Job 14
1 Man, born of woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.
Man, who is born of woman, lives only a few days and is full of trouble.
2 He comes forth like a flower, and is crushed, and he flees, as if a shadow, and never remains in the same state.
He sprouts from the ground like a flower and is cut down; he flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 And do you consider it fitting to look down with your eyes on someone in this way and to lead him into judgment with you?
Do you look at any of these? Do you bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can make him clean who is conceived of unclean seed? Are you not the only one who can?
Who can bring something clean out of something unclean? No one.
5 The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with you; you have determined his limits, which cannot be surpassed.
Man's days are determined. The number of his months is with you; you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.
6 Withdraw a little from him, so that he may rest, until his awaited day arrives, like that of the hired hand.
Look away from him that he may rest, so that he may enjoy his day like a hired man if he can do so.
7 A tree has hope: if it has been cut, it turns green again, and its branches spring forth.
There can be hope for a tree; if it is cut down, it might sprout again, so that its tender stalk does not disappear.
8 If its roots grow old in the earth, and its trunk passes into dust,
Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
9 at the scent of water, it will sprout and bring forth leaves, as when it had first been planted.
yet even if it only smells water, it will bud and send out branches like a plant.
10 Truly, when a man dies, and has been left unprotected, and has decayed, I ask you where is he?
But man dies; he becomes weak; indeed, man stops breathing, and then where is he?
11 It is as if the waters had receded from the sea and an emptied river had dried up;
As water disappears from a lake, and as a river loses water and dries up,
12 just so, when a man is fallen asleep, he will not rise again, until the heavens are worn away; he will not awaken, nor rise from his sleep.
so people lie down and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused out of their sleep.
13 Who will grant this to me, that you will protect me in the underworld, and hide me until your fury passes by, and establish a time for me, in which you will remember me? (Sheol h7585)
Oh, that you would hide me away in Sheol away from troubles, and that you would keep me in private until your wrath is over, that you would set me a fixed time to stay there and then call me to mind! (Sheol h7585)
14 Do you suppose that a dead man will live again? On each of the days in which I now battle, I wait until my transformation occurs.
If a man dies, will he live again? If so, I would wish to wait all my weary time there until my release should come.
15 You will call me and I will answer you; to the work of your hands, you will extend your right hand.
You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire for the work of your hands.
16 Indeed, you have numbered my steps, but you have been lenient with my sins.
You would number and care for my footsteps; you would not keep track of my sin.
17 You have sealed up my offenses, as if in a purse, but you have cured my iniquity.
My transgression would be sealed up in a bag; you would cover up my iniquity.
18 A falling mountain flows away, and a stone is transferred from its place.
But even mountains fall and come to nothing; even rocks are moved out of their place;
19 Waters wear away stones, and with a flood the land is reduced little by little; and similarly, you will destroy man.
the waters wear down the stones; their flooding washes away the dust of the earth. Like this, you destroy the hope of man.
20 You have strengthened him for a little while, so that he may cross over into eternity. You will change his face and send him forth.
You always defeat him, and he passes away; you change his face and send him away to die.
21 Whether his sons have been noble or ignoble, he will not understand.
If his sons are honored, he does not know it; and if they are brought low, he does not see it.
22 And in this way his body, while he yet lives, will have grief, and his soul will mourn over himself.
He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns for himself.
