<p class="poetry">Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;p> <p class="poetry">the price<n id="1" /> of wisdom is more than pearls.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">for I rescued the poor who cried out for help,p> <p class="poetry">and the orphan who<n id="1" /> had no one to assist him;p>

<p class="poetry">I was a father<n id="1" /> to the needy,p> <p class="poetry">and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;p>

<p class="poetry">After I had spoken, they did not respond;p> <p class="poetry">my words fell on them drop by drop.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">They detest me and maintain their distance;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they do not hesitate to spit in my face.p>

<p class="poetry">They destroy<n id="1" /> my path;p> <p class="poetry">they succeed in destroying me<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">without anyone assisting<n id="3" /> them.p>

<p class="poetry">Night pierces<n id="1" /> my bones;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">my gnawing pains<n id="3" /> never cease.p>

<p class="poetry">I cry out to you,<n id="1" /> but you do not answer me;p> <p class="poetry">I stand up,<n id="2" /> and you only look at me.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Have I not wept for the unfortunate?<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Was not my soul grieved for the poor?p>

<p class="poetry">My heart<n id="1" /> is in turmoil<n id="2" /> unceasingly;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">the days of my affliction confront me.p>

<p class="poetry">I go about blackened,<n id="1" /> but not by the sun;p> <p class="poetry">in the assembly I stand up and cry for help.p>

<p class="poetry">Does he not see my waysp> <p class="poetry">and count all my steps?p>

<p class="poetry">Did not the one who made me in the womb make them?<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Did not the same one form us in the womb?p>

<p class="poetry">If I ate my morsel of bread myself,p> <p class="poetry">and did not share any of it with orphans<n id="1" /> &#8211;p>

<p class="poetry">whose heart did not bless me<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For the calamity from God was a terror to me,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and by reason of his majesty<n id="2" /> I was powerless.p>

<p class="poetry">I<n id="1" /> have not even permitted my mouth<n id="2" /> to sinp> <p class="poetry">by asking<n id="3" /> for his life through a curse &#8211;p>

<p class="poetry">But<n id="1" /> no stranger had to spend the night outside,p> <p class="poetry">for I opened my doors to the traveler<n id="2" /> &#8211;p>

<p class="poetry">Surely<n id="1" /> I would wear it proudly<n id="2" /> on my shoulder,p> <p class="poetry">I would bind<n id="3" /> it on me like a crown;p>

<p class="poetry">So do not say,<n id="1" /> &#8216;We have found wisdom!p> <p class="poetry">God will refute<n id="2" /> him, not man!&#8217;p>