17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?

Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker?

18 If God places no trust in his servants,

if he charges his angels with error,

19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,

whose foundations are in the dust,

who are crushed more readily than a moth!

20 Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;

unnoticed, they perish forever.

21 Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,

so that they die without wisdom?’

17 ‘Can mortal man be in the right before God?

Can a man be pure before his Maker?

18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,

and his angels he charges with error;

19 how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed like the moth.

20 Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces;

they perish forever without anyone regarding it.

21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,

do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; And his angels he charged with folly: 19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Which are crushed before the moth? 20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: They perish for ever without any regarding it. 21 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? They die, even without wisdom.

17 ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?

Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’

18 “If God does not trust his own angels

and has charged his messengers with foolishness,

19 how much less will he trust people made of clay!

They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.

20 They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,

gone forever without a trace.

21 Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,

and they die in ignorance.

17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?

Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

18 If He puts no trust in His servants,

If He charges His angels with error,

19 How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before a moth?

20 They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;

They perish forever, with no one regarding.

21 Does not their own excellence go away?

They die, even without wisdom.’

17 It said, ‘Can a human be more right than God?

Can a person be pure before his maker?

18 God does not trust his angels;

he blames them for mistakes.

19 So he puts even more blame on people who live in clay houses,

whose foundations are made of dust,

who can be crushed like a moth.

20 Between dawn and sunset many people are broken to pieces;

without being noticed, they die and are gone forever.

21 The ropes of their tents are pulled up,

and they die without wisdom.’

17 Shall mortal man be more just than God?

Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?

18 Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants;

And his angels he chargeth with folly:

19 How much more them that dwell in houses of clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before the moth!

20 Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed:

They perish for ever without any regarding it.

21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?

They die, and that without wisdom.

17 Shall mortal man be more just than †God? Shall a man be purer than his Maker? 18 Lo, he trusteth not his servants, and his angels he chargeth with folly: 19 How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed as the moth! 20 From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever. 21 Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom.

17 ‘Can ⸤any⸥ mortal be righteous to God? 

Can ⸤any⸥ human being be pure to his maker?’ 

18 “You see, God doesn’t trust his own servants, 

and he accuses his angels of making mistakes. 

19 How much more will he accuse those who live in clay houses 

that have their foundation in the dust. 

Those houses can be crushed quicker than a moth! 

20 From morning to evening, they are shattered. 

They will disappear forever without anyone paying attention. 

21 Haven’t the ropes of their tent been loosened? 

Won’t they die without wisdom? 

17 “Can a person be more righteous than God,

or a man more pure than his Maker?”

18 If God puts no trust in His servants

and He charges His angels with foolishness,

19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses,

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed like a moth!

20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;

they perish forever while no one notices.

21 Are their tent cords not pulled up?

They die without wisdom.

17 ‘Can mortals be righteous before God?

Can human beings be pure before their Maker?

18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,

and his angels he charges with error;

19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,

whose foundation is in the dust,

who are crushed like a moth.

20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;

they perish forever without any regarding it.

21 Their tent-cord is plucked up within them,

and they die devoid of wisdom.’

17 ‘Can a human being be more righteous than God,

or can a man be more pure than his Maker?

18 Look, he does not trust in his servants

and he charges his angels with error.

19 How much more dwellers in clay houses,

whose foundation is in the dust?

They are crushed like a moth.

20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;

without anyone regarding it they perish forever.

21 Is not their tent cord pulled up within them?

They die, but not in wisdom.’

17 It said, ‘Can a human being be more right than God?

Can a mere man be more pure than the One who made him?

18 God doesn’t trust those who serve him.

He even brings charges against his angels.

19 So he’ll certainly find fault with human beings.

After all, they are made out of dust.

They can be crushed more easily than a moth.

20 Between sunrise and sunset they are broken to pieces.

Nobody even notices. They disappear forever.

21 Like a tent that falls down, they get weak.

They die because they didn’t follow God’s wisdom.’ ”