Job 14

1 Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.

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

2 Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.

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 And dost thou think it meet to open thy eyes upon such an one, and to bring him into judgment with thee?

[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 Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? is it not thou who only art?

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

5 The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed.

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 Depart a little from him, that he may rest, until his wished for day come, as that of the hireling.

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 A tree hath hope: if it be cut, it groweth green again, and the boughs thereof sprout.

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

8 If its root be old in the earth, and its stock be dead in the dust:

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

9 At the scent of water, it shall spring, and bring forth leaves, as when it was first planted.

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

10 But man when he shall be dead, and stripped and consumed, I pray you where is he?

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

11 As if the waters should depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be dried up:

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

12 So man when he is fallen asleep shall not rise again; till the heavens be broken, he shall not awake, nor rise up out of his 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 Who will grant me this, that thou mayst protect me in hell, and hide me till thy wrath pass, and appoint me a. time when thou wilt remember me? (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 Shall man that is dead, thinkest thou, live again? all the days in which I am now in warfare, I expect until my change come.

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 Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee: to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand.

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

16 Thou indeed hast numbered my steps, but spare my sins.

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

17 Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag, but hast cured my iniquity.

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

18 A mountain falling cometh to nought, and a rock is removed out of its place.

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

19 Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away: so in like manner thou shalt destroy 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 Thou hast strengthened him for a little while, that he may pass away for ever: thou shalt change his face, and shalt 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 Whether his children come to honour or dishonour, he shall not understand.

[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 But yet his flesh, while he shall live, shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.

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