1 אָדָם יְלוּד אִשָּׁה קְצַר יָמִים וּשְׂבַע־רֹגֶז | 1 a human being, born of woman, whose life is short but ful of trouble. |
2 כְּצִיץ יָצָא וַיִּמָּל וַיִּבְרַח כַּצֵּל וְלֹא יַעֲמֹוד | 2 Like a flower, such a one blossoms and withers, fleeting as a shadow, transient. |
3 אַף־עַל־זֶה פָּקַחְתָּ עֵינֶךָ וְאֹתִי תָבִיא בְמִשְׁפָּט עִמָּךְ | 3 And this is the creature on whom you fix your gaze, and bring to judgement before you! |
4 מִי־יִתֵּן טָהֹור מִטָּמֵא לֹא אֶחָד | 4 But will anyone produce the pure from what is impure? No one can! |
5 אִם חֲרוּצִים ׀ יָמָיו מִסְפַּר־חֳדָשָׁיו אִתָּךְ [חֻקֹּו כ] (חֻקָּיו ק) עָשִׂיתָ וְלֹא יַעֲבֹור | 5 Since his days are measured out, since his tale of months depends on you, since you assign himbounds he cannot pass, |
6 שְׁעֵה מֵעָלָיו וְיֶחְדָּל עַד־יִרְצֶה כְּשָׂכִיר יֹומֹו | 6 turn your eyes from him, leave him alone, like a hired labourer, to finish his day in peace. |
7 כִּי יֵשׁ לָעֵץ תִּקְוָה אִם־יִכָּרֵת וְעֹוד יַחֲלִיף וְיֹנַקְתֹּו לֹא תֶחְדָּל | 7 There is always hope for a tree: when fel ed, it can start its life again; its shoots continue to sprout. |
8 אִם־יַזְקִין בָּאָרֶץ שָׁרְשֹׁו וּבֶעָפָר יָמוּת גִּזְעֹו | 8 Its roots may have grown old in the earth, its stump rotting in the ground, |
9 מֵרֵיחַ מַיִם יַפְרִחַ וְעָשָׂה קָצִיר כְּמֹו־נָטַע | 9 but let it scent the water, and it buds, and puts out branches like a plant newly set. |
10 וְגֶבֶר יָמוּת וַיֶּחֱלָשׁ וַיִּגְוַע אָדָם וְאַיֹּו | 10 But a human being? He dies, and dead he remains, breathes his last, and then where is he? |
11 אָזְלוּ־מַיִם מִנִּי־יָם וְנָהָר יֶחֱרַב וְיָבֵשׁ | 11 The waters of the sea wil vanish, the rivers stop flowing and run dry: |
12 וְאִישׁ שָׁכַב וְלֹא־יָקוּם עַד־בִּלְתִּי מַיִם לֹא יָקִיצוּ וְלֹא־יֵעֹרוּ מִשְּׁנָתָם | 12 a human being, once laid to rest, will never rise again, the heavens wil wear out before he wakes up,or before he is roused from his sleep. |
13 מִי יִתֵּן ׀ בִּשְׁאֹול תַּצְפִּנֵנִי תַּסְתִּירֵנִי עַד־שׁוּב אַפֶּךָ תָּשִׁית לִי חֹק וְתִזְכְּרֵנִי | 13 Will no one hide me in Sheol, and shelter me there til your anger is past, fixing a certain day forcal ing me to mind- |
14 אִם־יָמוּת גֶּבֶר הֲיִחְיֶה כָּל־יְמֵי צְבָאִי אֲיַחֵל עַד־בֹּוא חֲלִיפָתִי | 14 can the dead come back to life? - day after day of my service, I should be waiting for my relief tocome. |
15 תִּקְרָא וְאָנֹכִי אֶעֱנֶךָּ לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ תִכְסֹף | 15 Then you would cal , and I should answer, you would want to see once more what you have made. |
16 כִּי־עַתָּה צְעָדַי תִּסְפֹּור לֹא־תִשְׁמֹור עַל־חַטָּאתִי | 16 Whereas now you count every step I take, you would then stop spying on my sin; |
17 חָתֻם בִּצְרֹור פִּשְׁעִי וַתִּטְפֹּל עַל־עֲוֹנִי | 17 you would seal up my crime in a bag, and put a cover over my fault. |
18 וְאוּלָם הַר־נֹופֵל יִבֹּול וְצוּר יֶעְתַּק מִמְּקֹמֹו | 18 Alas! Just as, eventual y, the mountain fal s down, the rock moves from its place, |
19 אֲבָנִים ׀ שָׁחֲקוּ מַיִם תִּשְׁטֹף־סְפִיחֶיהָ עֲפַר־אָרֶץ וְתִקְוַת אֱנֹושׁ הֶאֱבַדְתָּ | 19 water wears away the stones, the cloudburst erodes the soil; so you destroy whatever hope a personhas. |
20 תִּתְקְפֵהוּ לָנֶצַח וַיַּהֲלֹךְ מְשַׁנֶּה פָנָיו וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵהוּ | 20 You crush him once for al , and he is gone; first you disfigure him, then you dismiss him. |
21 יִכְבְּדוּ בָנָיו וְלֹא יֵדָע וְיִצְעֲרוּ וְלֹא־יָבִין לָמֹו | 21 His children may rise to honours -- he does not know it; they may come down in the world -- he doesnot care. |
22 אַךְ־בְּשָׂרֹו עָלָיו יִכְאָב וְנַפְשֹׁו עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל׃ פ | 22 He feels no pangs, except for his own body, makes no lament, except for his own self. |