12. I do not have the strength of stone;my flesh is not bronze.
13. I have no power to help myself,because success has been taken away from me.
14. “They say, ‘A person’s friends should be kind to him when he is in trouble,even if he stops fearing the Almighty.’
15. But my brothers cannot be counted on.They are like streams that do not always flow,streams that sometimes run over.
16. They are made dark by melting iceand rise with melting snow.
17. But they stop flowing in the dry season;they disappear when it is hot.
18. Travelers turn away from their pathsand go into the desert and die.
19. The groups of travelers from Tema look for water,and the traders of Sheba look hopefully.
20. They are upset because they had been sure;when they arrive, they are disappointed.
21. You also have been no help.You see something terrible, and you are afraid.
22. I have never said, ‘Give me a gift.Use your wealth to pay my debt.
23. Save me from the enemy’s power.Buy me back from the clutches of cruel people.’
24. “Teach me, and I will be quiet.Show me where I have been wrong.
25. Honest words are painful,but your arguments prove nothing.