Job 14

¹Man, that is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.

²He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

³And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, And bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

⁵Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

⁶Look away from him, that he may rest, Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

⁷For 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.

⁸Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, And the stock thereof die in the ground;

⁹Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰But man dieth, and is laid low: Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

¹¹Asthe waters fail from the sea, And the river wasteth and drieth up;

¹²So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.

¹³Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

¹⁴If a man die, shall he liveagain? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come.

¹⁵Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee: Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands.

¹⁶But now thou numberest my steps: Dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And thou fastenest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸But the mountain falling cometh to nought; And the rock is removed out of its place;

¹⁹The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man.

²⁰Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

²¹His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

²²But his flesh upon him hath pain, And his soul within him mourneth.

Job 14

¹“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.

²Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

³Do You open Your eyes to one like this? Will You bring him into judgment before You?

⁴Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

⁵Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,

⁶look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

⁷For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail.

⁸If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil,

⁹at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling.

¹⁰But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?

¹¹As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,

¹²so a man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no more, he will not be awakened or roused from sleep.

¹³If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me!

¹⁴When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.

¹⁵You will call, and I will answer; You will desire the work of Your hands.

¹⁶For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin.

¹⁷My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.

¹⁸But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place,

¹⁹as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope.

²⁰You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.

²¹If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he is unaware.

²²He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”