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 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.

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said: A man child 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;

Let that day be turned into darkness, let not God regard it from above, and let not the 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 cover it, let a mist overspread it, and let it be wrapped up in bitterness.

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.

Let a darksome whirlwind seize upon that night, let it not be counted in the days of the year, nor numbered in the months.

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

Let that night be solitary, and not worthy of praise.

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 who curse the day. who are ready to raise up a 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 be darkened with the mist thereof: let it expect light and not see it, nor the rising of the dawning of the day:

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, nor took away evils 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 die in the womb, why did I not perish when I came out of the belly?

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

Why received upon the knees? why suckled at the breasts?

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

For now I should have been asleep and still, and should have rest in my sleep.

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

With kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes:

15 Or with rulers who had gold, and whose houses were full of silver;

Or with princes, that possess gold, and All 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 should not be, or as they that being conceived 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 tumult, and there the wearied in strength are at rest.

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

And they sometime bound together without disquiet, have not heard the voice of the oppressor.

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

The small and great are there, and the servant is free 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 him that is in misery, and life to them that are in bitterness of soul?

21 To those whose desire is for death, but it comes not; who are searching for it more than for secret wealth;

That look for death, and it cometh not, as they that dig for a treasure:

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

And they rejoice exceedingly when they have found the grave.

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

To a man whose way is hidden, and God hath surrounded him with darkness?

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

Before I eat I sigh: and as overflowing waters, so is my roaring:

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

For the fear which I feared hath come upon me: and that which I was afraid of, hath befallen me.

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

Have I not dissembled? have I not kept silence? have I not been quiet? and indignation is come upon me.