Job 14
New King James Version
Job Speaks of Life’s Woes
14 “Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and (A)full of [a]trouble.
2 (B)He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
3 And (C)do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And (D)bring [b]me to judgment with Yourself?
4 Who (E)can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
5 (F)Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
6 (G)Look away from him that he may [c]rest,
Till (H)like a hired man he finishes his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
10 But man dies and [d]is laid away;
Indeed he [e]breathes his last
And where is (I)he?
11 As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,
12 So man lies down and does not rise.
(J)Till the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.
13 “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is 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 hard service (K)I will wait,
Till my change comes.
15 (L)You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
16 For now (M)You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
17 (N)My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You [f]cover my iniquity.
18 “But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
19 As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and (O)he does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
22 But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.”
Job 14
La Bible du Semeur
Job demande à Dieu d’abréger ses souffrances
14 L’homme né de la femme,
ses jours sont limités ╵et pleins de troubles !
2 Il est comme une fleur ╵qui sort de terre et que l’on coupe.
Il fuit comme une ombre furtive, ╵et il ne dure pas.
3 Et c’est cet homme ╵que tu épies,
et, devant toi, ╵tu me traînes[a] en justice.
4 Peut-on tirer le pur ╵de ce qui est impur ?
Personne ne le peut.
5 Puisque tu as fixé ╵le nombre de ses jours, ╵et que toi, tu connais ╵le nombre de ses ans,
puisque tu as fixé ╵le terme de sa vie ╵qu’il ne franchira pas,
6 détourne tes regards de lui, ╵accorde-lui quelque répit
pour qu’il jouisse de son repos ╵comme le salarié[b].
7 Car un arbre, du moins, ╵conserve une espérance :
s’il est coupé, ╵il peut renaître encore,
il ne cesse d’avoir ╵de nouveaux rejetons.
8 Sa racine peut bien ╵vieillir dans le terrain
et sa souche périr, ╵enfouie dans la poussière,
9 dès qu’il flaire de l’eau, ╵voilà qu’il reverdit
et produit des rameaux ╵comme une jeune plante.
10 Mais lorsque l’homme meurt, ╵il reste inanimé.
Quand l’être humain expire, ╵où donc est-il alors ?
11 L’eau disparaît des mers,
les rivières tarissent ╵et restent desséchées,
12 et l’homme, quand il meurt, ╵ne se relève plus ;
jusqu’à ce que le ciel s’éclipse ╵il ne se réveillera pas,
il ne sortira pas ╵de son dernier sommeil.
13 Si seulement, ô Dieu, ╵tu voulais me tenir caché ╵dans le séjour des morts,
m’y abriter ╵jusqu’au jour où, enfin, ╵ta colère sera passée !
Si seulement tu me fixais ╵un terme après lequel ╵tu penserais à moi !
14 Mais l’homme une fois mort, ╵va-t-il revivre ?
Alors, tous les jours de service ╵que je dois accomplir
j’attendrais que le temps ╵de ma relève arrive.
15 Toi, tu m’appellerais ╵et je te répondrais,
et tu soupirerais ╵après ta créature.
16 Alors que maintenant ╵tu comptes tous mes pas !
Tu ne resterais plus ╵à l’affût de mes fautes.
17 Ainsi mon crime ╵serait scellé[c] dans un sachet,
tu couvrirais mes fautes ╵d’une couche de plâtre.
18 La montagne s’écroule ╵et se disloque,
le rocher se détache ╵du lieu qu’il occupait.
19 L’eau érode les pierres
et son ruissellement ╵entraîne le terreau.
De même, tu anéantis ╵l’espoir de l’homme.
20 Tu le terrasses sans retour, ╵et il s’en va.
Oui, tu le défigures[d], ╵puis tu le congédies.
21 Que ses enfants soient honorés, ╵lui, il n’en saura rien.
Ou qu’ils soient abaissés, ╵lui, il l’ignorera.
22 Il ne peut que souffrir ╵du mal qui l’atteint en son corps
et s’affliger ╵du malheur qu’il ressent.
Job 14
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
14 ‘A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of trouble,
2 comes up like a flower and withers,
flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 Do you fix your eyes on such a one?
Do you bring me into judgement with you?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one can.
5 Since their days are determined,
and the number of their months is known to you,
and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass,
6 look away from them, and desist,[a]
that they may enjoy, like labourers, their days.
7 ‘For there is hope for a tree,
if it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root grows old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the ground,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth branches like a young plant.
10 But mortals die, and are laid low;
humans expire, and where are they?
11 As waters fail from a lake,
and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so mortals lie down and do not rise again;
until the heavens are no more, they will not awake
or be roused out of their sleep.
13 O that you would hide me in Sheol,
that you would conceal me until your wrath is past,
that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If mortals die, will they live again?
All the days of my service I would wait
until my release should come.
15 You would call, and I would answer you;
you would long for the work of your hands.
16 For then you would not[b] number my steps,
you would not keep watch over my sin;
17 my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.
18 ‘But the mountain falls and crumbles away,
and 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 mortals.
20 You prevail for ever against them, and they pass away;
you change their countenance, and send them away.
21 Their children come to honour, and they do not know it;
they are brought low, and it goes unnoticed.
22 They feel only the pain of their own bodies,
and mourn only for themselves.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
La Bible Du Semeur (The Bible of the Sower) Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.