2 We blossom like a flower and then wither.Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear.
3 Must you keep an eye on such a frail creatureand demand an accounting from me?
4 Who can bring purity out of an impure person?No one!
5 You have decided the length of our lives.You know how many months we will live,and we are not given a minute longer.
6 So leave us alone and let us rest!We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.
7 “Even a tree has more hope!If it is cut down, it will sprout againand grow new branches.
8 Though its roots have grown old in the earthand its stump decays,