Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All

14 “Man who is (A)born of a woman
    is (B)few of days and (C)full of trouble.
He comes out like (D)a flower and (E)withers;
    he flees like (F)a shadow and continues not.
And do you (G)open your eyes on such a one
    and (H)bring me into judgment with you?
Who can bring (I)a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
Since his (J)days are determined,
    and (K)the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
(L)look away from him and leave him alone,[a]
    that he may enjoy, like (M)a hired hand, his day.

“For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
Though its root grow old in the earth,
    and (N)its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put out (O)branches like a young plant.
10 But a man dies and is laid low;
    man breathes his last, and (P)where is he?
11 (Q)As waters fail from a lake
    and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so a man lies down and rises not again;
    till (R)the heavens are no more he will not awake
    or be (S)roused out of his sleep.
13 Oh that you would (T)hide me in (U)Sheol,
    that you would (V)conceal me (W)until your wrath be past,
    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
    All the days of my (X)service I would (Y)wait,
    till my renewal[b] should come.
15 You would (Z)call, and I would answer you;
    you would long for the (AA)work of your hands.
16 For then you would (AB)number my steps;
    you would not keep (AC)watch over my sin;
17 my transgression would be (AD)sealed up in a bag,
    and you would cover over my iniquity.

18 “But the mountain falls and (AE)crumbles away,
    and (AF)the rock is removed from its place;
19 the waters wear away the stones;
    the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
    so you destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
    you change his countenance, and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and he (AG)does not know it;
    they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,
    and he mourns only for himself.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 14:6 Probable reading; Hebrew look away from him, that he may cease
  2. Job 14:14 Or relief

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”