Font Size
“Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged; and though I forbear, what am I eased?
Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged; And though I forbear, what am I eased?
“If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my pain is not relieved; And if I refrain [from speaking], what [pain or anguish] leaves me?
If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my sorrow is not soothed or lessened; and if I refrain [from speaking], in what way am I eased? [I hardly know whether to answer you or be silent.]
Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?
If I speak, my suffering is not relieved, and if I hold back, does any of it leave me?
If I speak, my pain is not eased; if I hold back, what have I lost?
If I speak, my own pain isn’t eased; and if I don’t speak, it still doesn’t leave.
If I speak, or if I don't, I hurt all the same. My torment continues.
If I speak, my pain is not assuaged; and if I forbear, what am I eased?
I would strengthen you with my mouth, and would move my lips, as sparing you.
“Nothing I say makes my pain go away. But keeping quiet does not help either.
But now, if I speak, my pain does not become any better. If I stop speaking, my pain continues to be there.
Now if I speak up, it does not lessen my pain, and if I hold back, how much of my pain goes away?
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
“Even if I speak, my pain is not less, and if I don’t speak, it still does not go away.
Though I speak, my sorrow cannot be assuaged: though I cease, what release have I?
If I speak, my pain is not eased. If I stop talking, how much of it will go away?
But nothing I say helps, and being silent does not calm my pain.
Even if I speak, my suffering is not relieved, and if I hold back, what have I lost?
“But if I speak, my pain does not become less. And if I don’t speak, it still does not go away.
“But if I speak, my pain isn’t assuaged; if I refrain from speaking, what do I have to lose?”
¶ Though if I speak, my pain does not cease; and if I forbear to speak, it does not depart from me.
Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?
Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?
“If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I cease, what will go forth from me?
If I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I cease, how much will leave me?
“But now my grief remains no matter how I defend myself; nor does it help if I refuse to speak.
“When I speak up, I feel no better; if I say nothing, that doesn’t help either. I feel worn down. God, you have wasted me totally—me and my family! You’ve shriveled me like a dried prune, showing the world that you’re against me. My gaunt face stares back at me from the mirror, a mute witness to your treatment of me. Your anger tears at me, your teeth rip me to shreds, your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy! People take one look at me and gasp. Contemptuous, they slap me around and gang up against me. And God just stands there and lets them do it, lets wicked people do what they want with me. I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up. He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around. He set me up as his target, then rounded up archers to shoot at me. Merciless, they shot me full of arrows; bitter bile poured from my gut to the ground. He burst in on me, onslaught after onslaught, charging me like a mad bull.
“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; and though I stop, how am I eased?
If I speak, my pain is not eased. If I stop talking, how much of it will go away?
If I speak, my pain is not relieved; if I stop speaking, nothing changes.
“If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?
“If I speak, my pain is not lessened, And if I hold back, what has left me?
When I speak, my suffering is not eased, and if I remain silent, my pain does not stop.
“Even if I speak, my pain is not less, and if I don’t speak, it still does not go away.
“But if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I refrain from speaking, how much of it goes away?
“If I speak, it doesn’t help me. And if I keep quiet, my pain doesn’t go away.
“Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.
‘Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away.
“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain silent, how am I eased?
“If I speak, my pain is not made less. And if I keep quiet, it does not leave me.
Instead, I suffer if I defend myself, and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.
‘If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
‘If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I refrain, how much of it leaves me?
Though I speak, my grief is not relieved, and though I forbear, mah (what) alleviation is it for me?
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
“If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?
“Yet, if I speak, my pain is not relieved, and if I refrain, does it not go away from me?
And yet, I am not you, you are not me, and my words are of no real use: When I speak, my pain is not relieved; if I remain silent, it does not go away.
“Though I speak, my grief is not subsided. Though I forbear, what am I eased?
But what shall I do? If I speak, my sorrow resteth not; and if I am still, it goeth not away from me.
If I speak, my pain is not restrained, And I cease -- what goeth from me?
21st Century King James Version (KJ21) Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.; American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?); Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.; Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation; BRG Bible (BRG) Blue Red and Gold Letter Edition™
Copyright © 2012 BRG Bible Ministries.
Used by Permission. All rights reserved.
BRG Bible is a Registered Trademark in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office #4145648; Christian Standard Bible (CSB) The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved. ; Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible; Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved. ; Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.; Darby Translation (DARBY) Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?); Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?); Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International; EasyEnglish Bible (EASY) EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.; English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.; English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.; Expanded Bible (EXB) The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved. ; 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts. ; GOD’S WORD Translation (GW) Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.; Good News Translation (GNT) Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)
© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.; Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.; International Children’s Bible (ICB) The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.; International Standard Version (ISV) Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.; Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International ; King James Version (KJV) Public Domain; Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV) KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.; Legacy Standard Bible (LSB) Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.; Lexham English Bible (LEB) 2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software; Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.; The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson; Modern English Version (MEV) The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. ; Names of God Bible (NOG) The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group. ; New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE) Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. ; New American Standard Bible (NASB) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.; New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.; New Catholic Bible (NCB) Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.; New Century Version (NCV) The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.; New English Translation (NET) NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.; New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.; New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.; New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.; New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.; New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.; New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition (NRSVACE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE) New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights
reserved worldwide.; Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International; Revised Standard Version (RSV) Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; Tree of Life Version (TLV) Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.; The Voice (VOICE) The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society
All rights reserved.
; World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.; Wycliffe Bible (WYC) 2001 by Terence P. Noble; Young's Literal Translation (YLT) by Public Domain