< Job 3 >
1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
2 And Job spoke, and said:
And this is what he said:
3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night wherein it was said: 'A man-child is brought forth.'
“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
4 Let that day be darkness; let not God inquire after it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; let a cloud dwell upon it; let all that maketh black the day terrify it.
May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
6 As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.
If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.
7 Lo, let that night be desolate; let no joyful voice come therein.
Behold, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.
May it be cursed by those who curse the day — those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning;
May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid trouble from mine eyes.
For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not perish at birth?
Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?
12 Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest —
For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that never saw light.
Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.
There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
The captives enjoy their ease; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there alike; and the servant is free from his master.
Both small and great are there, and the slave is freed from his master.
20 Wherewith is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul —
Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
22 Who rejoice unto exultation, and are glad, when they can find the grave? —
who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave?
23 To a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
24 For my sighing cometh instead of my food, and my roarings are poured out like water.
I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.
25 For the thing which I did fear is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of hath overtaken me.
For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
26 I was not at ease, neither was I quiet, neither had I rest; but trouble came.
I am not at ease or quiet; I have no rest, for trouble has come.”