Job 14, side by side

¹“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.

¹Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

²Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

²He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

³Do You open Your eyes to one like this? Will You bring him into judgment before You?

³And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

⁴Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

⁵Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,

⁵Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

⁶look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

⁶Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

⁷For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail.

⁷For 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.

⁸If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil,

⁸Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

⁹at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling.

⁹Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he?

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

¹¹As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,

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

¹²so a man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no more, he will not be awakened or roused from sleep.

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

¹³If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me!

¹³O 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!

¹⁴When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.

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

¹⁵You will call, and I will answer; You will desire the work of Your hands.

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

¹⁶For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin.

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

¹⁷My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.

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

¹⁸But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place,

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

¹⁹as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope.

¹⁹The 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.

²⁰You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.

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

²¹If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he is unaware.

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

²²He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”

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