30"But now I am mocked by people younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.H6810H3117H7832H1H3988H7896H3611H66292A lot of good they are to me—those worn-out wretches!H4100H3581H3027H3624H63They are gaunt with hunger and flee to the deserts, to desolate and gloomy wastelands.H2639H3720H1565H6207H6723H570H7722H48754They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees.H6998H4408H7880H7574H8328H38995They are driven from human society, and people shout at them as if they were thieves.H1644H1460H7321H15906So now they live in frightening ravines, in caves and among the rocks.H7931H6178H5158H2356H6083H37107They sound like animals howling among the bushes, huddled together beneath the nettles.H7880H5101H2738H55968They are nameless fools, outcasts from society.H1121H5036H1121H8034H5217H7769"And now they mock me with vulgar songs! They taunt me!H5058H440510They despise me and won't come near me, except to spit in my face.H8581H7368H2820H7536H644011For God has cut my bowstring. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint.H6605H3499H6031H7971H7448H644012These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling and lay traps in my path.H3225H6965H6526H7971H7272H5549H734H34313They block my road and do everything they can to destroy me. They know I have no one to help me.H5420H5410H3276H1942H1962H582614They come at me from all directions. They jump on me when I am down.H857H7342H6556H8478H7722H155615I live in terror now. My honor has blown away in the wind, and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud.H1091H2015H7291H5082H7307H3444H5674H564516"And now my life seeps away. Depression haunts my days.H5315H8210H3117H6040H27017At night my bones are filled with pain, which gnaws at me relentlessly.H6106H5365H3915H6207H790118With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt. He grips me by the collar of my coat.H7230H3581H3830H2664H247H6310H380119He has thrown me into the mud. I'm nothing more than dust and ashes.H3384H2563H4911H6083H66520"I cry to you, O God, but you don't answer. I stand before you, but you don't even look.H7768H6030H5975H99521You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me.H2015H393H6108H3027H785222You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm.H5375H7307H7392H4127H8454H773823And I know you are sending me to my death—the destination of all who live.H3045H7725H4194H1004H4150H241624"Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help in their trouble.H7971H3027H1164H7769H636525Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?H1058H7186H3117H5315H5701H3426So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell.H6960H2896H7451H935H3176H216H935H65227My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me.H4578H7570H1826H3117H6040H692328I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square and cry for help.H1980H6937H2535H6965H7768H695129Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to owls.H251H8577H7453H1323H328430My skin has turned dark, and my bones burn with fever.H5785H7835H6106H2787H272131My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep.H3658H60H5748H6963H1058
Dublin, OH
