Job 3
1 After this time Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day.
After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 And Job commenced, and said,
And Job answered and said,
3 Oh that the day whereon I was born might perish, and the night when it was said, There hath been a male child conceived.
Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night which said, There is a man-child conceived.
4 May that day be [covered with] darkness; may not God from above inquire for it, and may no light beam upon it.
Let that day be darkness. Let not God from above seek for it, nor let the light shine upon it.
5 Oh that darkness and the shadow of death might defile it; may a cloud rest upon it; may the blackness of the day terrify it.
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell upon it. Let blackness come upon it.
6 Yon night — let darkness seize upon it; let it not be united to the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the [periods lighted by the] moon.
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.
7 Lo, may that night be solitary, let no song of joy occur thereon.
Lo, let that night be barren. Let no joyful voice come in it.
8 Let those denounce it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning cry.
Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.
9 Let the stars of its twilight be darkened; let it hope for light, and there be none; and let it not behold the eyelids of the morning-dawn;
Let the stars of the twilight of it be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, nor let it behold the eyelids of the morning.
10 Because God closed not against me the doors of the womb, and thus concealed trouble from my eyes.
Because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide trouble from my eyes.
11 Why did I not die [the moment I issued] from the womb, and [why] was I not born merely to perish at once?
Why did I not die from the womb? Why did I not give up the spirit when my mother bore me?
12 Wherefore were knees ready to receive me? and for what purpose were breasts there that I might suck?
Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should suck?
13 For now should I be lying still and be quiet; I should sleep: then would I be at rest,
For now I should have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept. Then I would have been at rest
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build up ruined places for themselves;
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built waste places for themselves,
15 Or with princes possessing gold, who fill their houses with silver;
or with rulers who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
16 Or as an untimely birth, hidden [from view] I should not exist; as infants that never have seen the light;
Or I should have been as a hidden untimely birth, as infants that never saw light.
17 There [where] the wicked cease from troubling; and where the exhausted weary are at rest;
There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.
18 [Where] the prisoners repose together, [and] they hear no more the taskmaster's voice.
There the prisoners are at ease together. They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 The small with the great is there, and the servant free from his master.
The small and the great are there. And the servant is free from his master.
20 Wherefore giveth He now light to the labor-laden, and life unto the bitter in soul?
Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,
21 Who wait for death, which [cometh] not; and who dig for it sooner than for hidden treasures;
who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures,
22 Who would rejoice even to exulting, who would be glad could they but find a grave?
who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave?
23 [Why is light given] to a man whose way is hidden, and around whom God hath placed a fence?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God has hedged in?
24 For before my food cometh my groaning, and like the water are poured forth my loud complaints.
For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings are poured out like water.
25 Because what I greatly dreaded is come upon me, and what I apprehended is come unto me.
For the thing which I fear comes upon me, and that which I am afraid of comes to me.
26 I have had no safety, and no quiet, and no rest; and [now] harrowing trouble is come.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, neither have I rest, but trouble comes.
