Job 14
Lexham English Bible
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]
2 Like a flower he comes up, and he withers away;
and he flees like a[b] shadow, but[c] he does not last.
3 Even on such a one you fix your eyes,
and you bring me into judgment with you.
4 “Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing?
No one![d]
5 If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you;
you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.
6 Look away from him, and let him desist
until he enjoys his days like a laborer.
7 “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;
8 though its root grows old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the dust,
9 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
- Job 14:1 Literally “trouble”
- Job 14:2 Or “the”
- Job 14:2 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:4 Or “Not one”
- Job 14:7 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:9 Hebrew “from”
- Job 14:10 Hebrew “And”
- Job 14:10 Hebrew “And”
- Job 14:10 Or “where is he then?”
- Job 14:11 Or “it dries up”
- Job 14:12 Literally “and”
- Job 14:12 Literally “Until not heavens”
- Job 14:13 Literally “Who shall give”
- Job 14:13 Literally “until the return of your nose”
- Job 14:15 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 14:16 Hebrew “now”
- Job 14:18 Or “And but”
- Job 14:19 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:20 Literally “his faces”
- Job 14:20 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:21 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:21 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:21 Hebrew “and”
- Job 14:21 Or “them”
- Job 14:22 Hebrew “his body on him”
- Job 14:22 Or “soul”
- Job 14:22 Or “for himself”
Job 14
Christian Standard Bible
14 Anyone born of woman
is short of days and full of trouble.(A)
2 He blossoms like a flower, then withers;(B)
he flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 Do you really take notice of one like this?
Will you bring me into judgment against you?[a](C)
4 Who can produce something pure from what is impure?
No one!
5 Since a person’s days are determined
and the number of his months depends on you,
and since you have set[b] limits he cannot pass,(D)
6 look away from him and let him rest
so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.(E)
7 There is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its shoots will not die.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump starts to die in the soil,
9 the scent of water makes it thrive
and produce twigs like a sapling.(F)
10 But a person dies and fades away;
he breathes his last—where is he?
11 As water disappears from a lake
and a river becomes parched and dry,
12 so people lie down never to rise again.
They will not wake up until the heavens are no more;(G)
they will not stir from their sleep.
13 If only you would hide me in Sheol(H)
and conceal me until your anger(I) passes.
If only you would appoint a time for me
and then remember me.
14 When a person dies, will he come back to life?
If so, I would wait(J) all the days of my struggle(K)
until my relief comes.
15 You would call, and I would answer you.
You would long for the work of your hands.(L)
16 For then you would count my steps(M)
but would not take note(N) of my sin.
17 My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.
18 But as a mountain collapses and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,
19 as water wears away stones
and torrents wash away the soil from the land,
so you destroy a man’s hope.(O)
20 You completely overpower him, and he passes on;
you change his appearance and send him away.
21 If his sons receive honor, he does not know it;
if they become insignificant, he is unaware of it.(P)
22 He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself.
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