Job 14
1 A man is borun of a womman, and lyueth schort tyme, and is fillid with many wretchidnessis.
Man, who is born of woman, lives only a few days and is 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.
He sprouts from the ground like a flower and is cut down; he flees like a shadow and does not last.
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 look at any of these? Do you bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who may make a man clene conseyued of vnclene seed? Whether not thou, which art aloone?
Who can bring something clean out of something 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.
Man's days are determined. The number of his months is with you; you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass.
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.
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 A tree hath hope, if it is kit doun; and eft it wexith greene, and hise braunches spreden forth.
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 If the roote therof is eeld in the erthe, and the stok therof is nyy deed in dust;
Though its root grows 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.
yet even if it only smells water, it will bud and send out branches like a plant.
10 But whanne a man is deed, and maad nakid, and wastid; Y preye, where is he?
But man dies; he becomes weak; indeed, man stops breathing, and then where is he?
11 As if watris goen awei fro the see, and a ryuer maad voide wexe drie,
As water disappears from a lake, and as a river loses water and 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.
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 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)
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 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.
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 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 have a desire for the work of your hands.
16 Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes.
You would number and care for my footsteps; you would not keep track of my sin.
17 Thou hast seelid as in a bagge my trespassis, but thou hast curid my wickidnesse.
My transgression would be sealed up in a bag; you would cover up my iniquity.
18 An hil fallynge droppith doun; and a rooche of stoon is borun ouer fro his place.
But even mountains fall and come to nothing; even rocks are moved out of their place;
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.
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 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 him, and he passes away; you change his face and send him away to die.
21 Whether hise sones ben noble, ether vnnoble, he schal not vndurstonde.
If his sons are honored, he does not know it; and if they are brought low, he does not see it.
22 Netheles his fleisch, while he lyueth, schal haue sorewe, and his soule schal morne on hym silf.
He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns for himself.
