Job 14
1 Life is short and full of trouble,
Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.
2 like a flower that blooms and withers, like a passing shadow that soon disappears.
He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down. He too flees as a shadow, and does not continue.
3 Do you even notice me, God, and why do you have to drag me to court?
And do thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bring me into judgment with thee?
4 Who can bring something clean of what is unclean? No one.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
5 You have determined how long we shall live—the number of months, a time limit on our lives.
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with thee, and thou have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass,
6 So leave us alone and give us some peace—so like a laborer we could enjoy a few hours of rest at the end of the day.
look away from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.
7 Even a tree that's cut down has the hope of sprouting again, of sending up shoots and continuing to live.
For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch of it will not cease.
8 Even though its roots grow old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
Though the root of it grows old in the earth, and the trunk of it dies in the ground,
9 just a trickle of water will make it bud and grow branches like a young plant.
yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a plant.
10 But human beings die, their strength dwindles away; they perish, and where are they then?
But man dies, and is laid low. Yea, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?
11 Like water evaporating from a lake and a river that dries up and disappears,
As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes away and dries up,
12 so human beings lie down and don't get up again. Until the heavens cease to exist they will not awake from their sleep.
so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.
13 I wish you would hide me in Sheol; conceal me there until your anger is gone. Set a definite time for me there, and remember me! (Sheol h7585)
O that thou would hide me in Sheol, that thou would keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou would appoint for me a set time, and remember me! (Sheol h7585)
14 Will the dead live again? Then I would have hope through all my time of trouble until my release comes.
If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare I would wait till my release should come.
15 You would call and I would answer you; you would long for me, the being that you made.
Thou would call, and I would answer thee. Thou would have a desire to the work of thy hands.
16 Then you would look after me and wouldn't be watching me to see if I sinned.
But now thou number my steps. Do thou not watch over my sin?
17 My sins would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover my guilt.
My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou fasten up my iniquity.
18 But just as the mountains crumble and fall, and the rocks tumble down;
But the falling mountain comes to nothing, and the rock is removed out of its place.
19 as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.
The waters wear the stones. The overflowings of it wash away the dust of the earth. So thou destroy the hope of man.
20 You continually overpower them and they pass away; you distort their faces in death and send them away.
Thou prevail forever against him, and he passes. Thou change his countenance, and send him away.
21 Their children may become important or fall from their positions, but they don't know or see any of this.
His sons come to honor, and he does not know it, and they are brought low, but he does not perceive it of them.
22 As people die they only know their own pain and are sad for themselves.”
But his flesh upon him has pain, and his soul within him mourns.
