1. "Man who is born of woman lives only a short time and is full of trouble.
2. He grows up and dries like a flower. He leaves like a shadow and does not stay.
3. You open Your eyes on him and decide about him.
4. Who can make clean what is unclean? No one!
5. A man's days are numbered. You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set.
6. So now look away from him that he may rest, until he has lived the time set for him like a man paid to work.
7. "For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will grow again, and that its branches will not stop growing.
8. Its roots grow old in the ground, and the base of the tree dies in the dry ground.
9. But with water it will grow. Branches will grow from it like a plant.
10. But man dies and is laid low. Man dies, and where is he?
11. As water goes into the air from the sea, and the river wastes away and dries up,
12. so man lies down and does not get up again. Until the heavens are no more, he will not wake up or come out of his sleep.
13. "If only You would hide me in the place of the dead! If only You would hide me until Your anger is past, and set a time for me and remember me!
14. If a man dies, will he live again? I will wait all the days of my trouble until a change comes.
15. You will call and I will answer You. You will wait for the work of Your hands.
16. For now You number my steps. You do not write down my sin.
17. My sin is locked up in a bag. You cover my wrong-doing.
18. "But the mountain falls and breaks apart to nothing. The rock moves from its place.
19. Water wears away the stones. Its floods wash away the dust of the earth. So You destroy man's hope.
20. You have power over him forever, and he leaves. You change what he looks like and send him away.
21. His sons receive honor, but he does not know it. Or they lose honor, but he does not see it.
22. His body gives him pain, and he has sorrow only for himself."