11. Why didn’t I die when I was born? Why didn’t I die as I came from my mother’s womb?
12. Why did my mother hold me on her knees? Why did her breasts feed me?
13. If I had died when I was born, I would be at peace now. I wish I were asleep and at rest
14. with the kings and their advisors who built palaces that are now in ruins.
15. I wish I were buried with rulers who filled their graves with gold and silver.
16. Why wasn’t I a child who died at birth and was put in the ground? I wish I had been buried like a baby who never saw the light of day.
17. There the wicked stop causing trouble, and the weary find rest.
18. Even prisoners find relief there; they no longer hear their guards shouting at them.
19. Everyone—from the greatest to the least important—will be there, and even the slave is free from his master.