<p class="poetry">They meet with darkness in the daytime,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and grope about<n id="2" /> in the noontime as if it were night.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">They grope about in darkness<n id="1" /> without light;p> <p class="poetry">he makes them stagger<n id="2" /> like drunkards.p>

<p class="poetry">He is driven<n id="1" /> from light into darknessp> <p class="poetry">and is banished from the world.p>

<p class="poetry">before I depart, never to return,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to the land of darknessp> <p class="poetry">and the deepest shadow,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">He reveals the deep things of darkness,p> <p class="poetry">and brings deep shadows<n id="1" /> into the light.p>

<p class="poetry">These men<n id="1" /> change<n id="2" /> night into day;p> <p class="poetry">they say,<n id="3" /> &#8216;The light is nearp> <p class="poetry">in the face of darkness.&#8217;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">If<n id="1" /> I hope for the grave to be my home,p> <p class="poetry">if I spread out my bed in darkness,p>

<p class="poetry">He has blocked<n id="1" /> my way so I cannot pass,p> <p class="poetry">and has set darkness<n id="2" /> over my paths.p>

<p class="poetry">why it is so dark you cannot see,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and why a flood<n id="2" /> of water covers you.p>

<p class="poetry">Yet I have not been silent because of the darkness,p> <p class="poetry">because of the thick darknessp> <p class="poetry">that covered my face.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">when<n id="1" /> he caused<n id="2" /> his lamp<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to shine upon my head,p> <p class="poetry">and by his lightp> <p class="poetry">I walked<n id="4" /> through darkness;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,p> <p class="poetry">where evildoers can hide themselves.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Tell us what we should<n id="1" /> say to him.p> <p class="poetry">We cannot prepare a case<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because of the darkness.p>

<p class="poetry">That day<n id="1" /> &#8211; let it be darkness;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">let not God on high regard<n id="3" /> it,p> <p class="poetry">nor let light shine<n id="4" /> on it!p>

<p class="poetry">Let darkness and the deepestp> <p class="poetry">shadow<n id="1" /> claim it;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">let a cloud settle on it;p> <p class="poetry">let whatever blackens the day<n id="3" /> terrify it!p>

<p class="poetry">He does not expect<n id="1" /> to escape from darkness;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he is marked for the sword;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">he wanders about &#8211; food for vultures;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he knows that the day of darkness is at hand.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">He will not escape the darkness;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">a flame will wither his shootsp> <p class="poetry">and he will departp> <p class="poetry">by the breath of God&#8217;s mouth.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Total darkness waits to receive his treasures;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">a fire which has not been kindled<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">will consume himp> <p class="poetry">and devour what is left in his tent.p>

<p class="poetry">In the dark the robber<n id="1" /> breaks into houses,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">but by day they shut themselves in;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">they do not know the light.<n id="4" />p>