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 Job answered and said,

saying,

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

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

4 That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon 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 claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it.

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

6 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.

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

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

8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;

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

9 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:

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 Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.

because it shut not up the gates of my mother's womb, for [so] it would have removed sorrow from my eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15 Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;

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

16 Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that 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 wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.

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

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

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

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

The small and great are there, and the servant that feared his lord.

20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,

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

21 Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;

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

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

and would be very joyful if they should gain it?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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