約伯記 14
1 婦女所生的人，壽命不長，且飽嘗煩惱。
Man, that is born of woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.
2 他生出像花，瞬息凋謝；急馳如影，不得停留。
He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down; He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
3 這樣的人，豈配你睜眼注視一下﹖或傳他到你面前聽審﹖
And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such a one? And dost thou bring me into judgment with thee?
4 誰能使潔淨出於不潔﹖沒有一人!
Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean? Not one.
5 他的時日既已注定，他的歲數既由你掌管，他決不能越過你定下的期限：
Seeing that his days are determined, And the number of his months, with thee, And that thou hast appointed him bounds which he cannot pass,
6 請你別看他，讓他安息，好像傭工度過自己的日期。
O turn thine eyes from him, and let him rest, That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day!
7 若是一棵樹被砍伐了，仍有希望生出新芽，嫩枝叢出不窮。
For there is hope for a tree, If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender branches will not fail;
8 它的根雖老於地下，枝幹縱枯死地上，
Though its root may have grown old in the earth, And though its trunk be dead upon the ground,
9 但一有水氣，立即生芽，好似幼苗發出枝葉。
Through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs, like a young plant.
10 但是人一死，立即僵臥；人一斷氣，他究竟在何處﹖
But man dieth, and he is gone! Man expireth, and where is he?
11 海水能乾涸，江河能枯竭；
The waters fail from the lake; And the stream wasteth and drieth up;
12 同樣，人一僵臥，即不能起立，直到天不存在，仍不能醒起，仍不能由永眠中起來。
So man lieth down, and riseth not; Till the heavens be no more, he shall not awake, Nor be roused from his sleep.
O that thou wouldst hide me in the under-world! That thou wouldst conceal me till thy wrath be past! That thou wouldst appoint me a time, and then remember me! (Sheol h7585)
14 人若死了，豈能再生﹖我在整個從軍之日，要堅持到底，直到換班的時期到來。
If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my war-service would I wait, Till my change should come.
15 你若呼喚我，我必回答你：你對你手所造的，必有一種懷念。
Thou wilt call, and I will answer thee; Thou wilt have compassion upon the work of thy hands!
16 你現今既數了我的腳步，不必再監察我的罪過。
But now thou numberest my steps; Thou watchest over my sins.
17 請把我的罪過封閉在囊中，滌淨我的一切過犯。
My transgression is sealed up in a bag; Yea, thou addest unto my iniquity.
18 但是，山能崩裂離析，盤石能由原處挪移，
As the mountain falling cometh to nought, And the rock is removed from its place;
19 流水能穿過石頭，驟雨能沖出泥沙：你也照樣消滅了人的希望。
As the waters wear away the stones, And the floods wash away the dust of the earth, So thou destroyest the hope of man.
20 你時常攻擊他，使他消逝；改變他的容貌，遣他離去。
Thou prevailest against him continually, and he perisheth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
21 此後，他的兒子受尊榮與否，他也不知；他們受輕賤與否，他也不覺。
His sons come to honor, but he knoweth it not; Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
22 他只覺自己肉身的痛苦，他的心靈只為自己悲哀。
But his flesh shall have pain for itself alone; For itself alone shall his soul mourn.
