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¹ Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.² Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.³ And dost thou think it meet to open thy eyes upon such an one, and to bring him into judgment with thee?⁴ Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? is it not thou who only art?⁵ The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed.⁶ Depart a little from him, that he may rest until his wished for day come, as that of the hireling.

⁷ A tree hath hope: if it be cut, it growth green again, and the boughs thereof sprout.⁸ If its roots be old in the earth, and its stock be dead in the dust:⁹ At the scent of water, it shall spring, and bring forth leaves, as when it was first planted.¹⁰ But man when he shall be dead, and stripped and consumed, I pray you where is he?¹¹ As if the waters should depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be dried up;¹² So man when he is fallen asleep shall not rise again; till the heavens be broken, he shall not awake, nor rise up out of his sleep.¹³ Who will grant me this, that thou mayst protect me in hell, and hide me till thy wrath pass, and appoint me a time when thou wilt remember me?¹⁴ Shall man that is dead, thinkest thou, live again? all the days in which I am now in warfare, I expect until my change come.¹⁵ Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee: to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand.

¹⁶ Thou indeed hast numbered my steps, but spare my sins.¹⁷ Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag, but hast cured my iniquity.¹⁸ A mountain falling cometh to nought, and a rock is removed out of its place.¹⁹ Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away: so in like manner thou shalt destroy man.²⁰ Thou hast strengthened him for a little while, that he may pass away for ever: thou shalt change his face, and shalt send him away.²¹ Whether his children come to honour or dishonour, he shall not understand.²² But yet his flesh, while he shall live, shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.