1 A man is born of a woman, and liveth short time, and he is full-filled with many wretchednesses.

2 And he goeth out, and is defouled as a flower; and he fleeth away as a shadow, and dwelleth never perfectly in that same state.

3 And guessest thou worthy thing to open thine eyes upon such a man; and to bring him into doom with thee?

4 Who may make a man clean conceived of unclean seed? Whether not thou, Lord, that art alone?

5 The days of a man be short, and the number of his months be with thee; thou hast set, either ordained, his terms, which may not be passed.

6 Therefore go thou away from him a little, that he have rest; till his meed coveted come, and his day is as the day of an hired man.

7 A tree hath hope, if it is cut down; and again it waxeth green, and his branches spread forth.

8 If the root thereof is eld [or old] in the earth, and the stock thereof is nigh dead in dust;

9 it shall burgeon at the odour of water, and it shall make hair, that is, leaves and branches, or take root, as when it was planted first.

10 But when a man is dead, and made naked, and wasted; I pray, where is he?

11 As if waters go away from the sea, and as a river made void of waters wax dry,

12 so a man, when he hath slept, that is, died, he shall not rise again, till heaven be broken, or made new; he shall not wake, neither he shall rise altogether from his sleep.

13 Who giveth this to me, that thou defend me in hell, and that thou hide me, till thy great vengeance pass by; and that thou set to me a time, in which thou have mind on me?

14 Guessest thou, whether a dead man shall live again? Now in all the days, in which I hold knighthood, I abide, till my exchanging come.

15 Thou shalt call me, and I shall answer thee; thou shalt dress the right half, that is, bless, to the work of thine hands.

16 Soothly thou hast numbered my steps; but spare thou my sins.

17 Thou hast sealed as in a bag my trespasses, but thou hast cured my wickedness.

18 An hill falling droppeth down, and a rock of stone is borne over from his place.

19 Waters make stones hollow, and the earth is wasted little and little by washing away of water; and thou shalt lose men in like manner.

20 Thou madest a man strong a little, that he should pass by without end; thou shalt change his face, and shalt send him out.

21 Whether his sons be noble, either unnoble, he shall not understand.

22 Nevertheless his flesh, while he liveth, shall have sorrow, and his soul shall mourn upon himself.