Job 14:1-10

1 Man born of woman

is short of days and full of trouble. ^a
2 He blossoms like a flower, then withers; ^b
he flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 Do You really take notice of one like this?
Will You bring me into judgment against You? ^{▼▼LXX, Syr, Vg read him
,} ^d
4 Who can produce something pure from what is impure?
No one!
5 Since man’s days are determined
and the number of his months depends on You,
and since You have set ^{▼▼Lit set his} limits he cannot pass, ^f
6 look away from him and let him rest
so that he can enjoy his day like a hired hand. ^g

7 There is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its shoots will not die.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump starts to die in the soil,
9 the smell of water makes it thrive
and produce twigs like a sapling. ^h
10 But a man dies and fades away;
he breathes his last – where is he?