[1] I said to myself, I'm going to quit complaining! I'll keep quiet, especially when the ungodly are around me. [2] But as I stood there silently the turmoil within me grew to the bursting point. The more I mused, the hotter the fires inside. Then at last I spoke and pled with God: [4] Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more. [5] My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend. [7] And so, Lord, my only hope is in you. [8] Save me from being overpowered by my sins, for even fools will mock me then. [9] Lord, I am speechless before you. I will not open my mouth to speak one word of complaint, for my punishment is from you. [10] Lord, don't hit me anymore-I am exhausted beneath your hand. [11] When you punish a man for his sins, he is destroyed, for he is as fragile as a moth-infested cloth; yes, man is frail as breath. [12] Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry! Don't sit back, unmindful of my tears. For I am your guest. I am a traveler passing through the earth, as all my fathers were. [13] Spare me, Lord! Let me recover and be filled with happiness again before my death.
