< Job 3 >

1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
Emva kwalokho uJobe wavula umlomo wakhe, waqalekisa usuku lwakhe.
2 And Job spoke, and said:
UJobe wasephendula wathi:
3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night wherein it was said: 'A man-child is brought forth.'
Kalubhubhe usuku engazalwa ngalo, lobusuku okwathiwa ngalo: Kukhulelwe umntwana wesilisa.
4 Let that day be darkness; let not God inquire after it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
Lolosuku kalube ngumnyama, uNkulunkulu angalunanzi ephezulu, lokukhanya kungalukhanyisi.
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.
Umnyama lethunzi lokufa kakuluhlenge, iyezi lihlale phezu kwalo, umnyama welanga ulwesabise.
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.
Lobobusuku, umnyama ububambe, lungathokozi ensukwini zomnyaka, lungezi kunani lezinyanga.
7 Lo, let that night be desolate; let no joyful voice come therein.
Khangela, lobobusuku kabube yinyumba, umsindo wentokozo ungangeni kubo.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.
Kababuqalekise abaqalekisi bosuku, abalungele ukuvusa uLeviyathani.
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;
Zibe mnyama inkanyezi zokusa kwabo, bulindele ukukhanya, kodwa kungabi khona, bungaboni inkophe zokusa.
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid trouble from mine eyes.
Ngoba bungavalanga iminyango yesisu sikamama wami, bungafihlanga usizi emehlweni ami.
11 Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not perish at birth?
Kungani ngingafanga kusukela esizalweni, ngiphele ekuphumeni kwami esiswini?
12 Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
Kungani amadolo angandulela? Kungani lamabele ukuthi ngimunye?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest —
Ngoba khathesi ngabe ngacambalala ngathula, ngalala, khona ngaba lokuphumula,
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;
kanye lamakhosi labeluleki bomhlaba abazakhela amanxiwa,
15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver;
kumbe kanye leziphathamandla ezazilegolide ezagcwalisa izindlu zazo ngesiliva.
16 Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that never saw light.
Kumbe njengomphunzo ofihliweyo ngingabi khona, njengensane ezingabonanga ukukhanya.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.
Lapho ababi bayekela ukuhlupha, lapho abakhathele ngamandla bephumula.
18 There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
Izibotshwa ziyaphumula ndawonye, kazizwa ilizwi lomcindezeli.
19 The small and great are there alike; and the servant is free from his master.
Omncinyane lomkhulu balapho, lesigqili sikhululekile enkosini yaso.
20 Wherewith is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul —
Kungani enika ukukhanya kohluphekayo, lempilo kwabalokubaba komphefumulo;
21 Who long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
abalindele ukufa, kodwa kungekho, bekugebha kulenotho efihliweyo,
22 Who rejoice unto exultation, and are glad, when they can find the grave? —
abathabayo kakhulu ngentokozo, bajabule lapho bethola ingcwaba?
23 To a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
Emuntwini yini, ondlela yakhe ifihliwe, uNkulunkulu ambiyeleyo?
24 For my sighing cometh instead of my food, and my roarings are poured out like water.
Ngoba ukububula kwami kuza phambi kokudla kwami, lokubhonga kwami kuthululeka njengamanzi.
25 For the thing which I did fear is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of hath overtaken me.
Ngoba engikwesabayo ngokwesaba sekungehlele, lengilovalo ngakho kufikile kimi.
26 I was not at ease, neither was I quiet, neither had I rest; but trouble came.
Ngangingahlalisekanga, ngingaphumuli, ngingelakuthula, lohlupho lweza.

< Job 3 >