Job 14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 14
1 Man born of woman
is short-lived and full of trouble,[a](A)
2 Like a flower that springs up and fades,(B)
swift as a shadow that does not abide.
3 Upon such a one will you set your eyes,
bringing me into judgment before you?
4 Can anyone make the unclean clean?(C)
No one can.
5 Since his days are determined—
you know the number of his months;
you have fixed the limit which he cannot pass—
6 Look away from him and let him be,
while, like a hireling, he completes his day.
7 For a tree there is hope;
if it is cut down, it will sprout again,
its tender shoots will not cease.
8 Even though its root grow old in the earth
and its stump die in the dust,
9 Yet at the first whiff of water it sprouts
and puts forth branches like a young plant.
10 But when a man dies, all vigor leaves him;(D)
when a mortal expires, where then is he?
11 As when the waters of a lake fail,
or a stream shrivels and dries up,
12 So mortals lie down, never to rise.
Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake,
nor be roused out of their sleep.(E)
13 Oh, that you would hide me in Sheol,
shelter me till your wrath is past,
fix a time to remember me!
14 If a man were to die, and live again,
all the days of my drudgery I would wait(F)
for my relief to come.
15 You would call, and I would answer you;
you would long for the work of your hands.
16 Surely then you would count my steps,(G)
and not keep watch for sin in me.
17 My misdeeds would be sealed up in a pouch,[b]
and you would cover over my guilt.
18 Mountains fall and crumble,
rocks move from their place,
19 And water wears away stone,
and floods wash away the soil of the land—
so you destroy the hope of mortals!
20 You prevail once for all against them and they pass on;
you dismiss them with changed appearance.
21 If their children are honored, they are not aware of it;
or if disgraced, they do not know about them.
22 Only for themselves, their pain;
only for themselves, their mourning.
Footnotes
- 14:1 The sorrowful lament of Job is that God should relent in view of the limited life of human beings. When compared to plant life, which dies but can revive, the death of human beings is final. Job’s wild and “unthinkable” wish in vv. 13–17 is a bold stroke of imagination and desire: if only in Sheol he were protected till God would remember him! Were he to live again (v. 14), things would be different, but alas, God destroys “the hope of mortals” (v. 19).
- 14:17 Sealed up in a pouch: hidden away and forgotten.
Job 14
Svenska Folkbibeln
Job avslutar sitt svar på Sofars första tal
14 Människan, av kvinna född, lever en kort tid och mättas av oro.
2 Likt ett blomster växer hon upp och vissnar,
likt en skugga flyr hon och kan ej bestå.
3 Det är mot en sådan du öppnar ditt öga,
ja, du drar mig till doms inför dig.
4 Kan det komma en ren från en oren?
Nej, inte en enda!
5 Eftersom människans dagar är bestämda,
hennes månaders antal fastställda av dig,
och du har utstakat en gräns som hon ej kan överskrida,
6 vänd då din blick ifrån henne och ge henne ro,
låt henne få glädje av sin dag, likt en daglönare.
7 För ett träd finns det hopp,
om det huggs ner kan det åter gro,
och nya skott skall ej saknas.
8 Om än dess rötter åldras i jorden
och stubben dör i mullen,
9 skall det grönska genom vattnets ångor
och skjuta skott likt ett ungt träd.
10 Men när en man dör, ligger han där,
när en människa ger upp andan, var är hon?
11 Som vattnet försvinner ur sjön
och en flod sinar och torkar ut,
12 så lägger sig människan och står ej upp igen.
Först när inte himlen mer finns,
vaknar hon och reser sig från sin sömn.
13 O, att du ville gömma mig i dödsriket,
dölja mig till dess att din vrede upphör,
sätta en bestämd tid för mig och tänka på mig!
14 Kan en människa få liv igen som en gång dött?
Då skulle jag hålla ut i min mödas tid,
till dess att min avlösning kommer.
15 Du skulle ropa på mig, och jag skulle svara dig,
du skulle längta efter dina händers verk.
16 Fastän du nu räknar mina steg,
skall du inte ge akt på min synd.
17 Min överträdelse ligger i en förseglad pung,
och du överskyler min missgärning.
18 Men som berget faller och vittrar bort,
som klippan flyttas från sin plats,
19 som vatten nöter sönder stenar,
som dess flöden sköljer bort myllan,
så gör du människans hopp om intet.
20 Du besegrar henne för alltid och hon går bort,
du förändrar hennes ansikte och sänder i väg henne.
21 Om hennes barn kommer till ära, vet hon det inte,
om de blir ringa, ser hon det inte.
22 Hennes kropp känner bara sin egen plåga,
hennes själ bara sin egen sorg.
Job 14
Names of God Bible
Job Continues: Consider My Frail Human Nature, God
14 “A person who is born of a woman is short-lived
and is full of trouble.
2 He comes up like a flower; then he withers.
He is like a fleeting shadow; he doesn’t stay long.
3 You observe this
and call me to account to you.
4 “If only an unclean person could become clean![a]
It’s not possible.
5 If the number of his days
and the number of his months are determined by you,
and you set his limit,
then he cannot go past it.
6 Look away from him, and he will cease to be.[b]
Meanwhile, he loves life as a laborer loves work.
7 There is hope for a tree when it is cut down.
It will sprout again.
Its shoots will not stop sprouting.
8 If its roots grow old in the ground
and its stump dies in the soil,
9 merely a scent of water will make it sprout
and grow branches like a plant.
10 But a human dies and is powerless.
A person breathes his last breath, and where is he?
11 As water drains out of a lake,
or as a river dries up completely,
12 so each person lies down
and does not rise until the heavens cease to exist.
He does not wake up.
He is not awakened from his sleep.
13 I wish you would hide me in Sheol
and keep me hidden there until your anger cools.
Set a specific time for me when you will remember me.
14 “If a person dies, will he go on living?
I will wait for my relief to come
as long as my hard labor continues.
15 You will call, and I will answer you.
You will long for the person your hands have made.
16 Though now you count my steps,
you will not keep a record of my sins.
17 My disobedience will be closed up in a bag,
and you will cover over my sins.
18 As surely as a mountain falls
and rocks are dislodged,
19 so water wears away stone,
floods wash away soil from the land,
and you destroy a mortal’s hope.
20 You overpower him forever, and he passes away.
You change his appearance and send him away.
21 His sons are honored, and he doesn’t know it.
Or they become unimportant, and he doesn’t realize it.
22 He feels only his body’s pain.
He is only worried about himself.”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
1996, 1998 by Stiftelsen Svenska Folkbibeln
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.