Job Continues to Argue His Case with God

¹ “A human being born of a woman is short of days and full of troubles.¹

1. Literally “trouble”

² Like a flower he comes up, and he withers away; and he flees like a¹ shadow, but² he does not last.

1. Or “the”
2. Hebrew “and”

³ Even on such a one you fix your eyes, and you bring me into judgment with you.

⁴ “Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean thing? No one!¹

1. Or “Not one”

⁵ If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you; you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.

⁶ Look away from him, and let him desist until he enjoys his days like a laborer.

⁷ “Indeed, there is hope for a tree: if it is cut down, then¹ it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not cease;

1. Hebrew “and”

⁸ though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the dust,

⁹ at¹ the scent of water it will bud, and it will put forth branches like a young plant.

1. Hebrew “from”

¹⁰ “But¹ a man dies, and he dwindles away; thus² a human being passes away, and where is he?³

1. Hebrew “And”
2. Hebrew “And”
3. Or “where is he then?”

¹¹ As water disappears from a lake, and a river withers away and dries up,¹

1. Or “it dries up”

¹² ⌞so⌟¹ a man lies down, and he does not arise. ⌞Until the heavens are no more⌟,² they will not awaken, and they will not be roused out of their sleep.

1. Literally “and”
2. Literally “Until not heavens”

¹³ “⌞O that⌟¹ you would conceal me in Sheol, that you would hide me ⌞until your wrath is past⌟,² that you would appoint a set time for me and remember me.

1. Literally “Who shall give”
2. Literally “until the return of your nose”

¹⁴ If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my compulsory service I will wait, until the coming of my relief.

¹⁵ You would call, and I myself¹ would answer you; you would long for the work of your hand.

1. Emphatic personal pronoun

¹⁶ For then¹ you would count my steps, but you would not keep watch over my sin.

1. Hebrew “now”

¹⁷ My transgression would be sealed in a bag, and you would cover over my guilt.

¹⁸ “But¹ a mountain falls; it crumbles away, and a rock moves away from its place.

1. Or “And but”

¹⁹ Water wears away stones; its torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so¹ you destroy the hope of human beings.

1. Hebrew “and”

²⁰ You overpower him forever, and he passes away; you change ⌞his countenance⌟,¹ ⌞then⌟² you send him away.

1. Literally “his faces”
2. Hebrew “and”

²¹ His children may come to honor, but¹ he does not know it; or² they may become lowly, but³ he does not realize it.⁴

1. Hebrew “and”
2. Hebrew “and”
3. Hebrew “and”
4. Or “them”

²² He feels only the pain of his own body,¹ and his inner self² mourns for him.”³

1. Hebrew “his body on him”
2. Or “soul”
3. Or “for himself”