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Our time on earth is brief;
the number of our days
    is already decided by you.
Why don't you leave us alone
and let us find some happiness
    while we toil and labor?

When a Tree Is Chopped Down

When a tree is chopped down,
there is always the hope
    that it will sprout again.

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A person’s days are determined;(A)
    you have decreed the number of his months(B)
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.(C)
So look away from him and let him alone,(D)
    till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.(E)

“At least there is hope for a tree:(F)
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots(G) will not fail.(H)

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