Job 14

“Man, who is born of woman,
Is ^[a]short-lived and full of turmoil.

Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

“Like a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

“You also open Your eyes on him
And bring ^[b]him into judgment with Yourself.

And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

“Who can make the clean out of the unclean?
No one!

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

“Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
And his limits You have ^[c]set so that he cannot pass.

Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

“Turn Your gaze from him that he may ^[d]rest,
Until he ^[e]fulfills his day like a hired man.

Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

“For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not ^[f]fail.

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

“Though its roots grow old in the ground
And its stump dies in the dry soil,

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

At the scent of water it will flourish
And put forth sprigs like a plant.

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

“But man dies and lies prostrate.
Man expires, and where is he?

But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

“As water ^[g]evaporates from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dried up,

As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

So man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no longer,
^[h]He will not awake nor be aroused out of ^[i]his sleep.

So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

“Oh that You would hide me in ^[j]Sheol,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

“If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my struggle I will wait
Until my change comes.

If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

“You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for the work of Your hands.

Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

“For now You number my steps,
You do not observe my sin.

For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

“My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You ^[k]wrap up my iniquity.

My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

“But the falling mountain ^[l]crumbles away,
And the rock moves from its place;

And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.

Water wears away stones,
Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
So You destroy man’s hope.

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

“You forever overpower him and he departs;
You change his appearance and send him away.

Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

“His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, but he does not perceive it.

His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

“But his ^[m]body pains him,
And he mourns only for himself.”