Job 3
1 Then, opening his mouth, and cursing the day of his birth,
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
2 Job made answer and said,
And this is what he said:
3 Let destruction take the day of my birth, and the night on which it was said, A man child has come into the world.
“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
4 That day — let it be dark; let not God take note of it from on high, and let not the light be shining on it;
If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
5 Let the dark and the black night take it for themselves; let it be covered with a cloud; let the dark shades of day send fear on it.
May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
6 That night — let the thick dark take it; let it not have joy among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.
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.
7 As for that night, let it have no fruit; let no voice of joy be sounded in it;
Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.
8 Let it be cursed by those who put a curse on the day; who are ready to make Leviathan awake.
May it be cursed by those who curse the day — those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
9 Let its morning stars be dark; let it be looking for light, but may it not have any; let it not see the eyes of the dawn.
May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.
10 Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled from my eyes.
For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?
Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?
12 Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?
Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?
13 For then I might have gone to my rest in quiet, and in sleep have been in peace,
For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
14 With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
15 Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;
or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or as a child dead at birth I might never have come into existence; like young children who have not seen the light.
Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?
17 There the passions of the evil are over, and those whose strength has come to an end have rest.
There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.
18 There the prisoners are at peace together; the voice of the overseer comes not again to their ears.
The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and the great are there, and the servant is free from his master.
Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.
20 Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul;
Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
21 To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;
who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
22 Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;
who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?
23 To a man whose way is veiled, and who is shut in by God?
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
24 In place of my food I have grief, and cries of sorrow come from me like water.
I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.
25 For I have a fear and it comes on me, and my heart is greatly troubled.
For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
26 I have no peace, no quiet, and no rest; nothing but pain comes on me.
I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”
