Job 3

1 Then, opening his mouth, and cursing the day of his birth,

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

2 Job made answer and said,

And Job answered and 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.

Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child 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;

That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let 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.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify 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.

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 As for that night, let it have no fruit; let no voice of joy be sounded in it;

Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein;

8 Let it be cursed by those who put a curse on the day; who are ready to make Leviathan awake.

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready 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.

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 Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled 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 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?

Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?

12 Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?

Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

13 For then I might have gone to my rest in quiet, and in sleep have been in peace,

For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

14 With kings and the wise ones of the earth, who put up great houses for themselves;

With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves,

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 as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light.

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 troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.

18 There the prisoners are at peace together; the voice of the overseer comes not again to their ears.

The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.

19 The small and the great are there, and the servant is free from his master.

The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.

20 Why does he give light to him who is in trouble, and life to the bitter in soul;

Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those 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, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;

22 Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;

Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —

23 To a man whose way is veiled, and who is shut in by God?

To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in?

24 In place of my food I have grief, and cries of sorrow come from me like water.

For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.

25 For I have a fear and it comes on me, and my heart is greatly troubled.

For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.

26 I have no peace, no quiet, and no rest; nothing but pain comes on me.

I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.