Job 14

1 As for man, the son of woman, his days are short and full of trouble.

“We humans are very frail. We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.

2 He comes out like a flower, and is cut down: he goes in flight like a shade, and is never seen again.

We disappear quickly, like flowers that grow from the ground quickly and then wither and die [SIM]. We are like shadows that disappear [when the sun stops shining].

3 Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?

[Yahweh, ] why do you keep watching me [to see if I am doing something that is wrong] [RHQ]? Are you wanting to take me to court to judge me?

4 If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.

People are sinners from the time when they are born; who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!

5 If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go;

You have decided how long our lives will be. You have decided how many months we will live, and we cannot live more months than the (limit/number of months) that you have decided.

6 Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment.

So please stop examining us, and allow us to be alone, until/while we finish our time [here on earth], like a man finishes his work [at the end of the day].

7 For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end.

If someone cuts a tree down, we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.

8 Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust;

Its roots in the ground may be very old, and its stump may decay,

9 Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant.

but if some water falls on it, it may bud/sprout and send up shoots like a young plant.

10 But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he?

But when we people lose all our strength and die, we stop breathing and then we are gone [forever].

11 The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry;

Just like water evaporates from the ocean, or like a riverbed dries up,

12 So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.

people [lie down and die and] do not get up again. Until the heavens disappear, people who die [EUP] do not wake up, and no one can wake them up.

13 If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again! (Sheol h7585)

[“Yahweh, ] I wish that you would put me safely in the place of the dead and forget about me until you are no longer angry with me. I wish that you would decide how much time I would spend there, and then remember [that] I [am there]. (Sheol h7585)

14 If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.

When we humans die, we will certainly not live again [RHQ]. If [I knew that] we would live again, I would wait patiently, and I would wait for you to release me [from my sufferings].

15 At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.

You would call me, and I would answer. You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.

16 For now my steps are numbered by you, and my sin is not overlooked.

You would take care of [MET] me, instead of watching me to see if I would sin.

17 My wrongdoing is corded up in a bag, and my sin is shut up safe.

[It is as though the record of] my sins would be sealed in a small bag, and you would cover them up.

18 But truly a mountain falling comes to dust, and a rock is moved from its place;

“But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,

19 The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

and just like water slowly wears away the stones, and just like floods wash away soil, [you eventually destroy us]; you do not allow us to continue to (hope/confidently expect) [that we will keep on living].

20 You overcome him for ever, and he is gone; his face is changed in death, and you send him away.

You always defeat us, and then we die [EUP]. You cause our faces to look ugly after we die, and you send us away.

21 His sons come to honour, and he has no knowledge of it; they are made low, but he is not conscious of it.

[When we die] we do not know if our sons will grow up and [do things that will cause them to] be honored. And if they become disgraced, we do not see that, [either].

22 Only his flesh still has pain, and his soul is sad.

We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else; we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”