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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 is cut down: He flees also as a shadow, and does not continue.³ And do you open your eyes on such a one, And bring me into judgment with you?⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.⁵ Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with you, And you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass;⁶ Look away from him, that he may rest, Until he shall accomplish, as a hired worker, his day.

⁷ For there is hope of a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.⁸ Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, And the stock thereof die in the ground;⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant.¹⁰ But [noble] man dies, and is laid low: Yes, man gives up the ghost, and where is he?¹¹ [As] the waters fail from the sea, And the river wastes and dries up;¹² So man lies down and does not rise: Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.¹³ Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, That you would keep me secret, until your wrath is past, That you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!¹⁴ If a [noble] man die, shall he live [again]? All the days of my warfare I would wait, Until my release should come.¹⁵ You would call, and I would answer you: You would have a desire to the work of your hands.

¹⁶ But now you number my steps: Do you not watch over my sin?¹⁷ My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And you fasten up my iniquity.¹⁸ But the mountain falling comes to nothing; And the rock is removed out of its place;¹⁹ The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So you destroy the hope of common man.²⁰ You prevail forever against him, and he passes; You change his countenance, and send him away.²¹ His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; And they are brought low, but he doesn't perceive it of them.²² But his flesh on him has pain, And his soul inside him mourns.