Job 14

1 Man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble:

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

2 As a flower, he cometh forth—and fadeth, He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

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 yet upon such a one as this, hast thou opened thine eye? And, him, wouldst thou bring 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 bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one!

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

5 If determined am his days, the number of his months, is with thee, Fixed times for him, thou hast appointed and he cannot go beyond.

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 Look sway from him, that he may rest, Till he shall pay off, as a hireling, his day.

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 Though there is—for a tree—hope, —if it should be cut down, that, again, it will grow, and, the tender branch thereof, will not cease;

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

8 If its root, should become old in the earth, and, in the dust, its stock should die:

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

9 Through the scent of water, it may break forth, and produce branches like a sapling,

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

10 Yet, man, dieth, and is prostrate, Yea the son of earth doth cease to breathe, and where is he?

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

11 Waters, have failed from, the sea, and, a river, may waste and dry up;

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

12 So, a man, hath lain down, and shall not arise, until there are no heavens, they shall not awake, nor be roused up out of their 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 Oh that, in hades, thou wouldst hide me! that thou wouldst keep me secret, until the turn of thine anger, that thou wouldst set for me a fixed time, and 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 If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my warfare, would I wait, until my relief should 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 shouldst call, and, I, would answer thee, —For the work of thine own hand, thou shouldst long.

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

16 For, now, my steps, thou countest, Thou wilt not pass over my sin:

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

17 Sealed up in a bag, is my transgression, and thou hast glued over mine iniquity.

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

18 But, in very deed, a mountain falling, will lie prostrate, or, a rock moved out of its place:

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

19 Stones, have been hollowed out by waters, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth, and, the hope of mortal man, thou hast destroyed:

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 dost overpower him utterly, and he departeth, Disfiguring his face, so, hast thou sent 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 His sons, come to honour, and he knoweth it not, Or they are brought low, and he perceiveth it not of them.

[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, his flesh, for himself, is in pain, and, his soul, for himself, doth mourn.

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