Job 14

¹A man is borun of a womman, and lyueth schort tyme, and is fillid with many wretchidnessis.

²Which goith out, and is defoulid as a flour; and fleeth as schadewe, and dwellith neuere perfitli in the same staat.

³And gessist thou it worthi to opene thin iyen on siche a man; and to brynge hym in to doom with thee?

⁴Who may make a man clene conseyued of vnclene seed? Whether not thou, which art aloone?

⁵The daies of man ben schorte, the noumbre of his monethis is at thee; thou hast set, ethir ordeyned, hise termes, whiche moun not be passid.

⁶Therfor go thou awey fro hym a litil, `that is, bi withdrawyng of bodili lijf, that he haue reste; til the meede coueitid come, and his dai is as the dai of an hirid man.

⁷A tree hath hope, if it is kit doun; and eft it wexith greene, and hise braunches spreden forth.

⁸If the roote therof is eeld in the erthe, and the stok therof is nyy deed in dust;

⁹it schal buriowne at the odour of watir, and it schal make heer, as whanne it was plauntid first.

¹⁰But whanne a man is deed, and maad nakid, and wastid; Y preye, where is he?

¹¹As if watris goen awei fro the see, and a ryuer maad voide wexe drie,

¹²so a man, whanne he hath slept, `that is, deed, he schal not rise ayen, til heuene be brokun, `that is, be maad newe; he schal not wake, nether he schal ryse togidere fro his sleep.

¹³Who yiueth this to me, that thou defende me in helle, and that thou hide me, til thi greet veniaunce passe; and thou sette to me a tyme, in which thou haue mynde on me?

¹⁴Gessist thou, whethir a deed man schal lyue ayen? In alle the daies, in whiche Y holde knyythod, now Y abide, til my chaungyng come.

¹⁵Thou schalt clepe me, and Y schal answere thee; thou schalt dresse the riyt half, `that is, blis, to the werk of thin hondis.

¹⁶Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes.

¹⁷Thou hast seelid as in a bagge my trespassis, but thou hast curid my wickidnesse.

¹⁸An hil fallynge droppith doun; and a rooche of stoon is borun ouer fro his place.

¹⁹Watris maken stoonys holowe, and the erthe is wastid litil and litil bi waischyng a wey of watir; and therfor thou schalt leese men in lijk maner.

²⁰Thou madist a man strong a litil, that he schulde passe with outen ende; thou schalt chaunge his face, and schalt sende hym out.

²¹Whether hise sones ben noble, ether vnnoble, he schal not vndurstonde.

²²Netheles his fleisch, while he lyueth, schal haue sorewe, and his soule schal morne on hym silf.

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 an 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 are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

⁶Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an 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 bring forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

¹¹As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

¹²So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

¹³O 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!

¹⁴If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

¹⁵Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

¹⁶For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.

¹⁹The 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.

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

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

²²But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.