Job 3

1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.

After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day,

2 And this is what he said:

saying,

3 “May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

Let the day perish in which I was born, and that night in which they said, Behold a man-child!

4 If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.

Let that night be darkness, and let not the Lord regard it from above, neither let light come upon it.

5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.

But let darkness and the shadow of death seize it; let blackness come upon it;

6 If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.

let that day and night be cursed, let darkness carry them away; let it not come into the days of the year, neither let it be numbered with the days of the months.

7 Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.

But let that night be pain, and let not mirth come upon it, nor joy.

8 May it be cursed by those who curse the day — those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

But let him that curses that day curse it, [even] he that is ready to attack the great whale.

9 May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.

Let the stars of that night be darkened; let it remain [dark], and not come into light; and let it not see the morning star arise:

10 For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.

because it shut not up the gates of my mother's womb, for [so] it would have removed sorrow from my eyes.

11 Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?

For why died I not in the belly? and [why] did I not come forth from the womb and die immediately?

12 Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?

and why did the knees support me? and why did I suck the breasts?

13 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

Now I should have lain down and been quiet, I should have slept and been at rest,

14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,

with kings [and] councillors of the earth, who gloried in [their] swords;

15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

or with rulers, whose gold was abundant, who filled their houses with silver:

16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?

or [I should have been] as an untimely birth proceeding from his mother's womb, or as infants who never saw light.

17 There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.

There the ungodly have burnt out the fury of rage; there the wearied in body rest.

18 The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.

And the men of old time have together ceased to hear the exactor's voice.

19 Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.

The small and great are there, and the servant that feared his lord.

20 Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,

For why is light given to those who are in bitterness, and life to those souls which are in griefs?

21 who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,

who desire death, and obtain it not, digging [for it] as [for] treasures;

22 who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?

and would be very joyful if they should gain it?

23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Death [is] rest to [such] a man, for God has hedged him in.

24 I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.

For my groaning comes before my food, and I weep being beset with terror.

25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.

For the terror of which I meditated has come upon me, and that which I had feared has befallen me.

26 I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”

I was not at peace, nor quiet, nor had I rest; yet wrath came upon me.