איוב 14
| אָדָם יְלוּד אִשָּׁה קְצַר יָמִים וּֽשְׂבַֽע־רֹֽגֶז׃ | 1 |
“We humans are very frail. We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.
| כְּצִיץ יָצָא וַיִּמָּל וַיִּבְרַח כַּצֵּל וְלֹא יַעֲמֽוֹד׃ | 2 |
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].
| אַף־עַל־זֶה פָּקַחְתָּ עֵינֶךָ וְאֹתִי תָבִיא בְמִשְׁפָּט עִמָּֽךְ׃ | 3 |
[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?
| מִֽי־יִתֵּן טָהוֹר מִטָּמֵא לֹא אֶחָֽד׃ | 4 |
People are sinners from the time when they are born; who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!
| אִם חֲרוּצִים ׀ יָמָיו מִֽסְפַּר־חֳדָשָׁיו אִתָּךְ חֻקָּו עָשִׂיתָ וְלֹא יַעֲבֹֽר׃ | 5 |
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.
| שְׁעֵה מֵעָלָיו וְיֶחְדָּל עַד־יִרְצֶה כְּשָׂכִיר יוֹמֽוֹ׃ | 6 |
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].
| כִּי יֵשׁ לָעֵץ תִּקְוָה אִֽם־יִכָּרֵת וְעוֹד יַחֲלִיף וְיֹנַקְתּוֹ לֹא תֶחְדָּֽל׃ | 7 |
If someone cuts a tree down, we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.
| אִם־יַזְקִין בָּאָרֶץ שׇׁרְשׁוֹ וּבֶעָפָר יָמוּת גִּזְעֽוֹ׃ | 8 |
Its roots in the ground may be very old, and its stump may decay,
| מֵרֵיחַ מַיִם יַפְרִחַ וְעָשָׂה קָצִיר כְּמוֹ־נָֽטַע׃ | 9 |
but if some water falls on it, it may bud/sprout and send up shoots like a young plant.
| וְגֶבֶר יָמוּת וַֽיֶּחֱלָשׁ וַיִּגְוַע אָדָם וְאַיּֽוֹ׃ | 10 |
But when we people lose all our strength and die, we stop breathing and then we are gone [forever].
| אָזְלוּ־מַיִם מִנִּי־יָם וְנָהָר יֶחֱרַב וְיָבֵֽשׁ׃ | 11 |
Just like water evaporates from the ocean, or like a riverbed dries up,
| וְאִישׁ שָׁכַב וְֽלֹא־יָקוּם עַד־בִּלְתִּי שָׁמַיִם לֹא יָקִיצוּ וְלֹֽא־יֵעֹרוּ מִשְּׁנָתָֽם׃ | 12 |
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.
| מִי יִתֵּן ׀ בִּשְׁאוֹל תַּצְפִּנֵנִי תַּסְתִּירֵנִי עַד־שׁוּב אַפֶּךָ תָּשִֽׁית לִי חֹק וְתִזְכְּרֵֽנִי׃ (Sheol h7585) | 13 |
[“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)
| אִם־יָמוּת גֶּבֶר הֲיִֽחְיֶה כׇּל־יְמֵי צְבָאִי אֲיַחֵל עַד־בּוֹא חֲלִיפָתִֽי׃ | 14 |
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].
| תִּקְרָא וְאָנֹכִי אֶעֱנֶךָּ לְֽמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ תִכְסֹֽף׃ | 15 |
You would call me, and I would answer. You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.
| כִּֽי־עַתָּה צְעָדַי תִּסְפּוֹר לֹֽא־תִשְׁמֹר עַל־חַטָּאתִֽי׃ | 16 |
You would take care of [MET] me, instead of watching me to see if I would sin.
| חָתֻם בִּצְרוֹר פִּשְׁעִי וַתִּטְפֹּל עַל־עֲוֺנִֽי׃ | 17 |
[It is as though the record of] my sins would be sealed in a small bag, and you would cover them up.
| וְאוּלָם הַר־נוֹפֵל יִבּוֹל וְצוּר יֶעְתַּק מִמְּקֹמֽוֹ׃ | 18 |
“But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,
| אֲבָנִים ׀ שָׁחֲקוּ מַיִם תִּשְׁטֹֽף־סְפִיחֶיהָ עֲפַר־אָרֶץ וְתִקְוַת אֱנוֹשׁ הֶֽאֱבַֽדְתָּ׃ | 19 |
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].
| תִּתְקְפֵהוּ לָנֶצַח וַֽיַּהֲלֹךְ מְשַׁנֶּה פָנָיו וַֽתְּשַׁלְּחֵֽהוּ׃ | 20 |
You always defeat us, and then we die [EUP]. You cause our faces to look ugly after we die, and you send us away.
| יִכְבְּדוּ בָנָיו וְלֹא יֵדָע וְיִצְעֲרוּ וְֽלֹא־יָבִין לָֽמוֹ׃ | 21 |
[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].
| אַךְ־בְּשָׂרוֹ עָלָיו יִכְאָב וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָֽל׃ | 22 |
We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else; we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
