Job 14
1 A man is borun of a womman, and lyueth schort tyme, and is fillid with many wretchidnessis.
“We humans are very frail. We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.
2 Which goith out, and is defoulid as a flour; and fleeth as schadewe, and dwellith neuere perfitli in the same staat.
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 gessist thou it worthi to opene thin iyen on siche a man; and to brynge hym in to doom 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 may make a man clene conseyued of vnclene seed? Whether not thou, which art aloone?
People are sinners from the time when they are born; who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!
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 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 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 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 A tree hath hope, if it is kit doun; and eft it wexith greene, and hise braunches spreden forth.
If someone cuts a tree down, we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.
8 If the roote therof is eeld in the erthe, and the stok therof is nyy deed in dust;
Its roots in the ground may be very old, and its stump may decay,
9 it schal buriowne at the odour of watir, and it schal make heer, as whanne it was plauntid first.
but if some water falls on it, it may bud/sprout and send up shoots like a young plant.
10 But whanne a man is deed, and maad nakid, and wastid; Y preye, where is he?
But when we people lose all our strength and die, we stop breathing and then we are gone [forever].
11 As if watris goen awei fro the see, and a ryuer maad voide wexe drie,
Just like water evaporates from the ocean, or like a riverbed dries up,
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.
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 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)
[“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 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.
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 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 me, and I would answer. You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.
16 Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes.
You would take care of [MET] me, instead of watching me to see if I would sin.
17 Thou hast seelid as in a bagge my trespassis, but thou hast curid my wickidnesse.
[It is as though the record of] my sins would be sealed in a small bag, and you would cover them up.
18 An hil fallynge droppith doun; and a rooche of stoon is borun ouer fro his place.
“But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,
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.
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 madist a man strong a litil, that he schulde passe with outen ende; thou schalt chaunge his face, and schalt sende hym out.
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 Whether hise sones ben noble, ether vnnoble, he schal not vndurstonde.
[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 Netheles his fleisch, while he lyueth, schal haue sorewe, and his soule schal morne on hym silf.
We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else; we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
