Job 14-16 (Young's Literal Translation)

Job 14

 ¹Man, born of woman! Of few days, and full of trouble!

 ²As a flower he hath gone forth, and is cut off, And he fleeth as a shadow and standeth not.

 ³Also -- on this Thou hast opened Thine eyes, And dost bring me into judgment with Thee.

 ⁴Who giveth a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

 ⁵If determined are his days, The number of his months [are] with Thee, His limit Thou hast made, And he passeth not over;

 ⁶Look away from off him that he may cease, Till he enjoy as an hireling his day.

 ⁷For there is of a tree hope, if it be cut down, That again it doth change, That its tender branch doth not cease.

 ⁸If its root becometh old in the earth, And its stem doth die in the dust,

 ⁹From the fragrance of water it doth flourish, And hath made a crop as a plant.

 ¹⁰And a man dieth, and becometh weak, And man expireth, and where [is] he?

 ¹¹Waters have gone away from a sea, And a river becometh waste and dry.

 ¹²And man hath lain down, and riseth not, Till the wearing out of the heavens they awake not, Nor are roused from their sleep.

 ¹³O that in Sheol Thou wouldst conceal me, Hide me till the turning of Thine anger, Set for me a limit, and remember me.

 ¹⁴If a man dieth -- doth he revive? All days of my warfare I wait, till my change come.

 ¹⁵Thou dost call, and I -- I answer Thee; To the work of Thy hands Thou hast desire.

 ¹⁶But now, my steps Thou numberest, Thou dost not watch over my sin.

 ¹⁷Sealed up in a bag [is] my transgression, And Thou sewest up mine iniquity.

 ¹⁸And yet, a falling mountain wasteth away, And a rock is removed from its place.

 ¹⁹Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.

 ²⁰Thou prevailest [over] him for ever, and he goeth, He is changing his countenance, And Thou sendest him away.

 ²¹Honoured are his sons, and he knoweth not; And they are little, and he attendeth not to them.

 ²²Only -- his flesh for him is pained, And his soul for him doth mourn.'

Job 15

 ¹And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --

 ²Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?

 ³To reason with a word not useful? And speeches -- no profit in them?

 ⁴Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

 ⁵For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.

 ⁶Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

 ⁷The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

 ⁸Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

 ⁹What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou -- and it is not with us?

 ¹⁰Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us -- Greater than thy father [in] days.

 ¹¹Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,

 ¹²What -- doth thine heart take thee away? And what -- are thine eyes high?

 ¹³For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

 ¹⁴What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

 ¹⁵Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

 ¹⁶Also -- surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

 ¹⁷I shew thee -- hearken to me -- And this I have seen and declare:

 ¹⁸Which the wise declare -- And have not hid -- from their fathers.

 ¹⁹To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

 ²⁰`All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

 ²¹A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

 ²²He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.

 ²³He is wandering for bread -- `Where [is] it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

 ²⁴Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

 ²⁵For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

 ²⁶He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

 ²⁷For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.

 ²⁸And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

 ²⁹He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

 ³⁰He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!

 ³¹Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

 ³²Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

 ³³He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

 ³⁴For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

 ³⁵To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.

Job 16

 ¹And Job answereth and saith: --

 ²I have heard many such things, Miserable comforters [are] ye all.

 ³Is there an end to words of wind? Or what doth embolden thee that thou answerest?

 ⁴I also, like you, might speak, If your soul were in my soul's stead. I might join against you with words, And nod at you with my head.

 ⁵I might harden you with my mouth, And the moving of my lips might be sparing.

 ⁶If I speak, my pain is not restrained, And I cease -- what goeth from me?

 ⁷Only, now, it hath wearied me; Thou hast desolated all my company,

 ⁸And Thou dost loathe me, For a witness it hath been, And rise up against me doth my failure, In my face it testifieth.

 ⁹His anger hath torn, and he hateth me, He hath gnashed at me with his teeth, My adversary sharpeneth his eyes for me.

 ¹⁰They have gaped on me with their mouth, In reproach they have smitten my cheeks, Together against me they set themselves.

 ¹¹God shutteth me up unto the perverse, And to the hands of the wicked turneth me over.

 ¹²At ease I have been, and he breaketh me, And he hath laid hold on my neck, And he breaketh me in pieces, And he raiseth me to him for a mark.

 ¹³Go round against me do his archers. He splitteth my reins, and spareth not, He poureth out to the earth my gall.

 ¹⁴He breaketh me -- breach upon breach, He runneth upon me as a mighty one.

 ¹⁵Sackcloth I have sewed on my skin, And have rolled in the dust my horn.

 ¹⁶My face is foul with weeping, And on mine eyelids [is] death-shade.

 ¹⁷Not for violence in my hands, And my prayer [is] pure.

 ¹⁸O earth, do not thou cover my blood! And let there not be a place for my cry.

 ¹⁹Also, now, lo, in the heavens [is] my witness, And my testifier in the high places.

 ²⁰My interpreter [is] my friend, Unto God hath mine eye dropped:

 ²¹And he reasoneth for a man with God, And a son of man for his friend.

 ²²When a few years do come, Then a path I return not do I go.