Job 14
1 Man, that is born of woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.
Man, who is born of woman, lives only a few days and is full of trouble.
2 He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down; He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
He sprouts from the ground like a flower and is cut down; he flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such a one? And dost thou bring me into judgment with thee?
Do you look at any of these? Do you bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean? Not one.
Who can bring something clean out of something 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,
Man's days are determined. The number of his months is with you; you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.
6 O turn thine eyes from him, and let him rest, That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day!
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 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;
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 Though its root may have grown old in the earth, And though its trunk be dead upon the ground,
Though its root grows 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.
yet even if it only smells water, it will bud and send out branches like a plant.
10 But man dieth, and he is gone! Man expireth, and where is he?
But man dies; he becomes weak; indeed, man stops breathing, and then where is he?
11 The waters fail from the lake; And the stream wasteth and drieth up;
As water disappears from a lake, and as a river loses water and dries 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 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 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)
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 If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my war-service would I wait, Till my change should come.
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 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 have a desire for the work of your hands.
16 But now thou numberest my steps; Thou watchest over my sins.
You would number and care for my footsteps; you would not keep track of my sin.
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag; Yea, thou addest unto my iniquity.
My transgression would be sealed up in a bag; you would cover up my iniquity.
18 As the mountain falling cometh to nought, And the rock is removed from its place;
But even mountains fall and come to nothing; even rocks are moved out of their 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.
the waters wear down the stones; their flooding washes away the dust of the earth. Like this, you destroy the hope of man.
20 Thou prevailest against him continually, and he perisheth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
You always defeat him, and he passes away; you change his face and send him away to die.
21 His sons come to honor, but he knoweth it not; Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
If his sons are honored, he does not know it; and if they are brought low, he does not see it.
22 But his flesh shall have pain for itself alone; For itself alone shall his soul mourn.
He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns for himself.
