I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, ¹  and buried ²  my horn ³  in the dust;

know ¹  then that God has wronged me ²  and encircled ³  me with his net. ⁴ 

when ¹  he caused ²  his lamp ³  to shine upon my head, and by his light I walked ⁴  through darkness; ⁵ 

just as I was in my most productive time, ¹  when God’s intimate friendship ²  was experienced in my tent,

When I went out to the city gate and secured my seat in the public square, ¹ 

the blessing of the dying man descended on me, ¹  and I made the widow’s heart rejoice; ² 

By the brush ¹  they would gather ²  herbs from the salt marshes, ³  and the root of the broom tree was their food.

“And now my soul pours itself out within me; ¹  days of suffering take hold of me.

“If my land cried out against me ²  and all its furrows wept together,

¹ Yet God ²  finds occasions ³  with me; he regards me as his enemy!

which the clouds pour down and shower on humankind abundantly.

Its underparts ¹  are the sharp points of potsherds, it leaves its mark in the mud like a threshing sledge. ² 

It is as if I have been given fertile fields or received a beautiful tract of land. ¹ 

Protect me from ¹  the wicked men who attack ²  me, my enemies who crowd around me for the kill. ³ 

They ¹  open their mouths to devour me ²  like a roaring lion that rips its prey. ³ 

They are ready to devour me; ¹  they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!” ² 

For your arrows pierce ¹  me, and your hand presses me down. ² 

He says: ¹  “Assemble my covenant people before me, ²  those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ³ 

My heart beats violently ¹  within me; the horrors of death overcome me. ² 

I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; ¹  I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve, ²