Job 14
1 Man, that is born of woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.
Life is short and full of trouble,
2 He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down; He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
like a flower that blooms and withers, like a passing shadow that soon disappears.
3 And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such a one? And dost thou bring me into judgment with thee?
Do you even notice me, God, and why do you have to drag me to court?
4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean? Not one.
Who can bring something clean of what is unclean? No one.
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,
You have determined how long we shall live—the number of months, a time limit on our lives.
6 O turn thine eyes from him, and let him rest, That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day!
So leave us alone and give us some peace—so like a laborer we could enjoy a few hours of rest at the end of the day.
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;
Even a tree that's cut down has the hope of sprouting again, of sending up shoots and continuing to live.
8 Though its root may have grown old in the earth, And though its trunk be dead upon the ground,
Even though its roots grow old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
9 Through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs, like a young plant.
just a trickle of water will make it bud and grow branches like a young plant.
10 But man dieth, and he is gone! Man expireth, and where is he?
But human beings die, their strength dwindles away; they perish, and where are they then?
11 The waters fail from the lake; And the stream wasteth and drieth up;
Like water evaporating from a lake and a river that dries up and disappears,
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 human beings lie down and don't get up again. Until the heavens cease to exist they will not awake from their 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)
I wish you would hide me in Sheol; conceal me there until your anger is gone. Set a definite time for me there, and 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.
Will the dead live again? Then I would have hope through all my time of trouble until my release comes.
15 Thou wilt call, and I will answer thee; Thou wilt have compassion upon the work of thy hands!
You would call and I would answer you; you would long for me, the being that you made.
16 But now thou numberest my steps; Thou watchest over my sins.
Then you would look after me and wouldn't be watching me to see if I sinned.
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag; Yea, thou addest unto my iniquity.
My sins would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover my guilt.
18 As the mountain falling cometh to nought, And the rock is removed from its place;
But just as the mountains crumble and fall, and the rocks tumble down;
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.
as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.
20 Thou prevailest against him continually, and he perisheth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
You continually overpower them and they pass away; you distort their faces in death and send them away.
21 His sons come to honor, but he knoweth it not; Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
Their children may become important or fall from their positions, but they don't know or see any of this.
22 But his flesh shall have pain for itself alone; For itself alone shall his soul mourn.
As people die they only know their own pain and are sad for themselves.”
