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¹ MAN that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.² He comes forth like a flower, and withers and fades away; he flees like a shadow, and continues not.³ And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bring him into judgment with thee?⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one.⁵ Seeing his days are determined and the number of his months are decreed, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot trespass them;⁶ Turn thy face away from him, and his days will be spent like a hireling.

⁷ For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and its tender shoots will not cease.⁸ Though its root wax old in the earth and its stock die in the ground,⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud and bring forth leaves like a plant;¹⁰ But man dies, and fades away; yea, man perishes, and he is no more.¹¹ As the waters fail from the sea, and a river becomes desolate and dries up;¹² So man who lies down does not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.¹³ O that thou wouldst hide me in Sheol, that thou wouldst keep me in a secret place until thy wrath is spent, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time and remember me!¹⁴ If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of his youth he waits till old age comes.¹⁵ If thou wouldst call me, I would answer thee; thou wilt think of the work of thy hands.

¹⁶ For now thou numberest not my steps: and thou keepest not watch over my sins.¹⁷ My transgressions are sealed up in a bag, and thou removest from me my sins.¹⁸ Truly a great mountain falls, and a rock moves out of its place.¹⁹ The waters wear away the stones and wash away the soil of the earth; so thou destroyest the hope of man.²⁰ Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passes; thou castest him away with shame on his face.²¹ If his sons multiply, he does not know it; if they decrease, he perceives it not of them.²² But his flesh upon him shall have pal,, and his soul within him shall mourn.