Job 14
1 Man, that is born of woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.
Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.
2 He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down; He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.
3 And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such a one? And dost thou bring me into judgment with thee?
And dost thou think it meet to open thy eyes upon such an one, and to bring him into judgment with thee?
4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean? Not one.
Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? is it not thou who only art?
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,
The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed.
6 O turn thine eyes from him, and let him rest, That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day!
Depart a little from him, that he may rest, until his wished for day come, as that of the hireling.
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;
A tree hath hope: if it be cut, it groweth green again, and the boughs thereof sprout.
8 Though its root may have grown old in the earth, And though its trunk be dead upon the ground,
If its root be old in the earth, and its stock be dead in the dust:
9 Through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs, like a young plant.
At the scent of water, it shall spring, and bring forth leaves, as when it was first planted.
10 But man dieth, and he is gone! Man expireth, and where is he?
But man when he shall be dead, and stripped and consumed, I pray you where is he?
11 The waters fail from the lake; And the stream wasteth and drieth up;
As if the waters should depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be dried up:
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not; Till the heavens be no more, he shall not awake, Nor be roused from his sleep.
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.
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)
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)
14 If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my war-service would I wait, Till my change should come.
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.
15 Thou wilt call, and I will answer thee; Thou wilt have compassion upon the work of thy hands!
Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee: to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand.
16 But now thou numberest my steps; Thou watchest over my sins.
Thou indeed hast numbered my steps, but spare my sins.
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag; Yea, thou addest unto my iniquity.
Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag, but hast cured my iniquity.
18 As the mountain falling cometh to nought, And the rock is removed from its place;
A mountain falling cometh to nought, and a rock is removed out of its place.
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.
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.
20 Thou prevailest against him continually, and he perisheth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
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.
21 His sons come to honor, but he knoweth it not; Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
Whether his children come to honour or dishonour, he shall not understand.
22 But his flesh shall have pain for itself alone; For itself alone shall his soul mourn.
But yet his flesh, while he shall live, shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.
