Job 14
1 A man is borun of a womman, and lyueth schort tyme, and is fillid with many wretchidnessis.
Life is short and full of trouble,
2 Which goith out, and is defoulid as a flour; and fleeth as schadewe, and dwellith neuere perfitli in the same staat.
like a flower that blooms and withers, like a passing shadow that soon disappears.
3 And gessist thou it worthi to opene thin iyen on siche a man; and to brynge hym in to doom with thee?
Do you even notice me, God, and why do you have to drag me to court?
4 Who may make a man clene conseyued of vnclene seed? Whether not thou, which art aloone?
Who can bring something clean of what is unclean? No one.
5 The daies of man ben schorte, the noumbre of his monethis is at thee; thou hast set, ethir ordeyned, hise termes, whiche moun not be passid.
You have determined how long we shall live—the number of months, a time limit on our lives.
6 Therfor go thou awey fro hym a litil, `that is, bi withdrawyng of bodili lijf, that he haue reste; til the meede coueitid come, and his dai is as the dai of an hirid man.
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 A tree hath hope, if it is kit doun; and eft it wexith greene, and hise braunches spreden forth.
Even a tree that's cut down has the hope of sprouting again, of sending up shoots and continuing to live.
8 If the roote therof is eeld in the erthe, and the stok therof is nyy deed in dust;
Even though its roots grow old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
9 it schal buriowne at the odour of watir, and it schal make heer, as whanne it was plauntid first.
just a trickle of water will make it bud and grow branches like a young plant.
10 But whanne a man is deed, and maad nakid, and wastid; Y preye, where is he?
But human beings die, their strength dwindles away; they perish, and where are they then?
11 As if watris goen awei fro the see, and a ryuer maad voide wexe drie,
Like water evaporating from a lake and a river that dries up and disappears,
12 so a man, whanne he hath slept, `that is, deed, he schal not rise ayen, til heuene be brokun, `that is, be maad newe; he schal not wake, nether he schal ryse togidere fro 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 Who yiueth this to me, that thou defende me in helle, and that thou hide me, til thi greet veniaunce passe; and thou sette to me a tyme, in which thou haue mynde on 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 Gessist thou, whethir a deed man schal lyue ayen? In alle the daies, in whiche Y holde knyythod, now Y abide, til my chaungyng come.
Will the dead live again? Then I would have hope through all my time of trouble until my release comes.
15 Thou schalt clepe me, and Y schal answere thee; thou schalt dresse the riyt half, `that is, blis, to the werk of thin hondis.
You would call and I would answer you; you would long for me, the being that you made.
16 Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes.
Then you would look after me and wouldn't be watching me to see if I sinned.
17 Thou hast seelid as in a bagge my trespassis, but thou hast curid my wickidnesse.
My sins would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover my guilt.
18 An hil fallynge droppith doun; and a rooche of stoon is borun ouer fro his place.
But just as the mountains crumble and fall, and the rocks tumble down;
19 Watris maken stoonys holowe, and the erthe is wastid litil and litil bi waischyng a wey of watir; and therfor thou schalt leese men in lijk maner.
as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.
20 Thou madist a man strong a litil, that he schulde passe with outen ende; thou schalt chaunge his face, and schalt sende hym out.
You continually overpower them and they pass away; you distort their faces in death and send them away.
21 Whether hise sones ben noble, ether vnnoble, he schal not vndurstonde.
Their children may become important or fall from their positions, but they don't know or see any of this.
22 Netheles his fleisch, while he lyueth, schal haue sorewe, and his soule schal morne on hym silf.
As people die they only know their own pain and are sad for themselves.”
