Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New Revised Standard NRS
1 Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many miseries.
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"A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of trouble,
2 Who cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.
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comes up like a flower and withers, flees like a shadow and does not last.
3 And dost thou think it meet to open thy eyes upon such an one, and to bring him into judgment with thee?
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Do you fix your eyes on such a one? Do you bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? is it not thou who only art?
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Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one can.
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.
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Since their days are determined, and the number of their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass,
6 Depart a little from him, that he may rest until his wished for day come, as that of the hireling.
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look away from them, and desist, that they may enjoy, like laborers, their days.
7 A tree hath hope: if it be cut, it growth green again, and the boughs thereof sprout.
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"For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.
8 If its roots be old in the earth, and its stock be dead in the dust:
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Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
9 At the scent of water, it shall spring, and bring forth leaves, as when it was first planted.
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yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant.
10 But man when he shall be dead, and stripped and consumed, I pray you where is he?
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But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they?
11 As if the waters should depart out of the sea, and an emptied river should be dried up;
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As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries 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.
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so mortals lie down and do not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their 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?
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O that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and 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.
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If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come.
15 Thou shalt call me, and I will answer thee: to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach out thy right hand.
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You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands.
16 Thou indeed hast numbered my steps, but spare my sins.
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For then you would not number my steps, you would not keep watch over my sin;
17 Thou hast sealed up my offences as it were in a bag, but hast cured my iniquity.
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my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.
18 A mountain falling cometh to nought, and a rock is removed out of its place.
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"But the mountain falls and crumbles away, and the rock is removed from 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.
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the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of mortals.
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.
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You prevail forever against them, and they pass away; you change their countenance, and send them away.
21 Whether his children come to honour or dishonour, he shall not understand.
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Their children come to honor, and they do not know it; they are brought low, and it goes unnoticed.
22 But yet his flesh, while he shall live, shall have pain, and his soul shall mourn over him.
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They feel only the pain of their own bodies, and mourn only for themselves."
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.