1 Man {adam: human being} born of woman is short of days and full of turmoil {rogez: inner unrest}.
2 Like a flower{tsits: fragile blossom} he comes out and withers, and he flees like a shadow and does not endure{yaamod: keep standing}.
3 Even upon this, You have opened{paqach: inspect closely} Your eyes, and You bring me into judgment{mishpat: legal hearing} with You?
4 Who can bring the pure {tahor: ritually clean} from the impure? Not one {echad: not even one}.
5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with You {YHWH, Lifespan Appointer}, You have appointed his boundary {khok: defined limit}, and he cannot pass beyond it.
6 Look away {sheh: withdraw scrutiny} from him, and let him cease, until he is satisfied like a hired worker {sakhir: wage laborer} with his day.
7 For there is hope{tiqvah: future prospect} for a tree; if it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its shoot{yonakto: new offshoot} will not cease.
8 Even if its root {shoresh: hidden lifeline} grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the dust {afar: dry soil},
9 At the scent {meryeach: faint sign} of water it will sprout {yafriach: burst forth}, and it will produce a shoot like a plant.
10 But a man dies and is brought low {chelash: reduced strength}; a human expires, and where is he {ayyo: where now}?
11 Waters vanish from the sea {yam: Vast Basin}, and a river dries up and withers {yavesh: Becomes Dry}.
12 So a man lies down and does not rise; until the heavens {shamayim: sky canopy} are no more, he will not awake, nor be roused {yeoru: shaken awake} from his sleep.
13 Would that You {YHWH, Concealing Protector} would hide me in Sheol {sheol: death realm}, that You would conceal me until Your anger turns back, that You would set for me a statute, and that You would remember me.
14 If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my service {tseva'i: military hardship} I will wait, until my change {chalifati: longed-for relief} comes.
15 You shall call, and I {YHWH, Faithful Responder} will answer you; you shall long for the work {maaseh: formed handiwork} of your hands.
16 For now You {YHWH, Precise Examiner} count{tispōr: exact tally} my steps; You do not keep watch over my sin.
17 My transgression is sealed in a bundle {tsror: tied pouch}, and You {YHWH, Sustaining Upholder} cover over my iniquity.
18 But a falling mountain crumbles away {yibbol: gradual collapse}, and a rock will be removed {yeetak: pulled loose} from its place.
19 Waters wear away stones; You wash away its aftergrowth {sephikh: what springs up} from the dust of the earth, and You destroy the hope of a mortal {enosh: frail human}.
20 You overpower him forever {lanetsach: without end}, and he goes {vayahalokh: understated departure}; changing his face, You send him away.
21 His sons may be honored{yikhbedu: public esteem}, but he does not know; and they may be brought low, but he does not understand{yavin: grasp meaning} about them.
22 Only his flesh {basar: mortal body} upon him is in pain, and his soul upon him mourns {aval: bitter grief}.