Job 14

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

Life is short and full of trouble,

2 As a flower, he cometh forth—and fadeth, He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

like a flower that blooms and withers, like a passing shadow that soon disappears.

3 And yet upon such a one as this, hast thou opened thine eye? And, him, wouldst thou bring into judgment with thee?

Do you even notice me, God, and why do you have to drag me to court?

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

Who can bring something clean of what is unclean? No one.

5 If determined am his days, the number of his months, is with thee, Fixed times for him, thou hast appointed and he cannot go beyond.

You have determined how long we shall live—the number of months, a time limit on our lives.

6 Look sway from him, that he may rest, Till he shall pay off, as a hireling, his day.

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.

7 Though there is—for a tree—hope, —if it should be cut down, that, again, it will grow, and, the tender branch thereof, will not cease;

Even a tree that's cut down has the hope of sprouting again, of sending up shoots and continuing to live.

8 If its root, should become old in the earth, and, in the dust, its stock should die:

Even though its roots grow old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,

9 Through the scent of water, it may break forth, and produce branches like a sapling,

just a trickle of water will make it bud and grow branches like a young plant.

10 Yet, man, dieth, and is prostrate, Yea the son of earth doth cease to breathe, and where is he?

But human beings die, their strength dwindles away; they perish, and where are they then?

11 Waters, have failed from, the sea, and, a river, may waste and dry up;

Like water evaporating from a lake and a river that dries up and disappears,

12 So, a man, hath lain down, and shall not arise, until there are no heavens, they shall not awake, nor be roused up out of their sleep.

so human beings lie down and don't get up again. Until the heavens cease to exist they will not awake from their sleep.

13 Oh that, in hades, thou wouldst hide me! that thou wouldst keep me secret, until the turn of thine anger, that thou wouldst set for me a fixed time, and remember me: (Sheol h7585)

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)

14 If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my warfare, would I wait, until my relief should come: —

Will the dead live again? Then I would have hope through all my time of trouble until my release comes.

15 Thou shouldst call, and, I, would answer thee, —For the work of thine own hand, thou shouldst long.

You would call and I would answer you; you would long for me, the being that you made.

16 For, now, my steps, thou countest, Thou wilt not pass over my sin:

Then you would look after me and wouldn't be watching me to see if I sinned.

17 Sealed up in a bag, is my transgression, and thou hast glued over mine iniquity.

My sins would be sealed up in a bag and you would cover my guilt.

18 But, in very deed, a mountain falling, will lie prostrate, or, a rock moved out of its place:

But just as the mountains crumble and fall, and the rocks tumble down;

19 Stones, have been hollowed out by waters, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth, and, the hope of mortal man, thou hast destroyed:

as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.

20 Thou dost overpower him utterly, and he departeth, Disfiguring his face, so, hast thou sent him away.

You continually overpower them and they pass away; you distort their faces in death and send them away.

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

Their children may become important or fall from their positions, but they don't know or see any of this.

22 But, his flesh, for himself, is in pain, and, his soul, for himself, doth mourn.

As people die they only know their own pain and are sad for themselves.”