Job 14-16 (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)

Job 14

 ¹Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.

    ²Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.

    ³And dost thou think it meet to open thy eyes upon such an one, and to bring him into judgment with thee?

    ⁴Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed ? is it not thou who only art?

    ⁵The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed.

    ⁶Depart a little from him, that he may rest, until his wished for day come, as that of the hireling.

    ⁷A tree hath hope: if it be cut, it groweth green again, and the boughs thereof sprout.

    ⁸If its root be old in the earth, and its stock be dead in the dust:

    ⁹At the scent of water, it shall spring, and bring forth leaves, as when it was first planted.

    ¹⁰But man when he shall be dead, and stripped and consumed, I pray you where is he?

    ¹¹As if the waters should depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be dried up:

    ¹²So man when he is fallen asleep shall not rise again; till the heavens be broken, he shall not awake, nor rise up out of his sleep.

    ¹³Who will grant me this, that thou mayest protect me in hell, and hide me till thy wrath pass, and appoint me a. time when thou wilt remember me?

    ¹⁴Shall man that is dead, thinkest thou, live again? all the days in which I am now in warfare, I expect until my change come.

    ¹⁵Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee: to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand.

    ¹⁶Thou indeed hast numbered my steps, but spare my sins.

    ¹⁷Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag, but hast cured my iniquity.

    ¹⁸A mountain falling cometh to nought, and a rock is removed out of its place.

    ¹⁹Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away: so in like manner thou shalt destroy man.

    ²⁰Thou hast strengthened him for a little while, that he may pass away for ever: thou shalt change his face, and shalt send him away.

    ²¹Whether his children come to honour or dishonour, he shall not understand.

    ²²But yet his flesh, while he shall live, shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.

   

Job 15

 ¹And Eliphaz the Themanite, answered, and said:

    ²Will a wise man answer as if he were speaking in the wind, and fill his stomach with burning heat?

    ³Thou reprovest him by words, who is not equal to thee, and thou speakest that which is not good for thee.

    ⁴As much as is in thee, thou hast made void fear, and hast taken away prayers from before God.

    ⁵For thy iniquity hath taught thy mouth, and thou imitatest the tongue of blasphemers.

    ⁶Thy own mouth shall condemn thee, and not I: and thy own lips shall answer thee.

    ⁷Art thou the first man that was born, or wast thou made before the hills ?

    ⁸Hast thou heard God's counsel, and shall his wisdom be inferior to thee?

    ⁹What knowest thou that we are ignorant of? what dost thou understand that we know not?

    ¹⁰There are with us also aged and ancient men, much elder than thy fathers.

    ¹¹Is it a great matter that God should comfort thee? but thy wicked words hinder this.

    ¹²Why doth thy heart elevate thee, and why dost thou stare with thy eyes, as if they were thinking great things ?

    ¹³Why doth thy spirit swell against God, to utter such words out of thy mouth ?

    ¹⁴What is man that he should be without spot, and he that is born of a woman that he should appear just?

    ¹⁵Behold among his saints none is unchangeable, and the heavens are not pure in his sight.

    ¹⁶How much more is man abominable, and unprofitable, who drinketh iniquity like water?

    ¹⁷I will shew thee, hear me : and I mill tell thee what I have seen.

    ¹⁸Wise men confess and hide not their fathers.

    ¹⁹To whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger hath passed among them.

    ²⁰The wicked man is proud all his days, and the number of the years of his tyranny is uncertain.

    ²¹The sound of dread is always in his ears: and when there is peace, he always suspecteth treason.

    ²²He believeth not that he may return from darkness to light, looking round about for the sword on every side.

    ²³When he moveth himself to seek bread, he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

    ²⁴Tribulation shall terrify him, and distress shall surround him, as a king that is prepared for the battle.

    ²⁵For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and hath strengthened himself against the Almighty.

    ²⁶He hath run against him with his neck raised up, and is armed with a fat neck.

    ²⁷Fatness hath covered his face, and the fat hangeth down on his sides.

    ²⁸He hath dwelt in desolate cities, and in desert houses that are reduced into heaps.

    ²⁹He shall not be enriched, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he push his root in the earth.

    ³⁰He shall not depart out of darkness: the flame shall dry up his branches, and he shall be taken away by the breath of his own month.

    ³¹He shall not believe, being vainly deceived by error, that he may be redeemed with any price.

    ³²Before his days be full he shall perish: and his hands shall wither away.

    ³³He shall be blasted as a vine when its grapes are in the first flower, and as an olive tree that casteth its flower.

    ³⁴For the congregation of the hypocrite is barren, and fire shall devour their tabernacles, who love to take bribes.

    ³⁵He hath conceived sorrow, and hath brought forth iniquity, and his womb prepareth deceits.

   

Job 16

 ¹Then Job answered, and said:

    ²I have often heard such things as these: you are all troublesome comforters.

    ³Shall windy words have no end? or is it any trouble to thee to speak?

    ⁴I also could speak like you: and would God your soul were for my soul.

    ⁵I would comfort you also with words, and would wag my head over you.

    ⁶I would strengthen you with my mouth, and would move my lips, as sparing you.

    ⁷But what shall I do? If I speak, my pain will not rest: and if I hold my peace, it will not depart from me.

    ⁸But now my sorrow hath oppressed me, and all my limbs are brought to nothing.

    ⁹My wrinkles bear witness against me, and a false speaker riseth up against my face, contradicting me.

    ¹⁰He hath gathered together his fury against me, and threatening me he hath gnashed with his teeth upon me: my enemy hath beheld me with terrible eyes.

    ¹¹They have opened their mouths upon me, and reproaching me they have struck me on the cheek, they are filled with my pains.

    ¹²God hath shut me up with the unjust man, and hath delivered me into the hands of the wicked.

    ¹³I that was formerly so wealthy, am all on a sudden broken to pieces: he hath taken me by my neck, he hath broken me, and hath set me up to be his mark.

    ¹⁴He hath compassed me round about with his lances, he hath wounded my loins, he hath not spared, and hath poured out my bowels on the earth.

    ¹⁵He hath torn me with wound upon wound, he hath rushed in upon me like a giant.

    ¹⁶I have sowed sackcloth upon my skin, and have covered my flesh with ashes.

    ¹⁷My face is swollen with weeping, and my eyelids are dim.

    ¹⁸These things have I suffered without the iniquity of my hand, when I offered pure prayers to God.

    ¹⁹O earth, cover not thou my blood, neither let my cry find a hiding place in thee.

    ²⁰For behold my witness is in heaven, and he that knoweth my conscience is on high.

    ²¹My friends are full of words: my eye poureth out tears to God.

    ²²And O that a man might so be judged with God, as the son of man is judged with his companion!

    ²³For behold short years pass away and I am walking in a path by which l shall not return.