish,
6:16  Which are dull and dirty because of ice, And into which the snow melts and hides itself;
6:17  When it is warm, they are silent and cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place.
6:18  “The paths of their course wind along, They go up into nothing and perish. [Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]
6:19  “The caravans of Tema looked [for water], The caravans of Sheba waited for them [in vain].
6:20  “They were put to shame and disappointed because they had trusted [that they would find water]; They came there and were ashamed.
6:21  “Indeed, you have now become like a dried-up stream, You see a terror [believing me to be a victim of the wrath of God] and are afraid [to be compassionate].
6:22  “Did I ever say, ‘Give me something,’ Or, ‘Pay a bribe for me from your wealth,’
6:23  Or, ‘Rescue me from the adversary’s hand,’ Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
6:24  “Teach me, and I will be silent; And show me how I have erred.
6:25  “How painful are words of honesty. But what does your argument prove?
6:26  “Do you intend to reprove my words [with a convincing argument], When the words of one in despair belong to the wind [and go ignored]?
6:27  “You would cast lots (gamble) over the fatherless And bargain away your friend.
6:28  “Now please look at me, And see if I lie to your face [for you know that I would not].
6:29  “Turn away [from your suspicion], let there be no injustice; Turn away, my righteousness and vindication is still in it.
6:30  “Is there injustice or malice on my tongue? Can my palate not discern what is destructive?