Job 14

1Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. 2He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. 3And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? 4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. 5Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; 6Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

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. 8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; 9Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. 10But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? 11As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. 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! 14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. 15Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

16For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin? 17My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity. 18And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place. 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. 20Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. 21His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them. 22But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

King James Version (1769) · public domain

1“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. 2Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. 3Do You open Your eyes to one like this? Will You bring him into judgment before You? 4Who can bring out clean from unclean? No 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, 6look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

7For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail. 8If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil, 9at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling. 10But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he? 11As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry, 12so a man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no more, he will not be awakened or roused from 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! 14When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes. 15You will call, and I will answer; You will desire the work of Your hands.

16For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin. 17My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and You would cover over my iniquity. 18But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place, 19as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope. 20You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away. 21If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he is unaware. 22He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself.”

Berean Standard Bible · public domain

1“Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble. 2He grows up like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn’t continue. 3Do you open your eyes on such a one, and bring me into judgment with you? 4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. 5Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can’t pass. 6Look away from him, that he may rest, until he accomplishes, as a hireling, his day.

7“For there is hope for a tree if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch of it will not cease. 8Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground, 9yet through the scent of water it will bud, and sprout boughs like a plant. 10But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he? 11As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up, 12so man lies down and doesn’t rise. Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep. 13“Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would keep me secret until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me! 14If a man dies, will he live again? I would wait all the days of my warfare, until my release should come. 15You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire for the work of your hands.

16But now you count my steps. Don’t you watch over my sin? 17My disobedience is sealed up in a bag. You fasten up my iniquity. 18“But the mountain falling comes to nothing. The rock is removed out of its place. 19The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man. 20You forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away. 21His sons come to honor, and he doesn’t know it. They are brought low, but he doesn’t perceive it of them. 22But his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns.”

World English Bible · public domain