Job 3
1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
Aftir these thingis Joob openyde his mouth,
2 And Job answered and said,
and curside his dai, and seide, Perische the dai in which Y was borun,
3 Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived.
and the nyyt in which it was seid, The man is conceyued.
4 That day — let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:
Thilke dai be turnede in to derknessis; God seke not it aboue, and be it not in mynde, nethir be it liytned with liyt.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it.
Derknessis make it derk, and the schadewe of deeth and myist occupie it; and be it wlappid with bittirnesse.
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.
Derk whirlwynde holde that niyt; be it not rikynyd among the daies of the yeer, nethir be it noumbrid among the monethes.
7 Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein;
Thilke nyyt be soleyn, and not worthi of preisyng.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan;
Curse thei it, that cursen the dai, that ben redi to reise Leuyathan.
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:
Sterris be maad derk with the derknesse therof; abide it liyt, and se it not, nethir the bigynnyng of the morwetid risyng vp.
10 Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.
For it closide not the doris of the wombe, that bar me, nethir took awei yuels fro min iyen.
11 Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?
Whi was not Y deed in the wombe? whi yede Y out of the wombe, and perischide not anoon?
12 Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
Whi was Y takun on knees? whi was Y suclid with teetis?
13 For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
For now Y slepynge schulde be stille, and schulde reste in my sleep,
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves,
with kyngis, and consuls of erthe, that bilden to hem soleyn places;
15 Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
ethir with prynces that han gold in possessioun, and fillen her housis with siluer;
16 Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light.
ethir as a `thing hid not borun Y schulde not stonde, ethir whiche conseyued sien not liyt.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest.
There wickid men ceessiden of noise, and there men maad wery of strengthe restiden.
18 The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
And sum tyme boundun togidere with out disese thei herden not the voys of the wrongful axere.
19 The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.
A litil man and greet man be there, and a seruaunt free fro his lord.
20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul,
Whi is liyt youun to the wretche, and lijf to hem that ben in bitternesse of soule?
21 Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;
Whiche abiden deeth, and it cometh not;
22 Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? —
as men diggynge out tresour and ioien greetly, whanne thei han founde a sepulcre?
23 To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in?
Whi is liyt youun to a man, whos weie is hid, and God hath cumpassid hym with derknessis?
24 For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters.
Bifore that Y ete, Y siyhe; and as of watir flowynge, so is my roryng.
25 For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.
For the drede, which Y dredde, cam to me; and that, that Y schamede, bifelde.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.
Whether Y dissymilide not? whether Y was not stille? whether Y restide not? and indignacioun cometh on me.
