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Job chapter 7 in Hebrew and English

21 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

הֲלֹא־צָבָא לֶאֱנוֹשׁ עֲלֵי־אָרֶץ וְכִימֵי שָׂכִיר יָמָֽיו׃

Is there not a time of service to man upon earth? And are not his days like the days of a hireling?

כְּעֶבֶד יִשְׁאַף־צֵל וּכְשָׂכִיר יְקַוֶּה פָעֳלֽוֹ׃

As a servant that eagerly longeth for the shadow, And as a hireling that looketh for his wages;

כֵּן הָנְחַלְתִּי לִי יַרְחֵי־שָׁוְא וְלֵילוֹת עָמָל מִנּוּ־לִֽי׃

So am I made to possess - months of vanity, And wearisome nights are appointed to me.

אִם־שָׁכַבְתִּי וְאָמַרְתִּי מָתַי אָקוּם וּמִדַּד־עָרֶב וְשָׂבַעְתִּי נְדֻדִים עֲדֵי־נָֽשֶׁף׃

When I lie down, I say: ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night is long, and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

לָבַשׁ בְּשָׂרִי רִמָּה וְגוּשׁ עָפָר עוֹרִי רָגַע וַיִּמָּאֵֽס׃

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; My skin closeth up and breaketh out afresh.

יָמַי קַלּוּ מִנִּי־אָרֶג וַיִּכְלוּ בְּאֶפֶס תִּקְוָֽה׃

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.

זְכֹר כִּי־רוּחַ חַיָּי לֹא־תָשׁוּב עֵינִי לִרְאוֹת טֽוֹב׃

O remember that my life is a breath; Mine eye shall no more see good.

לֹא־תְשׁוּרֵנִי עֵין רֹאִי עֵינֶיךָ בִּי וְאֵינֶֽנִּי׃

The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me no more; While Thine eyes are upon me, I am gone.

כָּלָה עָנָן וַיֵּלַךְ כֵּן יוֹרֵד שְׁאוֹל לֹא יַעֲלֶֽה׃

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, So he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

לֹא־יָשׁוּב עוֹד לְבֵיתוֹ וְלֹא־יַכִּירֶנּוּ עוֹד מְקֹמֽוֹ׃

He shall return no more to his house, Neither shall his place know him any more.

גַּם־אֲנִי לֹא אֶחֱשָׂךְ פִּי אֲדַבְּרָה בְּצַר רוּחִי אָשִׂיחָה בְּמַר נַפְשִֽׁי׃

Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

הֲיָם־אָנִי אִם־תַּנִּין כִּי־תָשִׂים עָלַי מִשְׁמָֽר׃

Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, That Thou settest a watch over me?

כִּי־אָמַרְתִּי תְּנַחֲמֵנִי עַרְשִׂי יִשָּׂא בְשִׂיחִי מִשְׁכָּבִֽי׃

When I say: ‘My bed shall comfort me, My couch shall ease my complaint’;

וְחִתַּתַּנִי בַחֲלֹמוֹת וּמֵחֶזְיֹנוֹת תְּבַעֲתַֽנִּי׃

Then Thou scarest me with dreams, And terrifiest me through visions;

וַתִּבְחַר מַחֲנָק נַפְשִׁי מָוֶת מֵֽעַצְמוֹתָֽי׃

So that my soul chooseth strangling, And death rather than these my bones.

מָאַסְתִּי לֹא־לְעֹלָם אֶחְיֶה חֲדַל מִמֶּנִּי כִּי־הֶבֶל יָמָֽי׃

I loathe it; I shall not live alway; Let me alone; for my days are vanity.

מָה־אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי תְגַדְּלֶנּוּ וְכִי־תָשִׁית אֵלָיו לִבֶּֽךָ׃

What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him, And that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon him,

וַתִּפְקְדֶנּוּ לִבְקָרִים לִרְגָעִים תִּבְחָנֶֽנּוּ׃

And that Thou shouldest remember him every morning, And try him every moment?

כַּמָּה לֹא־תִשְׁעֶה מִמֶּנִּי לֹא־תַרְפֵּנִי עַד־בִּלְעִי רֻקִּֽי׃

How long wilt Thou not look away from me, Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

חָטָאתִי מָה אֶפְעַל לָךְ נֹצֵר הָאָדָם לָמָה שַׂמְתַּנִי לְמִפְגָּע לָךְ וָאֶהְיֶה עָלַי לְמַשָּֽׂא׃

If I have sinned, what do I unto Thee, O Thou watcher of men? Why hast Thou set me as a mark for Thee, So that I am a burden to myself?

וּמֶה לֹא־תִשָּׂא פִשְׁעִי וְתַעֲבִיר אֶת־עֲוֺנִי כִּי־עַתָּה לֶעָפָר אֶשְׁכָּב וְשִׁחֲרְתַּנִי וְאֵינֶֽנִּי׃

And why dost Thou not pardon my transgression, And take away mine iniquity? For now shall I lie down in the dust; And Thou wilt seek me, but I shall not be.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 7 of the 42 chapters of Job
  • Job is one of the Writings
  • 21 verses, 172 words, about 2 minutes to read

Job has 42 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Job·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Job chapter 7 have?

Job chapter 7 has 21 verses and 172 words.

How does Job chapter 7 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words הלא־צבא לאנוש עלי־ארץ וכימי.

Where does Job chapter 7 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 7 of the 42 chapters of Job, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Job chapter 7?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.