¹ “Do not mortals have hard service on earth? Are not their days like those of hired laborers? ² Like a slave longing for the evening shadows, or a hired laborer waiting to be paid, ³ so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me. ⁴ When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?` The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn. <sup>5</sup> My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering. <sup>6</sup> “My days are swifter than a weaver`s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope. ⁷ Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. ⁸ The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more.