Liber Iob, 14

1. homo natus de muliere brevi vivens tempore repletus multis miseriis

1. Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.

2. quasi flos egreditur et conteritur et fugit velut umbra et numquam in eodem statu permanet

2. Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.

3. et dignum ducis super hujuscemodi aperire oculos tuos et adducere eum tecum in judicium

3. And dost thou think it meet to open thy eyes upon such an one, and to bring him into judgment with thee?

4. quis potest facere mundum de inmundo conceptum semine nonne tu qui solus es

4. Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed ? is it not thou who only art?

5. breves dies hominis sunt numerus mensuum ejus apud te est constituisti terminos ejus qui præterire non poterunt

5. The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed.

6. recede paululum ab eo ut quiescat donec optata veniat sicut mercennarii dies ejus

6. Depart a little from him, that he may rest, until his wished for day come, as that of the hireling.

7. lignum habet spem si præcisum fuerit rursum virescit et rami ejus pullulant

7. A tree hath hope: if it be cut, it groweth green again, and the boughs thereof sprout.

8. si senuerit in terra radix ejus et in pulvere emortuus fuerit truncus illius

8. If its root be old in the earth, and its stock be dead in the dust:

9. ad odorem aquæ germinabit et faciet comam quasi cum primum plantatum est

9. At the scent of water, it shall spring, and bring forth leaves, as when it was first planted.

10. homo vero cum mortuus fuerit et nudatus atque consumptus ubi quæso est

10. But man when he shall be dead, and stripped and consumed, I pray you where is he?

11. quomodo si recedant aquæ de mari et fluvius vacuefactus arescat

11. As if the waters should depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be dried up:

12. sic homo cum dormierit non resurget donec adteratur cælum non evigilabit nec consurget de somno suo

12. So man when he is fallen asleep shall not rise again; till the heavens be broken, he shall not awake, nor rise up out of his sleep.

13. quis mihi hoc tribuat ut in inferno protegas me ut abscondas me donec pertranseat furor tuus et constituas mihi tempus in quo recorderis mei

13. Who will grant me this, that thou mayest protect me in hell, and hide me till thy wrath pass, and appoint me a. time when thou wilt remember me?

14. putasne mortuus homo rursum vivet cunctis diebus quibus nunc milito expecto donec veniat inmutatio mea

14. Shall man that is dead, thinkest thou, live again? all the days in which I am now in warfare, I expect until my change come.

15. vocabis et ego respondebo tibi operi manuum tuarum porriges dexteram

15. Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee: to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand.

16. tu quidem gressus meos dinumerasti sed parces peccatis meis

16. Thou indeed hast numbered my steps, but spare my sins.

17. signasti quasi in sacculo delicta mea sed curasti iniquitatem meam

17. Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag, but hast cured my iniquity.

18. mons cadens defluet et saxum transfertur de loco suo

18. A mountain falling cometh to nought, and a rock is removed out of its place.

19. lapides excavant aquæ et adluvione paulatim terra consumitur et homines ergo similiter perdes

19. Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away: so in like manner thou shalt destroy man.

20. roborasti eum paululum ut in perpetuum pertransiret inmutabis faciem ejus et emittes eum

20. Thou hast strengthened him for a little while, that he may pass away for ever: thou shalt change his face, and shalt send him away.

21. sive nobiles fuerint filii ejus sive ignobiles non intelleget

21. Whether his children come to honour or dishonour, he shall not understand.

22. attamen caro ejus dum vivet dolebit et anima illius super semet ipso lugebit

22. But yet his flesh, while he shall live, shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.