| 1. My soul quarrels with my life; I will leave my speech with me; I will speak with the bitterness of my life. |
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א. נָקְטָה נַפְשִׁי בְּחַיָּי אֶעֶזְבָה עָלַי שִׂיחִי אֲדַבְּרָה בְּמַר נַפְשִׁי: |
| My soul quarrels: Heb. נקטה. My soul quarrels about the fact that I am alive. That is an expression of (Ezek. 20:43), "and you shall quarrel (ונקטתם) with yourselves. |
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| I will leave my speech: i.e., my trouble, to cry and lament, and I cannot forget it or restrain it. |
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| 2. I will say to God, 'do not condemn me; let me know why You quarrel with me. |
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ב. אֹמַר אֶל אֱלוֹהַּ אַל תַּרְשִׁיעֵנִי הוֹדִיעֵנִי עַל מַה תְּרִיבֵנִי: |
| 3. Is it good to You that You should oppress, that You should reject the toil of Your hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? |
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ג. הֲטוֹב לְךָ | כִּי תַעֲשֹׁק כִּי תִמְאַס יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ וְעַל עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים הוֹפָעְתָּ: |
| Is it good: Heb. הטוב, an interrogative form. [Is it good to You] that You should oppress and rob the righteous man of his righteousness, [while] upon the council of the wicked, who vex You, You shine Your splendor to show them a friendly countenance? |
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| 4. Do You have eyes of flesh, or do You see as a man sees? |
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ד. הַעֵינֵי בָשָׂר לָךְ אִם כִּרְאוֹת אֱנוֹשׁ תִּרְאֶה: |
| 5. Are Your days like the days of a mortal, or are Your years like the days of a man, |
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ה. הֲכִימֵי אֱנוֹשׁ יָמֶיךָ אִם שְׁנוֹתֶיךָ כִּימֵי גָבֶר: |
| Are Your days like the days of a mortal: to provoke him and pursue [him]? |
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| 6. that You should search for my iniquity and seek my sin? |
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ו. כִּי תְבַקֵּשׁ לַעֲוֹנִי וּלְחַטָּאתִי תִדְרוֹשׁ: |
| 7. It is in Your knowledge that I will not be condemned, but no one can save [me] from Your hand. |
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ז. עַל דַּעְתְּךָ כִּי לֹא אֶרְשָׁע וְאֵין מִיָּדְךָ מַצִּיל: |
| It is in Your knowledge: You know. |
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| 8. Your hands shaped me and made me; [Your hosts are] together round about, and You destroy me. |
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ח. יָדֶיךָ עִצְּבוּנִי וַיַּעֲשׂוּנִי יַחַד סָבִיב וַתְּבַלְּעֵנִי: |
| shaped me: Heb. עצבוני, They made me a shape, a mold, like “nor straighten (מעצבין) an infant’s limbs,” in Tractate Shabbath (22:6). But now Your hosts are together round about. |
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| and You destroy me: These are the worms. |
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| 9. Remember now that You made me like clay, and You will return me to dust. |
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ט. זְכָר נָא כִּי כַחֹמֶר עֲשִׂיתָנִי וְאֶל עָפָר תְּשִׁיבֵנִי: |
| You will return me: in the end. |
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| 10. Did You not pour me like milk and curdle me like cheese? |
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י. הֲלֹא כֶחָלָב תַּתִּיכֵנִי וְכַגְּבִנָּה תַּקְפִּיאֵנִי: |
| Did you not pour me like milk: Concerning the drop from which I was born. |
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| 11. Clothe me with skin and flesh and cover me with bones and sinews? |
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יא. עוֹר וּבָשָׂר תַּלְבִּישֵׁנִי וּבַעֲצָמוֹת וְגִידִים תְּשׂכְכֵנִי: |
| 12. You have granted me life and kindness, and Your providence watched my spirit. |
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יב. חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי וּפְקֻדָּתְךָ שָׁמְרָה רוּחִי: |
| and Your providence: The providence of Your watch, for You appointed watchers for me. |
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| watched my spirit: in my mother’s womb, and afterwards… |
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| 13. But You hid these in Your heart; I knew that it was with You. |
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יג. וְאֵלֶּה צָפַנְתָּ בִלְבָבֶךָ יָדַעְתִּי כִּי זֹאת עִמָּךְ: |
| But You hid these in Your heart: to destroy me as though You did not remember them, but I knew that this was with You, everything as it was delineated, and You did not forget. |
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| 14. If I sinned, You watched me, and would not cleanse me of my iniquity, |
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יד. אִם חָטָאתִי וּשְׁמַרְתָּנִי וּמֵעֲוֹנִי לֹא תְנַקֵּנִי: |
| If I sinned, You watched me: You laid Your eyes on me so as not to ignore [my sins] nor to forbear retaliation, and [from now on] You are not cleansing me of my iniquity but are requiting me for everything. |
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| 15. If I dealt wickedly, woe is to me; and if I am righteous I will not raise my head, sated with disgrace and seeing my affliction. |
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טו. אִם רָשַׁעְתִּי אַלְלַי לִי וְצָדַקְתִּי לֹא אֶשָּׂא רֹאשִׁי שְׂבַע קָלוֹן וּרְאֵה עָנְיִי: |
| sated with disgrace: am I. |
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| and seeing my affliction: Heb. וראה. This is not an expression of the imperative, but is an adjective. וראה עניי is badlace (?) in Old French, “that I see it all the time.” As you say (below, at the end of the Book), “ וּשְׂבַע יָמִים, and I am sated with days,” like “ וְשָׂבֵע ַיָמִים ” (with a “kamatz” under the “sin”) so do you say; וּרְאֵה, like וְרוֹאֶה, “and seeing my affliction.” |
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| 16. And it is so great that You hunt me like a lion, and You repeatedly pronounce a verdict upon me. |
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טז. וְיִגְאֶה כַּשַּׁחַל תְּצוּדֵנִי וְתָשֹׁב תִּתְפַּלָּא בִי: |
| And it is so great that You hunt me like a lion: And it is so great in Your eyes to be to You as a burden and a disappointment, that You hunt me like a lion; You spread out a net for me as though I was as mighty as a lion. |
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| and You repeatedly: from day to day. |
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| pronounce a verdict upon me: Heb. תתפלא, to exact and to pronounce judgment, an expression of (Num. 6:2).“shall pronounce (יפלא).” |
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| 17. You renew Your witnesses against me, and You increase Your anger with me; shifts with set times are with me. |
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יז. תְּחַדֵּשׁ עֵדֶיךָ | נֶגְדִּי וְתֶרֶב כַּעַשְׂךָ עִמָּדִי חֲלִיפוֹת וְצָבָא עִמִּי: |
| Your witnesses: to testify about the changes of the ailments and the pains. |
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| with set times are with me: Times set for these my tortures, which serve (once) and [then] repeatedly shift with changes different from these, and serve again. |
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| 18. Now why did You take me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me. |
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יח. וְלָמָּה מֵרֶחֶם הוֹצֵאתָנִי אֶגְוַע וְעַיִן לֹא תִרְאֵנִי: |
| Would that I had died and no eye had seen me: If only I had died [upon emerging] from the womb. |
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| 19. Then I would have been as though I had not existed; would that I was brought from the womb to the grave. |
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יט. כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיִיתִי אֶהְיֶה מִבֶּטֶן לַקֶּבֶר אוּבָל: |
| would that I was brought from the womb to the grave: Would that I was brought. |
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| 20. Are not my days few? So desist and withdraw from me, and I will strengthen myself a little, |
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כ. הֲלֹא מְעַט יָמַי וַחֲדָל וְשִׁית מִמֶּנִּי וְאַבְלִיגָה מְּעָט: |
| withdraw from me: Withdraw Yourself from me and from upon me, like (Isa. 65:5), “Keep to yourself” Remain by yourself and distance yourself from me. |
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| 21. before I go and do not return, to a land of darkness and the shadow of death, |
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כא. בְּטֶרֶם אֵלֵךְ וְלֹא אָשׁוּב אֶל אֶרֶץ חשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת: |
| before I go: While I am still alive, and the time for me to die has not yet arrived, desist from me and I will rest. |
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| 22. a land of darkness like darkness itself; the shadow of death without orders, and where the light is as darkness.' " |
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כב. אֶרֶץ עֵפָתָה | כְּמוֹ אֹפֶל צַלְמָוֶת וְלֹא סְדָרִים וַתֹּפַע כְּמוֹ אֹפֶל: |
| darkness: Heb. עפתה. This is a noun meaning darkness, like (Amos 4: 13) “dawn and darkness (ועיפתה).” |
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| the shadow of death: it is, without orders in it (that there are no orders of man; i.e., there are no customs, for there is no civilization, and its light is like darkness). |
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| and where the light is as darkness: The illuminated place [therein] is like darkness. |
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Mitzvahs & Traditions
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