Job 3
1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
After this Job has opened his mouth, and reviles his day.
2 And Job answered and said,
And Job answers and says:
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 am born, And the night that has said: A man-child has been conceived.
4 That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:
That day—let it be darkness, Do not let God require it from above, Nor let light shine on it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it.
Let darkness and death-shade redeem it, Let a cloud dwell on it, Let them terrify it as the most bitter of days.
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.
That night—let thick darkness take it, Let it not be united to days of the year, Let it not come into the number of months.
7 Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein;
Behold! That night—let it be barren, Let no singing come into it.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;
Let the cursers of day mark it, Who are ready to wake up Leviathan.
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 its twilight be dark, Let it wait for light, and there is none, And let it not look on the eyelids of the dawn.
10 Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.
Because it has not shut the doors Of the womb that was mine! And hide misery from my eyes.
11 Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?
Why do I not die from the womb? I have come forth from the belly and gasp!
12 Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
Why have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?
13 For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept—then there is rest to me,
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves,
With kings and counselors of earth, These building ruins for themselves.
15 Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
Or with princes—they have gold, They are filling 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 am not as a hidden abortion, As infants—they have not seen light.)
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.
There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there the wearied rest in power.
18 The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
Together prisoners have been at ease, They have not heard the voice of an exactor,
19 The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.
Small and great [are] the same there. And a servant [is] free from his lord.
20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,
Why does He give light to the miserable, and life to the bitter soul?
21 Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
Who are waiting for death, and it is not, And they seek it above hid treasures.
22 Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —
Who are glad—to joy, They rejoice when they find a grave.
23 To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in?
To a man whose way has been hidden, And whom God shuts up?
24 For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
For before my food, my sighing comes, And my roarings [are] poured out as waters.
25 For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.
For I feared a fear and it meets me, And what I was afraid of comes to me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.
I was not safe—nor was I quiet—Nor was I at rest—and trouble comes!”
