New Living Translation (NLT)
Job 9
25 “My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.
26 It disappears like a swift papyrus boat, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
28 I would still dread all the pain, for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
29 Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying?
30 Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye,
31 you would plunge me into a muddy ditch, and my own filthy clothing would hate me.
32 “God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33 If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together.
34 The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
35 Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.