< Job 14 >

1 Man, that is born of woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.
婦女所生的人,壽命不長,且飽嘗煩惱。
2 He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down; He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
他生出像花,瞬息凋謝;急馳如影,不得停留。
3 And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such a one? And dost thou bring me into judgment with thee?
這樣的人,豈配你睜眼注視一下﹖或傳他到你面前聽審﹖
4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean? Not one.
誰能使潔淨出於不潔﹖沒有一人!
5 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,
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:
6 O turn thine eyes from him, and let him rest, That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day!
請你別看他,讓他安息,好像傭工度過自己的日期。
7 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;
若是一棵樹被砍伐了,仍有希望生出新芽,嫩枝叢出不窮。
8 Though its root may have grown old in the earth, And though its trunk be dead upon the ground,
它的根雖老於地下,枝幹縱枯死地上,
9 Through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs, like a young plant.
但一有水氣,立即生芽,好似幼苗發出枝葉。
10 But man dieth, and he is gone! Man expireth, and where is he?
但是人一死,立即僵臥;人一斷氣,他究竟在何處﹖
11 The waters fail from the lake; And the stream wasteth and drieth up;
海水能乾涸,江河能枯竭;
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not; Till the heavens be no more, he shall not awake, Nor be roused from his sleep.
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。
13 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)
唯願你將我藏於陰府,將我隱藏,直到挽回你的憤怒;願你給我定一期限,好記念我。 (Sheol h7585)
14 If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my war-service would I wait, Till my change should come.
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。
15 Thou wilt call, and I will answer thee; Thou wilt have compassion upon the work of thy hands!
你若呼喚我,我必回答你:你對你手所造的,必有一種懷念。
16 But now thou numberest my steps; Thou watchest over my sins.
你現今既數了我的腳步,不必再監察我的罪過。
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag; Yea, thou addest unto my iniquity.
請把我的罪過封閉在囊中,滌淨我的一切過犯。
18 As the mountain falling cometh to nought, And the rock is removed from its place;
但是,山能崩裂離析,盤石能由原處挪移,
19 As the waters wear away the stones, And the floods wash away the dust of the earth, So thou destroyest the hope of man.
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。
20 Thou prevailest against him continually, and he perisheth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
你時常攻擊他,使他消逝;改變他的容貌,遣他離去。
21 His sons come to honor, but he knoweth it not; Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
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。
22 But his flesh shall have pain for itself alone; For itself alone shall his soul mourn.
他只覺自己肉身的痛苦,他的心靈只為自己悲哀。

< Job 14 >