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14 »¡Cuán frágil es el hombre! ¡Cuán pocos sus días y cuán atribulados! Un instante abre su corola como flor, y se marchita; como sombra de efímera nube, pronto se desvanece. ¿Tan duro has de ser con los frágiles hombres, y exigirles cuentas? ¿Cómo puedes exigir pureza de quien nació impuro? Brevísima vida has concedido al hombre; no le das más que unos meses. No puede tener ni una pequeña prórroga de vida. ¿No le otorgarás algún reposo? Aparta tu mirar airado y concédele unos momentos de alivio antes que muera.

»Porque para el árbol hay esperanza: si lo cortan, retoña y produce nuevas ramas tiernas. 8-9 Aunque sus raíces envejezcan en la tierra y su tronco degenere, puede revivir y echar renuevos al contacto del agua, como planta de vivero. 10 Pero cuando el hombre muere y es sepultado, ¿a dónde va su espíritu? 11-12 Como agua que se evapora de un lago; como río que desaparece en la sequía, así el hombre yace por última vez y no vuelve a levantarse hasta que los cielos ya no existan; no se levantará ni se despertará de su sueño.

13 »¡Ay, quisieras tú ocultarme entre los muertos y olvidarte de mí hasta que tu ira acabe; pero marca tu calendario para que vuelvas a recordarme!

14 »Si el hombre muere, ¿volverá a vivir? Este pensamiento me da esperanza, de modo que en mi angustia ansiosamente aguardo la dulce muerte. 15 Si me llamaras, yo acudiría, tú me recompensarías por cuanto hice. 16 Pero en vez de eso, sólo me permites dar unos cuantos pasos en el escenario de la vida, y señalas todos los errores que cometo. 17 Los reúnes como pruebas en mi contra.

18-19 »Los montes se desgastan y desaparecen. Las rocas se desprenden de su sitio. El agua convierte en arena las rocas. Los torrentes erosionan el suelo. De igual modo desvaneces tú la esperanza humana. 20-21 Siempre prevaleces sobre el hombre, y él desaparece del escenario. Lo vuelves viejo y arrugado, y luego lo despides. Jamás se entera si sus hijos alcanzan honra; si fracasan y se enfrentan al desastre, él no lo sabe. 22 Sólo siente el dolor de su cuerpo y la aflicción de su alma».

14 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

16 For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

18 And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.

19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

20 Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

21 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

14 「人為婦人所生,
日子短少,多有患難。
他出來如花,凋謝而去;
他飛逝如影,不能存留。
這樣的人你豈會睜眼看他,
又叫我[a]來,在你那裏受審嗎?
誰能使潔淨出於污穢呢?
誰也不能!
既然人的日子限定,
他的月數在於你,
你劃定他的界限,他不能越過;
求你轉眼不看他,使他得歇息,
直到他像雇工享受他的一天。

「因樹有指望,
若被砍下,還可發芽,
嫩枝生長不息。
樹根若衰老在地裏,
樹幹也死在土中,
及至得了水氣,還會發芽,
長出枝條,像新栽的樹一樣。
10 但壯士一死就消逝了;
人一氣絕,他在何處呢?
11 海中的水枯竭,
江河消散乾涸。
12 人一躺下就不再起來,
等到諸天沒有了[b],仍不復醒,
也不能從睡中喚醒。
13 惟願你把我藏在陰間,
把我隱藏,直到你的憤怒過去;
願你為我定下期限,並記得我。
14 壯士若死了能再活嗎?
我在一切服役的日子中等待,
直到我退伍的時候來到。
15 你呼叫,我就回答你;
你手所做的,你必期待。
16 但如今你數點我的腳步,
不察看我的罪。
17 我的過犯被你密封在囊中,
你遮掩了我的罪孽。

18 「然而,山崩變為無有,
磐石從原處挪移。
19 流水沖蝕石頭,
急流洗去地上的塵土;
你也照樣滅絕人的指望。
20 你終必勝過人,使他消逝;
你改變他的容貌,把他送走。
21 他的兒子得尊榮,他不知道;
他們降為卑,他也不曉得。
22 他只覺得身上疼痛,
心中為自己悲哀。」

Footnotes

  1. 14.3 「我」:七十士譯本和其他古譯本是「他」。
  2. 14.12 「沒有了」:有古譯本是「廢去了」。

14 “Mortals, born of woman,(A)
    are of few days(B) and full of trouble.(C)
They spring up like flowers(D) and wither away;(E)
    like fleeting shadows,(F) they do not endure.(G)
Do you fix your eye on them?(H)
    Will you bring them[a] before you for judgment?(I)
Who can bring what is pure(J) from the impure?(K)
    No one!(L)
A person’s days are determined;(M)
    you have decreed the number of his months(N)
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.(O)
So look away from him and let him alone,(P)
    till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.(Q)

“At least there is hope for a tree:(R)
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots(S) will not fail.(T)
Its roots may grow old in the ground
    and its stump(U) die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water(V) it will bud
    and put forth shoots like a plant.(W)
10 But a man dies and is laid low;(X)
    he breathes his last and is no more.(Y)
11 As the water of a lake dries up
    or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,(Z)
12 so he lies down and does not rise;(AA)
    till the heavens are no more,(AB) people will not awake
    or be roused from their sleep.(AC)

13 “If only you would hide me in the grave(AD)
    and conceal me till your anger has passed!(AE)
If only you would set me a time
    and then remember(AF) me!(AG)
14 If someone dies, will they live again?
    All the days of my hard service(AH)
    I will wait for my renewal[b](AI) to come.
15 You will call and I will answer you;(AJ)
    you will long for the creature your hands have made.(AK)
16 Surely then you will count my steps(AL)
    but not keep track of my sin.(AM)
17 My offenses will be sealed(AN) up in a bag;(AO)
    you will cover over my sin.(AP)

18 “But as a mountain erodes and crumbles(AQ)
    and as a rock is moved from its place,(AR)
19 as water wears away stones
    and torrents(AS) wash away the soil,(AT)
    so you destroy a person’s hope.(AU)
20 You overpower them once for all, and they are gone;(AV)
    you change their countenance and send them away.(AW)
21 If their children are honored, they do not know it;
    if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it.(AX)
22 They feel but the pain of their own bodies(AY)
    and mourn only for themselves.(AZ)

Footnotes

  1. Job 14:3 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew me
  2. Job 14:14 Or release