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:
And Job answered and said,
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 the night that said, There is a man child conceived.
4 If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:
5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify 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.
That night — let gloom seize upon it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.
Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein;
8 May it be cursed by those who curse the day — those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;
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 its twilight be dark; let it wait for light, and have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the dawn:
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 doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.
11 Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?
Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?
12 Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?
Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
13 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves,
15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
Or with princes who had gold, 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 as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light.
17 There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.
18 The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
19 Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.
The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.
20 Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,
21 who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
22 who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?
Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —
23 Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in?
24 I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.
For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.
26 I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”
I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.
