Job 14

¹As for man, the son of woman, his days are short and full of trouble.

²He comes out like a flower, and is cut down: he goes in flight like a shade, and is never seen again.

³Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?

⁴If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.

⁵If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go;

⁶Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment.

⁷For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end.

⁸Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust;

⁹Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant.

¹⁰But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he?

¹¹The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry;

¹²So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.

¹³If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again!

¹⁴If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.

¹⁵At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.

¹⁶For now my steps are numbered by you, and my sin is not overlooked.

¹⁷My wrongdoing is corded up in a bag, and my sin is shut up safe.

¹⁸But truly a mountain falling comes to dust, and a rock is moved from its place;

¹⁹The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

²⁰You overcome him for ever, and he is gone; his face is changed in death, and you send him away.

²¹His sons come to honour, and he has no knowledge of it; they are made low, but he is not conscious of it.

²²Only his flesh still has pain, and his soul is sad.

Job 14

¹"Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.

²He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn't continue.

³Do you open your eyes on such a one, and bring me into judgment with you?

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

⁵Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass;

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

⁷"For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch of it will not cease.

⁸Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground,

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

¹⁰But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?

¹¹As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up,

¹²so man lies down and doesn't rise. Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.

¹³"Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would keep me secret, until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

¹⁴If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, until my release should come.

¹⁵You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire to the work of your hands.

¹⁶But now you number my steps. Do you not watch over my sin?

¹⁷My disobedience is sealed up in a bag. You fasten up my iniquity.

¹⁸"But the mountain falling comes to nothing. The rock is removed out of its place;

¹⁹The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.

²⁰You forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away.

²¹His sons come to honor, and he doesn't know it. They are brought low, but he doesn't perceive it of them.

²²But his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns."