1. I said, “I will be careful what I doand will not let my tongue make me sin;I will not say anythingwhile evil people are near.”
2. I kept quiet, not saying a word,not even about anything good!But my suffering only grew worse,
3. and I was overcome with anxiety.The more I thought, the more troubled I became;I could not keep from asking:
4. “Lord, how long will I live?When will I die?Tell me how soon my life will end.”
5. How short you have made my life!In your sight my lifetime seems nothing.Indeed every living being is no more than a puff of wind,
6. no more than a shadow.All they do is for nothing;they gather wealth, but don't know who will get it.
7. What, then, can I hope for, Lord?I put my hope in you.
8. Save me from all my sins,and don't let fools laugh at me.
9. I will keep quiet, I will not say a word,for you are the one who made me suffer like this.
10. Don't punish me any more!I am about to die from your blows.
11. You punish our sins by your rebukes,and like a moth you destroy what we love.Indeed we are no more than a puff of wind!
12. Hear my prayer, Lord,and listen to my cry;come to my aid when I weep.Like all my ancestorsI am only your guest for a little while.
13. Leave me alone so that I may have some happinessbefore I go away and am no more.