¹Čovjek koga je žena rodila kratka je vijeka i pun nevolja.

¹Man, born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.

²K'o cvijet je nikao i vene već, poput sjene bježi ne zastajuć'.

²He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; and he fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not.

³Na takva, zar, ti oči otvaraš i preda se na sud ga izvodiš?

³Yet dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴Tko će čisto izvuć' iz nečista? Nitko!

⁴Who can bring a clean [man] out of the unclean? Not one!

⁵Pa kad su njegovi dani odbrojeni, kad mu broj mjeseci o tebi ovisi, kad mu granicu stavljaš neprijelaznu,

⁵If his days are determined, if the number of his months is with thee, [and] thou hast appointed his bounds which he must not pass,

⁶skini s njega pogled da počinut' može, poput najamnika da svoj dan uživa.

⁶Look away from him; and let him rest, till he accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

⁷TÓa ni drvu nije nada sva propala, posječeno, ono opet prozeleni i mladice nove iz njega izbiju.

⁷For there is hope for a tree: if it be cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender branch will not cease;

⁸Ako mu korijen i ostari u zemlji, ako mu se panj i sasuši u prahu,

⁸Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stock die in the ground,

⁹oćutjevši vodu, ono će propupat' i pustiti grane kao stablo novo.

⁹Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a young plant.

¹⁰Al' kad čovjek umre, ostaje pokošen, kad smrtnik izdahne, gdje li je on tada?

¹⁰But a man dieth, and is prostrate; yea, man expireth, and where is he?

¹¹Može sva voda iz mora ispariti i presahnut' rijeke, isušit posvema',

¹¹The waters recede from the lake, and the river wasteth and drieth up:

¹²al' čovjek kad legne, ne ustaje više, dok nebesa bude, neće se podići, od sna se svojega probuditi neće.

¹²So man lieth down, and riseth not again; till the heavens be no more, they do not awake, nor are raised out of their sleep.

¹³O, kad bi me htio skriti u Šeolu, zakloniti me dok srdžba ti ne mine, dÓati mi rok kad ćeš me se spomenuti,

¹³Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, that thou wouldest keep me secret until thine anger be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me, --

¹⁴- jer, kad umre čovjek, zar uskrsnut' može? - čekao bih te sve dane vojske svoje dok ne bi došao da mi smjenu dadeš.

¹⁴(If a man die, shall he live [again]?) all the days of my time of toil would I wait, till my change should come:

¹⁵Zvao bi me, a ja bih se odazvao: zaželio si se djela svojih ruku.

¹⁵Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee; thou wouldest have a desire after the work of thy hands.

¹⁶A sad nad svakim mojim vrebaš korakom, nijednog mi grijeha nećeš oprostiti,

¹⁶For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷u vreći si prijestup moj zapečatio i krivicu moju svu si zapisao.

¹⁷My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou heapest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸Vaj! K'o što se jednom uruši planina, k'o što se hridina s mjesta svog odvali,

¹⁸And indeed a mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of its place;

¹⁹k'o što voda kamen s vremenom istroši, a pljusak bujicom zemlju svu sapere, tako uništavaš nadu u čovjeku.

¹⁹The waters wear the stones, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

²⁰Oborio si ga - on ode za svagda, nagrđena lica, otjeran, odbačen.

²⁰Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth away; thou changest his countenance, and dismissest him.

²¹Djecu mu poštuju - o tom ništa ne zna; ako su prezrena - o tom ne razmišlja.

²¹His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, and he perceiveth it not.

²²On jedino pati zbog svojega tijela, on jedino tuži zbog svojeg života."

²²But his flesh hath pain for himself alone, and his soul mourneth for himself.