Dual Panel1"But now I am mocked by those who are younger than I, by young men whose fathers are not worthy to run with my sheepdogs.
2A lot of good they are to me––those worn–out wretches!
3They are gaunt with hunger and flee to the deserts and the wastelands, desolate and gloomy.
4They eat coarse leaves, and they burn the roots of shrubs for heat.
5They are driven from civilization, and people shout after them as if they were thieves.
6So now they live in frightening ravines and in caves and among the rocks.
7They sound like animals as they howl among the bushes; they huddle together for shelter beneath the nettles.
8They are nameless fools, outcasts of civilization.
9"And now their sons mock me with their vulgar song! They taunt me!
10They despise me and won’t come near me, except to spit in my face.
11For God has cut the cords of my tent. He has humbled me, so they have thrown off all restraint.
12These outcasts oppose me to my face. They send me sprawling; they lay traps in my path.
13They block my road and do everything they can to hasten my calamity, knowing full well that I have no one to help me.
14They come at me from all directions. They rush upon me when I am down.
15I live in terror now. They hold me in contempt, and my prosperity has vanished as a cloud before a strong wind.
16"And now my heart is broken. Depression haunts my days.
17My weary nights are filled with pain as though something were relentlessly gnawing at my bones.
18With a strong hand, God grabs my garment. He grips me by the collar of my tunic.
19He has thrown me into the mud. I have become as dust and ashes.
20"I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer me. I stand before you, and you don’t bother to look.
21You have become cruel toward me. You persecute me with your great power.
22You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm.
23And I know that you are sending me to my death––the destination of all who live.
24"Surely no one would turn against the needy when they cry for help.
25Did I not weep for those in trouble? Was I not deeply grieved for the needy?
26So I looked for good, but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell.
27My heart is troubled and restless. Days of affliction have come upon me.
28I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square and cry for help.
29But instead, I am considered a brother to jackals and a companion to ostriches.
30My skin has turned dark, and my bones burn with fever.
31My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep.