14 ^(A) Life is short and sorrowful
    for every living soul.
² We are flowers that fade
    and shadows that vanish.
³ And so, I ask you, God,
    why pick on me?
⁴ There's no way a human
    can be completely pure.
⁵ Our time on earth is brief;
the number of our days
    is already decided by you.
⁶ Why don't you leave us alone
and let us find some happiness
    while we toil and labor?

⁷ When a tree is chopped down,
there is always the hope
    that it will sprout again.
⁸ Its roots and stump may rot,
⁹ but at the touch of water,
    it sprouts once again.
¹⁰ Humans are different—
    we die, and that's the end.
¹¹ We are like streams and lakes
    after the water has gone;
¹² we fall into the sleep of death,
never to rise again,
    until the sky disappears.
¹³ Please hide me, God,
    deep in the ground—
and when you are angry no more,
    remember to rescue me.

¹⁴ Will we humans live again?
I would gladly suffer
    and wait for my time.
¹⁵ My Creator, you would want me;
you would call out,
    and I would answer.
¹⁶ You would take care of me,
    but not count my sins—
¹⁷ you would put them in a bag,
tie it tight,
    and toss them away.
¹⁸ But in the real world,
mountains tumble,
    and rocks crumble;
¹⁹ streams wear away stones
and wash away soil.
    And you destroy our hopes!
²⁰ You change the way we look,
then send us away,
    wiped out forever.
²¹ We never live to know
if our children are praised
    or disgraced.
²² We feel no pain but our own,
and when we mourn,
    it's only for ourselves.

15 Eliphaz from Teman^[a] said:
* ² Job, if you had any sense,
³ you would stop spreading
    all of this hot air.
⁴ Your words are enough
to make others turn from God
    and lead them to doubt.
⁵ And your sinful, scheming mind
    is the source of all you say.
⁶ I am not here as your judge;
your own words are witnesses
    against you.

¹⁷ Just listen to what I know,
    and you will learn
¹⁸ wisdom known by others
    since ancient times.
¹⁹ Those who gained such insights
    also gained the land,
and they were not influenced
    by foreign teachings.
²⁰ But suffering is in store
    each day for those who sin.
²¹ Even in times of success,
they constantly hear
    the threat of doom.
²² Darkness, despair, and death
    are their destiny.
²³ They scrounge around for food,
all the while dreading
    the approaching darkness.
²⁴ They are overcome with despair,
like frightened soldiers facing
    a fearsome king in battle.
²⁵ This is because they rebelled
    against God All-Powerful
²⁶ and have attacked him
    with their weapons.

16 Job said:
² I have often heard this,
    and it offers no comfort.
³ So why don't you keep quiet?
    What's bothering you?
⁴ If I were in your place,
it would be easy to criticize
    or to give advice.
⁵ But I would offer hope
    and comfort instead.

¹² Everything was going well,
until God grabbed my neck
    and shook me to pieces.
God set me up as the target
¹³     for his arrows,
and without showing mercy,
he slashed my stomach open,
    spilling out my insides.
¹⁴ God never stops attacking,
¹⁵     and so, in my sorrow
I dress in sackcloth^[d]
    and sit in the dust.
¹⁶ My face is red with tears,
and dark shadows
    circle my eyes,
¹⁷ though I am not violent,
    and my prayers are sincere.