Job, 14
1. Man [that is] born of a woman [is] of few days, and full of trouble.
1. Man born of woman has a short life full of sorrow.
2. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
2. Like a flower he blossoms and withers; transient and fleeting as a shadow.
3. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?
3. Is he the one you look on and bring before you for judgment?
4. Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? not one.
4. Who can bring the clean from the unclean? No one!
5. Seeing his days [are] determined, the number of his months [are] with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
5. Since his days are measured and you have decreed the number of his months, set him bounds he cannot pass,
6. Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
6. then leave him alone. Turn away from him till he completes his day like a hireling.
7. For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
7. There is hope for a tree: if cut down it will sprout again, its new shoots will still appear.
8. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
8. Though its roots grow old in the ground and its stump withers in the soil,
9. [Yet] through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
9. at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a young plant.
10. But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where [is] he?
10. But when man is cut down, he comes undone; he breathes his last - where will he be?
11. [As] the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
11. The waters of the sea may disappear, rivers drain away,
12. So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens [be] no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
12. but the one who lies down will not rise again; the heavens will vanish before he wakes, before he rises from his sleep.
13. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
13. If only you would hide me in the grave and shelter me till your wrath is past! If only you would set a time for me and then remember me!
14. If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
14. Will a man live again if he dies? All the days of my service I would wait for my release.
15. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
15. You would call and I would answer; you would long for the work of your hands again.
16. For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?
16. Now you watch my every step, but then you would stop counting my sins.
17. My transgression [is] sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.
17. My offenses would be sealed in a bag, and you would do away with my guilt.
18. And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.
18. But as mountains erode and crumble, as rock is moved from its place,
19. The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow [out] of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
19. as waters wear away stones and floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope of man.
20. Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
20. You crush him once for all, and he is gone; you change his appearance and send him away.
21. His sons come to honour, and he knoweth [it] not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth [it] not of them.
21. If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if brought low, he does not see it.
22. But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.
22. Only the pain of his own body does he feel; only for himself does he mourn.
