Job 14

1 A man is born of a woman, and liveth short time, and he is full-filled with many wretchednesses.⋮

2 And he goeth out, and is defouled as a flower; and he fleeth away as a shadow, and dwelleth never perfectly in that same state.⋮

3 And guessest thou worthy thing to open thine eyes upon such a man; and to bring him into doom with thee?⋮

4 Who may make a man clean conceived of unclean seed? Whether not thou, Lord, that art alone?⋮

5 The days of a man be short, and the number of his months be with thee; thou hast set, either ordained, his terms, which may not be passed.⋮

6 Therefore go thou away from him a little, that he have rest; till his meed coveted come, and his day is as the day of an hired man.⋮

7 A tree hath hope, if it is cut down; and again it waxeth green, and his branches spread forth.⋮

8 If the root thereof is eld or old in the earth, and the stock thereof is nigh dead in dust;⋮

9 it shall burgeon at the odour of water, and it shall make hair, that is, leaves and branches, or take root, as when it was planted first.⋮

10 But when a man is dead, and made naked, and wasted; I pray, where is he?⋮

11 As if waters go away from the sea, and as a river made void of waters wax dry,⋮

12 so a man, when he hath slept, that is, died, he shall not rise again, till heaven be broken, or made new; he shall not wake, neither he shall rise altogether from his sleep.⋮

13 Who giveth this to me, that thou defend me in hell, and that thou hide me, till thy great vengeance pass by; and that thou set to me a time, in which thou have mind on me?⋮

14 Guessest thou, whether a dead man shall live again? Now in all the days, in which I hold knighthood, I abide, till my exchanging come.⋮

15 Thou shalt call me, and I shall answer thee; thou shalt dress the right half, that is, bless, to the work of thine hands.⋮

16 Soothly thou hast numbered my steps; but spare thou my sins.⋮

17 Thou hast sealed as in a bag my trespasses, but thou hast cured my wickedness.⋮

18 An hill falling droppeth down, and a rock of stone is borne over from his place.⋮

19 Waters make stones hollow, and the earth is wasted little and little by washing away of water; and thou shalt lose men in like manner.⋮

20 Thou madest a man strong a little, that he should pass by without end; thou shalt change his face, and shalt send him out.⋮

21 Whether his sons be noble, either unnoble, he shall not understand.⋮

22 Nevertheless his flesh, while he liveth, shall have sorrow, and his soul shall mourn upon himself.⋮