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
New Living Translation
14 “How frail is humanity!
How short is life, how full of trouble!
2 We blossom like a flower and then wither.
Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
3 Must you keep an eye on such a frail creature
and demand an accounting from me?
4 Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
No one!
5 You have decided the length of our lives.
You know how many months we will live,
and we are not given a minute longer.
6 So leave us alone and let us rest!
We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.
7 “Even a tree has more hope!
If it is cut down, it will sprout again
and grow new branches.
8 Though its roots have grown old in the earth
and its stump decays,
9 at the scent of water it will bud
and sprout again like a new seedling.
10 “But when people die, their strength is gone.
They breathe their last, and then where are they?
11 As water evaporates from a lake
and a river disappears in drought,
12 people are laid to rest and do not rise again.
Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up
nor be roused from their sleep.
13 “I wish you would hide me in the grave[a]
and forget me there until your anger has passed.
But mark your calendar to think of me again!
14 Can the dead live again?
If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,
and I would eagerly await the release of death.
15 You would call and I would answer,
and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
16 For then you would guard my steps,
instead of watching for my sins.
17 My sins would be sealed in a pouch,
and you would cover my guilt.
18 “But instead, as mountains fall and crumble
and as rocks fall from a cliff,
19 as water wears away the stones
and floods wash away the soil,
so you destroy people’s hope.
20 You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene.
You disfigure them in death and send them away.
21 They never know if their children grow up in honor
or sink to insignificance.
22 They suffer painfully;
their life is full of trouble.”
Footnotes
- 14:13 Hebrew in Sheol.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
