Job 3

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

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

2 and this is what he said:

saying,

3 May the day perish on which I was born, and the night, in which it was said, “A man has been conceived.”

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

4 May that day be turned into darkness, may God not seek it from above, and may light not illuminate it.

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

5 Let darkness and the shadow of death obscure it, let a fog overtake it, and let it be enveloped in bitterness.

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

6 Let a whirlwind of darkness take hold of that night, let it not be counted in the days of the year, nor numbered in 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 May that night be alone and unworthy of praise.

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

8 May they curse it, who curse the day, who are prepared to awaken a leviathan.

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

9 Let the stars be concealed with its darkness. Let it expect light, and not see it, nor the rising of the dawn in the East.

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 it did not close the doors of the womb that bore me, nor take away evils 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 die in the womb? Having left the womb, why did I not immediately perish?

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

12 Why was I received upon the knees? Why was I suckled at the breasts?

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

13 For by now, I should have been sleeping silently, and taking rest in my sleep

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

14 with the kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes,

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

15 either with princes, who possess gold and fill their houses with silver,

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

16 or, like a hidden miscarriage, I should not have continued, just like those who, being conceived, have not seen the light.

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 impious cease from rebellion, and there the wearied in strength take rest.

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

18 And at such times, having been bound together without difficulty, they have not heard the voice of the bailiff.

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

19 The small and great are there, and the servant is free 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 those who are in bitterness of soul,

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

21 who expect death, and it does not arrive, like those who dig for treasure

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

22 and who rejoice greatly when they have found the grave,

and would be very joyful if they should gain it?

23 to a man whose way is hidden and whom God has surrounded with darkness?

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

24 Before I eat, I sigh; and like overflowing waters, so is my howl,

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

25 for the terror that I feared has happened to me, and so has the dread befallen me.

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

26 Have I not remained hidden? Have I not kept silence? Have I not remained calm? Yet indignation has overcome me.

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