1 As for man, the son of woman, his days are short and full of trouble.2 He comes out like a flower, and is cut down: he goes in flight like a shade, and is never seen again.3 Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?4 If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.5 If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go;6 Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment.7 For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end.8 Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust;9 Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant.10 But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he?11 The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry;12 So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.13 If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again!14 If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.15 At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.16 For now my steps are numbered by you, and my sin is not overlooked.17 My wrongdoing is corded up in a bag, and my sin is shut up safe.18 But truly a mountain falling comes to dust, and a rock is moved from its place;19 The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.20 You overcome him for ever, and he is gone; his face is changed in death, and you send him away.21 His sons come to honour, and he has no knowledge of it; they are made low, but he is not conscious of it.22 Only his flesh still has pain, and his soul is sad.

1 [Homo natus de muliere, brevi vivens tempore,repletur multis miseriis.2 Qui quasi flos egreditur et conteritur,et fugit velut umbra, et numquam in eodem statu permanet.3 Et dignum ducis super hujuscemodi aperire oculos tuos,et adducere eum tecum in judicium ?4 Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine ?nonne tu qui solus es ?5 Breves dies hominis sunt :numerus mensium ejus apud te est :constituisti terminos ejus, qui prteriri non poterunt.6 Recede paululum ab eo, ut quiescat,donec optata veniat, sicut mercenarii, dies ejus.7 Lignum habet spem :si prcisum fuerit, rursum virescit,et rami ejus pullulant.8 Si senuerit in terra radix ejus,et in pulvere emortuus fuerit truncus illius,9 ad odorem aqu germinabit,et faciet comam, quasi cum primum plantatum est.10 Homo vero cum mortuus fuerit, et nudatus,atque consumptus, ubi, quso, est ?11 Quomodo si recedant aqu de mari,et fluvius vacuefactus arescat :12 sic homo, cum dormierit, non resurget :donec atteratur clum, non evigilabit,nec consurget de somno suo.13 Quis mihi hoc tribuat, ut in inferno protegas me,et abscondas me donec pertranseat furor tuus,et constituas mihi tempus in quo recorderis mei ?14 Putasne mortuus homo rursum vivat ?cunctis diebus quibus nunc milito, expectodonec veniat immutatio mea.15 Vocabis me, et ego respondebo tibi :operi manuum tuarum porriges dexteram.16 Tu quidem gressus meos dinumerasti :sed parce peccatis meis.17 Signasti quasi in sacculo delicta mea,sed curasti iniquitatem meam.18 Mons cadens defluit,et saxum transfertur de loco suo :19 lapides excavant aqu,et alluvione paulatim terra consumitur :et hominem ergo similiter perdes.20 Roborasti eum paululum, ut in perpetuum transiret :immutabis faciem ejus, et emittes eum.21 Sive nobiles fuerint filii ejus,sive ignobiles, non intelliget.22 Attamen caro ejus, dum vivet, dolebit,et anima illius super semetipso lugebit.]