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 Como é frágil o ser humano- são bem poucos os seus dias e bem cheiosde inquietação!
2 Desabrocha por um momento, como uma flor - e logo seca; como a sombra fugitiva duma nuvem que o vento sopra,também ele desaparece num instante. Terás mesmo que ser assim tão ásperopara com os fracos humanose trazê-los a julgamento?
6 Por isso, dá-lhe um pouco de descanso, peço-te. Desvia dele a tua zangae permite que tenha ainda alguns momentos de repouso antes de morrer.
7 Até para uma planta há esperança- se lhe cortarem um ramo ainda pode dar rebentos e florescer;
8 mesmo quando as raízes começam a envelhecer, debaixo da terra,e o caule fica menos tenso,
9 é capaz ainda de se renovar, se for regada,à semelhança duma planta nova.
10 Mas quando uma pessoa morre e a enterram, dá o último suspiro,e que fica dele?
13 Oh, se me escondesses na região da morte e lá me deixasses esquecidoaté que a tua ira tivesse acabado, e tivesses um momento determinadoem que tornasses a lembrar-te de mim!
14 Se um indivíduo morre, voltará à vida? Este pensamento aliás dá-me esperança, de tal forma que, na minha angústia toda,desejo que isto acabe!
15 Chamar-me-ias, eu te responderia acorrendo à tua presençae recompensar-me-ias de tudo o que fiz.
16 Observarias todos os meus actose não tomarias em conta as minhas falhas.
17 Arquivarias o processo que serviria para me condenar.
18 As colinas podem desfazer-se e desaparecer.
19 A erosão da água sobre as rochas fá-las em areia,e a sua força altera a superfície do solo. Da mesma forma toda a esperança dos homens se esvai.
20 Fazes deles gente velha e enrugada, e depois manda-los embora.
21 Nunca chega a saber se os seus filhos são honrados pela sociedade,ou antes se decaiem e se arruinam.
22 Para ele há apenas tristeza e sofrimento.