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14 Man born of woman has a few short days,
and they are full of anxiety.
He blossoms like a flower, but soon withers.
He recedes like a shadow and does not remain.
You keep your eye on such a man.
You bring me[a] into judgment in your presence.
Who can produce something pure from something that is impure?
No one.
Certainly his days are determined.
The number of his months has been set by you.
A limit is set, which he cannot exceed.
Turn your gaze away from him, and let him be,
until he finishes his day’s work as a hired man.

There is still hope for a tree if it is cut down.
It may grow up again and produce new shoots.
Though its roots lie dormant in the earth,
and its stump is dying in the dust,
with just a whiff of water, it shoots up again.
As a growing plant, it again sends out branches.
10 But if a man dies, he shrivels away.
When a person breathes his last, where is he?
11 Waters evaporate from the sea.
A river dries up and becomes dust.
12 In the same way, a man lies down and does not rise again.
Until the heavens pass away, he does not awaken,
and he is not aroused from his sleep.

13 Oh how I wish you would hide me in the grave,
that you would conceal me until your wrath has passed by,
that you would set an appointed time for me,
and then you would remember me.
14 If a man dies, will he live again?
Through all the days of my warfare,[b]
I will wait, until change comes about for me.
15 You will call, and I myself will answer.
Then you will long for the work of your hands.

16 Now you count my steps,
but then you will no longer keep track of my sin.
17 My rebellious deeds will be sealed up in a bag,
and you will plaster over my guilt.

18 But as a mountain crumbles and falls,
and as a rock is moved from its place,
19 as water wears away stones,
and floodwaters wash away soil from the land,
so you destroy a man’s hope.
20 You overpower him once and for all, and he passes away.
You change his appearance and send him away.
21 His sons are honored, but he is not aware of it.
They are brought low, but he does not realize it.
22 He feels the pain only of his own flesh,
and in his soul grieves only for himself.

Footnotes

  1. Job 14:3 The translation follows the Hebrew. The ancient versions read him.
  2. Job 14:14 Or hard service or tour of duty

Job Continues to Argue His Case with God

14 “A human being born of a woman
is short of days and full of troubles.[a]
Like a flower he comes up, and he withers away;
and he flees like a[b] shadow, but[c] he does not last.
Even on such a one you fix your eyes,
and you bring me into judgment with you.
“Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing?
No one![d]
If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you;
you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.
Look away from him, and let him desist
until he enjoys his days like a laborer.
“Indeed, there is hope for a tree:
if it is cut down, then[e] it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not cease;
though its root grows old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the dust,
at[f] the scent of water it will bud,
and it will put forth branches like a young plant.
10 “But[g] a man dies, and he dwindles away;
thus[h] a human being passes away, and where is he?[i]
11 As water disappears from a lake,
and a river withers away and dries up,[j]
12 so[k] a man lies down, and he does not arise.
Until the heavens are no more,[l] they will not awaken,
and they will not be roused out of their sleep.
13 O that[m] you would conceal me in Sheol,
that you would hide me until your wrath is past,[n]
that you would appoint a set time for me and remember me.
14 If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my compulsory service I will wait,
until the coming of my relief.
15 You would call, and I myself[o] would answer you;
you would long for the work of your hand.
16 For then[p] you would count my steps,
but you would not keep watch over my sin.
17 My transgression would be sealed in a bag,
and you would cover over my guilt.
18 “But[q] a mountain falls; it crumbles away,
and a rock moves away from its place.
19 Water wears away stones;
its torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so[r] you destroy the hope of human beings.
20 You overpower him forever, and he passes away;
you change his countenance,[s] then[t] you send him away.
21 His children may come to honor, but[u] he does not know it;
or[v] they may become lowly, but[w] he does not realize it.[x]
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,[y]
and his inner self[z] mourns for him.”[aa]

Footnotes

  1. Job 14:1 Literally “trouble”
  2. Job 14:2 Or “the”
  3. Job 14:2 Hebrew “and”
  4. Job 14:4 Or “Not one”
  5. Job 14:7 Hebrew “and”
  6. Job 14:9 Hebrew “from”
  7. Job 14:10 Hebrew “And”
  8. Job 14:10 Hebrew “And”
  9. Job 14:10 Or “where is he then?”
  10. Job 14:11 Or “it dries up”
  11. Job 14:12 Literally “and”
  12. Job 14:12 Literally “Until not heavens”
  13. Job 14:13 Literally “Who shall give”
  14. Job 14:13 Literally “until the return of your nose”
  15. Job 14:15 Emphatic personal pronoun
  16. Job 14:16 Hebrew “now”
  17. Job 14:18 Or “And but”
  18. Job 14:19 Hebrew “and”
  19. Job 14:20 Literally “his faces”
  20. Job 14:20 Hebrew “and”
  21. Job 14:21 Hebrew “and”
  22. Job 14:21 Hebrew “and”
  23. Job 14:21 Hebrew “and”
  24. Job 14:21 Or “them”
  25. Job 14:22 Hebrew “his body on him”
  26. Job 14:22 Or “soul”
  27. Job 14:22 Or “for himself”